Kahlua Pork

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking Time: 8 hours*
(*Note: the original recipe claims the cooking time was 16 hours (no, that is NOT a typo!) on low. I cooked it for 8 hours on high and mine was burnt!)

3 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
1 tbsp liquid mesquite smoke
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
Romaine lettuce (optional)
Rice (optional)
Hoisin sauce (optional)

1. Place pork in the crock pot and stab it all over with the tip of a knife. Rub sea salt all over pork. Drizzle the liquid smoke all over and set crock pot to low; cook about 16 hours. (I've left the original directions here so you can try or not try this yourself. Mine was cooked on high for 8 hours and was burnt.)

Results: I had mine wrapped in romaine lettuce with rice and hoisin sauce. Chris and Henry ate theirs plain. Steven wouldn't touch it, even though it was dessert night, and we were having Chocolate Chip Cheesecake for dessert. He didn't get any dessert. Overall, this was just OK. I've had better pork from the crock pot. The liquid smoke was....interesting. At first, it smelled awesome, like someone was cooking bacon. But by the end of the day, it smelled like we had a campfire going in our kitchen. I think I am being a bit negative though, because I was so disappointed at how BURNT this was! We had parts of the pork that I could barely cut with a sharp knife...they were practically beef jerky! I think I would try this again, though, because it was SOOOOOO easy! I'll watch the cooking temperature next time.

This recipe came from Gina's Skinny Recipes. She put a pretty little flower on hers. Maybe I should have tried that!

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 8 billion

2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
6 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
cumin
adobo (I couldn't find adobo, so I just added some extra sauce from the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
garlic powder
3/4 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used 3, p.s. you can freeze any that you don't use)
2 bay leaves

1. Season pork with salt and pepper. In a medium pan, sauté on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers. Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.

2. Pour chicken broth in the crockpot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumulated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves.

Served with tortillas, rice (with cilantro and lime) and avocados.

Results: First, I've got to give Henry some props, because he helped me make this dish. Props, Hen!

Second, this was fantastic! Everyone loved this, except for Voldemort...I mean, He Who Shall Not Be Named. He would only eat the rice and the tortilla (but only the part that didn't touch the pork.) Everyone (except for me, because I'm disciplined like that) went back for seconds, even Henry. The pork had just the right amount of flavor, without being spicy at all. It was a little more difficult to prepare than I like my slow cooker recipes to be, but it was totally worth it.