Chipotle pork carnitas

Chipotle pork carnitas

Roasted pork, like carnitas or pulled pork, signals the changing of the seasons. I don't know about you, but the thought of simmering a big pot of meat on the burner in the middle of summer is the opposite of a fun time. But when the leaves start to fall and there's that first chill in the air, well, that's the perfect time to make your first batch of carnitas. 

Typically carnitas is not cooked with tomatoes, but this is not your typical carnitas recipe! You'll cook your pork in a typical carnitas fashion, but with crushed tomatoes and chipotle peppers in adobo as well. The result is a BBQ sauce that you don't need to slave over. I like serving these carnitas in tortillas with plenty of toppings, like fresh pineapple or in this case, my "fried" chickpeas.

• 4 lb. boneless pork butt (or shoulder)

• 1 yellow onion

• 4 garlic cloves

• 2 limes

• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

• 1 7oz. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• To serve: Tortillas, sliced avocado, sour cream, cubed pineapple, limes, and fried chickpeas

Cube the pork butt. Big 2-inch cubes are great. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Peel your garlic cloves. Juice your limes.

Heat a dutch oven (or a very big pot) with a coating of olive oil on medium-low.

Pour the pork cubes, sliced yellow onion, garlic cloves, lime juice, crushed tomatoes, the entire contents of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and salt in the dutch oven. Cover the meat with water and simmer for ~2 hours or until the liquid is evaporated.

Turn up the heat to evaporate any leftover liquor and stir to break up the pork and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat and add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. This will cut through the richness a bit.

Serve the pork warm in tortillas with avocado, sour cream, and cubed pineapple. Bonus points for topping them with “fried” chickpeas (recipe below).

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“Fried” chickpeas

• 1 15.5 oz. can of chickpeas

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Drain and rinse your can of chickpeas, and toss them with pinches of salt and pepper. 

Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a frying pan. Add your seasoned chickpeas and stir, cooking until the chickpeas are warm and golden.