Low Fat, Full Flavor Pork Carnitas!

I absolutely love carnitas. One of my fondest memories from the two plus years I have spent in Mexico, is driving to a ranch in the middle of nowhere in a Suburban with six other screaming girls for my first experience with carnitas. I was about seven and I remember pulling up to what appeared to be a small house with holes scattered throughout the front (dirt) yard. In those holes were spits with whole pigs slowly turning, basting themselves in all of their family-farm raised glory. We scattered out of the car and into the “restaurant” where we each received a real coke (no corn syrup) and clay tortilla holder. Upon opening the lids, we discovered small hand formed corn tortillas that happened to be dyed green, for an extra touch of Mexican pride. The leading lady of the restaurant then came flying through the door, not once or twice but three times, with platters of glistening carnitas. Each of us dove in, elbows on the long wooden table and put together amazingly fresh tacos to eat until we burst. Okay, maybe we didn’t burst, but we did get really quiet for a while. Everybody won.
 

Fast forward 20 years and I have been experimenting with how to scale down on the size and fat in this dish. I actually starting with a whole pork butt (shoulder)  and found the fat actually watered down the flavor of the great spices. Enter the pork tenderloin. Did you know that a trimmed pork tenderloin actually has less fat than an equal portion of boneless, skinless chicken breast? Everybody relies on chicken for a go-to weeknight, healthy meal! Frankly, I think the pork tenderloin is more versatile. It grills quickly, it bakes beautifully and it holds up perfectly in the slow cooker. Seriously, stock up on these babies. You can freeze them easily if you can find a good deal. 

I have adapted this recipe for 3-4 people. It can be served in a burrito, as tacos or as I did tonight; you can make a delicious burrito bowl with brown rice and black beans!

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. cayenne
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp/ garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 small sweet onion
• 1 1/2 pound boneless pork tenderloin
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Method

Stir together all ingredients except for the pork, onion and oil in a small bowl. Roughly chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Trim the tenderloin of any larger pieces of fat and silver skin. Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels. Pat the spice mix onto the roast all over, reserving any leftover spice mix for later. 

Heat vegetable oil in a grill or cast-iron pan on high heat. Place the roast in the pan and brown on all sides. This usually takes 2 minutes per side. Place the roast in a slow cooker and add any extra spice rub. Cook on a low setting for 8 to 10 hours or until the pork pulls apart easily with two forks.

Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. I chop the pork into small chunks. You can leave it in chunks or shred it with forks. Return the chunks shreds to the slow cooker and mix the pork so that is well coated with the onions and remaining juices. 

Enjoy!