Slow Cooker Carnitas - Pulled Pork (Low Carb)

This is actually a Here's What He Cooked blog entry since hubby did the bulk of the work on this recipe. I only dug up a few recipes to work from and he did the rest of the prep, cooking, and serving. He cooked up this pork recipe overnight, so we woke to a great aroma, and had a very yummy lunch!

It's not exactly authentic carnitas due to a few added ingredients and since it was slow cooked it in (diet) cola, but it seemed more carnitas than pulled pork since it was broiled at the end to get some crispy bits, and we only served it with the cooking juices rather than additional BBQ sauces.

Regardless of what you call it, the recipe resulted in a very yummy and versatile pile of pork meat that we enjoyed as-is, but would also be great in tacos or burritos, or served in lettuce wraps as a low carb option.



Slow Cooker Carnitas - Pulled Pork (Low Carb)
Inspired by this recipe

Ingredients

~4 lb/2 kg of boneless pork roast with fatty streaks (leg, shoulder, butt...)
~1 cup cola (regular or diet) OR 1 large sliced onion
vegetable oil
1 large Ziplock bag

Spice Rub

• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon corriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large onion, finely chopped or grated

Directions

1. Combine all spice rub ingredients. 
2. Cut the pork into 4-5 smaller pieces and apply the spice rub. 
3. Put the meat into a Ziplock bag, seal, and place in the fridge overnight.
4. Before placing it in the slow cooker, heat some vegetable oil in a large pan and brown the edges of the meat. 
5. If you're opting for cola, put the meat and cola into the slow cooker. OR if you're opting for onions, place half of the sliced onions on the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the meat. Top with remaining onions. 
6. Cook on low temperature for 8-10 hours. 
7. When the meat is ready, remove it from the cooker, shred using two forks, and serve on a platter. OR shred it onto a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes until some of the meat becomes crispy. 
8. Pour the cooking liquid into a measuring cup, skim off the fat, and serve as a sauce.