Carnitas

Justin and I both love burritos. When his boss asked where he wanted to go for lunch for his birthday, he picked a burrito bar a few miles from the university. Qdoba might be my biggest fast food weakness, especially their breakfast burritos. Ask them to grill it a little bit after they've wrapped it up in foil, and it makes it even better. The outside gets a tad crispy like a quesadilla, and the cheese starts to melt. Mmmm... It'll change your life.

The beauty of burritos is that you can pack pretty much whatever you want in to them. Don't like beans? Leave them out. Want more cheese? Add it in. As long as it's in a tortilla, it's still technically a burrito, and the burrito police won't stop you. In my opinion, putting just about anything in a tortilla makes it infinitely better. That being said, pork is probably my favorite burrito filling. (Justin, on the other hand, would argue for chorizo.)

Often the pork for carnitas is fried before being braised or roasted, but this recipe isn't fried at all, saving a little on calories and giving it a pulled pork kind of texture. You could put everything in your slow-cooker and let it cook all day while you're at work if you would prefer (though you'd still need to either drain it before serving or put it all in a pot for the last 30-45 minutes to cook out the liquid).

For our burritos, we tossed this in a tortilla with some shredded cheese and cilantro-lime rice. It was simple but packed full of tastiness, and the rice helps it to be filling on its own without needing chips and salsa or something on the side to help fill you up.


Ingredients

2-2 1/2 lbs pork roast
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 limes
1 c orange juice
Water
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained


Directions

Cut pork into 1 1/2"-2" chunks and place in a large, heavy pot. Juice the limes and add to the pot along with the garlic, onion, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper, salt, pepper, and orange juice. Add enough water to just barely cover the pork. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the temperature. Simmer uncovered for two hours, leaving the pork untouched. Increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until all of the liquid evaporates, about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in the tomatoes and heat through. Remove from heat, and serve immediately.


Servings: 4


Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.