Easy Slow Cooker Taco Pasta

I have made this recipe about 5 times since I tested it a few months ago and as I was making it last for last night's dinner, it hit me that I haven't shared it with you!  You can already guess it's a family favorite being that we've made it so many times already, so hopefully it'll be a success with your family as well!

This pin comes from a site called Inspired Dreamer, which is a blog where you can get ideas for things like food, home decor, wedding, and travel.  I'm not quite sure how you can get an account as there is no link to create an account, only if you lost your password.

This is what I call a 3-step slow cooker process.  You cook something before you start the slow cooker, let everything cook in the slow cooker, and you have to cook something after everything is done.  It's really simple though, so don't think that it'll take extra time to prep!  If you have time the night before, you can prep the cooked stuff before you go to bed and then put stuff in the slow cooker the next day!

Here are the ingredients and directions from the site:

Ingredients-Taco Pasta

• 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 1 cup Progresso® beef-flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)
• 1 cup water
• 1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix
• 1 can (14.5 oz) organic diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 package (8 oz) chile and roasted garlic Mexican cooking sauce
• 4 oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, soften, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cups cooked medium pasta shells
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

Instructions

1. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
2. In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, place cooked beef and remaining Taco Pasta ingredients except pasta shells and Cheddar cheese; stir until well combined.
3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 5 hours.
4. About 15 minutes before serving, cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Uncover slow cooker; stir in pasta and shredded Cheddar cheese until well combined.
5. Cook uncovered on High heat setting 10 to 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
6. Serve topped with sour cream, salsa and/or shredded cheese.

Since we've made this a few times already, I can share the changes we've made.  We don't use a store bought taco seasoning, we do a homemade version.  The husband likes how we can alter it to make it spicier if we want or if he wants to taste more a particular spice.  I'll update this post once I blog about the homemade taco seasoning we use.  You can also add the taco seasoning to the beef after you drain it, or just toss it in the pot with the rest of the ingredients; it doesn't change anything. :)  I don't cube up the cream cheese.  The first time I made this, I was pressed for time in between appointments, so I just threw everything in with the beef and it still came out great.  Another note about this dish is we have found that we like more of a "soup" vibe with this dish, so we find that we add more broth when we warm up left overs or sometimes we don't add the shells in the end because it soaks up so much of the broth.  We'll add the shells when we're about to eat it.  Up to you how you'd like to enjoy it!

Beef, tomatoes, onions, broth, water, cream cheese ready to cook!

The finished product right before plating.  The kids love being able to add sour cream and as many tortilla chips as their little hearts desire.  I add more broth here after it's done.  We went ahead and put in the shells like the directions say so you can see what it looks like finished.

Verdict: Of course it's a hit with our family!  It's gone usually by the second day, so leftovers never last long for this dish.  You could also add some peppers if you'd like some kick! :)

Cheers!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Pasta

from allthecooks.com, a place where people of all cooking backgrounds can share their recipes!

Makes 6 servings (Increase/Decrease).
Preparation time is 15 min

• 1 pound · Chicken breasts, bite-sized pieces
• 1 can · Cream of chicken soup
• ½ cup · Hot sauce, like for buffalo wings
• 1 ½ cup · Shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup · Crumbled blue cheese
• 3 cup · Uncooked penne pasta
• 1 ½ cup · Sour cream
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS

• 1 
  
  Season chicken with salt and pepper and put in crockpot.
• 2 
  
  Add soup and hot sauce. Stir.
• 3 
  
  Cook on low 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours.

• 4 
  
  Stir in cheeses and sour cream. Turn off crockpot.
• 5 
  
  Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Add to crockpot.
• 6 
  
  Stir well and serve!

This recipe was simple enough.  When I tested this, I had night class, so I had the chicken, soup, and hot sauce in the pot cooking for the husband.  I mixed the cheeses and sour cream in a bowl and put it in the fridge so that he'd just have to dump the bowl in the crockpot once the chicken was done cooking.  With the chicken in smaller chunks, I reduced the cooking time to low for 3.5 hours, which he said was good.  

He sent me a text in class after he added the pasta and had dinner with the kids.  He even took pictures of the finished dish for me! :)

Verdict: Another hit! The kids actually really loved the flavors of the sauce!  The mister mentioned that it could probably work as a dip as well if shredded chicken was used, maybe throw in some beans of course no noodles.  He wants to experiment with that now that it's football season. :)  I think this one is going into the recipe book now!

Cheers!

Beef Stew!

