Chipotle pork carnitas copycat

[Vian]

I based this on the ingredient statement from Chipotle, and used the technique from nom nom paleo's Kalua pig. It's one of my favorite things to make.

 

2-4lb. pork shoulder roast

about 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt per pound of meat (the finer the salt, the less you'd use)

black pepper

1- 1 1/2 tbs. juniper berries

3-4 bay leaves

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

 

Place the pork roast in a crock pot and sprinkle all over with salt and lots of black pepper (lots!) scatter juniper berries, thyme, and bay leaves around the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-16 hours (I usually do 9-10 hours, but the Kalua pig recipe says 16)

 

Once the pork is finished, remove from the pot and place in a bowl. Pick out the bay leaves, juniper berries, and thyme sticks and shred with two forks. Strain the liquid left in the crock pot into a bowl and then add a little liquid at a time to the pork until the seasoning is to your liking.

[kirkor]

In other carnitas recipes I've come across, they often recommend putting the cooked & shredded stuff under the broiler for a bit, to get some crispy edges happening. Have you toyed with that at all?

[littleg]

I've used this recipe (its pretty close to yours!) and think they taste pretty darn close!

 

I pan fry/broil before eating if I'm not eating them as leftovers.  The trick is to get a fatty piece of pork

 

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/pork/chipotles-carnitas-pulled-pork.html

[Alisonlcarver]

I have a 4 pound pork butt in my fridge right now that up until this moment I had no idea what I was going to do with it!  Thanks!

 

Juniper berries--I've never used these before.  What kindof of flavor do they provide?

[Vian]

I find that roasting in the crock pot causes a nice crust on the outside of the roast, so I don't broil it or anything like that. 

 

Juniper berries are what flavors Gin, so if you've ever had that, that's what they taste like.