Kitchen Adventures || Carnitas Prep Bowls
Hello again! Happy Hump Day!
Hope y’all have had a great week. The past weekend was another busy one for us (good, but packed) so I needed something that was easy to put together for prep this week. This is actually an entire meal put together in a single bowl, but I’m including 2 different ways to cook the carnitas. Hopefully all of you either have a crockpot or an instantpot by now 😉
I love this recipe because it’s pretty hands off ( and I was feeling lazy on my meal prep ) which allowed me to focus on some other things while the food was cooking. I have also used this exactly same recipe for BBQ pulled pork with the only difference being the addition of BBQ sauce… The season (for me) stayed the same so you could essentially make 2 different meals with one large piece of meat.
As always, let me know if you have any questions!
Carnitas Prep Bowl –
INGREDIENTSÂ
For Carnitas – Measurements are what I used for about 2.5 lbs of meat – increase to taste based on pounds
2-3 lbs of pork butt or shoulder – cut into chunks
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 TBSP Olive Oil
Juice from 1 small lime
Sides –
1 Can black beans – drained and rinsed
2 Large sweet potatoes – peeled and cubed
*Optional – soak cubed sweet potatoes in cool water for 10-15 minutes prior to baking
2 Large fresh broccoli crowns – cut into florets
DIRECTIONS –Â
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat cubed sweet potatoes in coconut oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes until fork tender. Mix with drained and rinsed black beans and season lightly with paprika (optional).
Broccoli – I steamed mine for this bowl, but you could roast it alongside the sweet potatoes (about 20 minutes)
InstantPot Carnitas – In a small bowl, mix all of the seasoning until combined. In a large bowl, coat the meat with olive oil and mix with seasoning until well coated. I used the steam rack, but you can plan the meat directly in. Add a 1 of water or chicken broth to the pot and place the seasoned meat in. Close the pressure valve and set the manual setting to high for 40 minutes. Once the timer goes off, quick release the valve. When the pressure has released, put the meat in a large bowl to shred with two forks. *Mix in a small amount of the cooking liquid and squeeze the lime juice over top. **Optional to crisp the ends** Put the meat on a baking sheet and put in the oven under a high broiler for 2-3 minutes (watch it closely).
From here, I just built the bowls! Half with the sweet potato/black bean mixture, half with the broccoli, top the veggies with a portion of meat and you’re done! If you like tacos as much as we do, you could throw the sweet potatoes/beans and the meat into a tortilla 😉
Crockpot Carnitas – Season the same way, add 1 cup of water or broth to the slow cooker and place the meat in. Close the lid and cook on Low for 8-9 hours/High for 5-6 hours or until it shreds easily. Take the same steps to crisp the edges if you like!