The weather here in Northern Cali has been very odd this summer.  Yesterday, we had rain and lightening!  For as long as I've lived here, rain during the summer is unheard of!  I actually welcome it with open arms considering that we've been experiencing a horrible drought this year. :(

With the weird weather, I wanted to go ahead and try a pin I'd been saving for cold weather.  I've never attempted beef stew before, only had it from the can (thanks, Progresso) or an MRE!  Gotta love military ready to eat meals.  Anyway, after going through a few pins, I found this one:

It had a lot of good reviews on the blog, Get Crocked, managed by the lovely Jenn Bare.  Man, if you want a site with tons of slow cooker recipes, this is the site for you!  There are a few other beef stew recipes on the blog, but this one had the most votes!  The ingredients and directions are as follows:

• 2 lbs. stew beef
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 4 lg. carrots, peeled & sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 lg. potatoes, peeled & chopped into chunks
• 1 c. condensed beef broth
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/3 c. soy sauce
• 1 lg. onion, sliced
• 1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.) 

1. Layer potatoes on the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Next, layer carrots on top of potatoes.
3. Place meat on top of carrots.
4. Sprinkle meat with soy sauce, salt, paprika, pepper & flour.
5. Layer chopped onions evenly on top of sauce/seasonings.
6. Combine beef broth & tomato sauce and pour over everything in the slow cooker.
7. Cover. Cook on Low for 7 – 8 hrs. (or high 4 – 5 hrs. if pressed for time)

  The husband and I are fans of red potatoes, so we went with 3 large ones for this recipe.

                          

                                 Potatoes first since they take the longest to cook!

Carrot layer

Beef layer and pouring the soy sauce mixture over

ONIONS!

 

And last but not least, the tomato sauce and beef broth 

  

At first I set the slow cooker on high because I started it pretty late.  Almost two hours into it, the husband reminded me that the last time I cooked beef on high in the slow cooker, it was tough.  :(  I switched it to low for 4 more hours.  The aroma coming from the crock pot was amazing!  One of the things I love about cooking with the crock pot is that it fills your house with whatever delicious dish is cooking!  Of course the downfall is that it can make you hungry before it's done!!

The verdict: amazing! Seturned I turned it down in time because the beef came out tender!  Flavorful and hearty! I'll probably add celery and more onions next time, but it really is delicious! 

Sour Cream Bacon Crock Pot Chicken

Chicken and bacon?  I've never had the two together before so when I came across this pin as I was going through my food board for a pin to test, I decided why the heck not?  5 ingredients and a crock pot, what's not to like about this recipe?

 

The recipe comes from Moms with Crockpots, a busy mom of 3 who created the blog because she was using her crock pot a lot more to help eliminate having to figure out what the heck to make for dinner each night!  I definitely know her pain, and glad that I found her blog from Pinterest!  Here is the recipe and instructions from her site:

 

Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 hours
Total time: 8hr 15 min

Serves: 8

Ingredients:
8 bacon slices
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 (10 oz) cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup flour (all purpose or gluten free blend)
salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions

Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until some of the fat is rendered. Be sure that the bacon is still pliable and not crisp. Drain on paper towels. If you use this method, reduce the flour to ¼ cup. Or don’t cook the bacon and proceed with the recipe.
Then wrap one slice of bacon around each boneless chicken breast and place in a 4-5 quart crockpot.

In medium bowl, combine condensed soups, sour cream, and flour and mix with wire whisk to blend. Pour over chicken.

Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken and bacon are thoroughly cooked. You may want to remove the chicken and beat the sauce with a wire whisk so it is very well blended.

Pour sauce over chicken.

If you have a newer crockpot, check the chicken at 5 hours. The internal temp should be 160 -170 degrees F.

I bought a family pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were decent sized and ended up cutting all of them in half.  With this new size, they were more suited for a single serving since one chicken breast can really feed 2 people (in my opinion).  Of course, this meant more bacon, so instead of 8 pieces of bacon and 8 chicken breasts, I had 14.  :)  

I have never had bacon that wasn't pan fried or baked, so when I read her option of not cooking the bacon before putting it in the crock pot, I decided to try that route.  After cutting each breast in half, I wrapped each one with one slice of bacon and placed them in the crock pot.  

Bacon wrapped chicken breasts

A note to remember about the roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup: it's darker than regular cream of mushroom soup.  When you mix in the sour cream and flour, this of course makes the mixture lighter.  I recommend using a spatula to help spread over the top of the chicken.

If you have a "newer" crock pot (not quite sure what she meant, made after 2010 maybe?), the cook time is definitely not going to be over 5.5 hours!  If you recall the Beer Chicken test, the chicken was a bit dried out after cooking for 6.5 hours.  I know that the original recipe for this one says 6-8 on low, but after the  Beer Chicken results, I decided to set it for only 4.5 hours!  That was when I would cut a piece of chicken to make sure it cooked all the way through, and if it did, I would taste test then (praying that I don't get sick). 

Chicken in a crock pot in under 5 hours?

After 4.5 hours, I opened up the crock pot.  You could see why she suggests getting a whisk to mix the sauce together more after it's done cooking.

I took out a piece of bacon wrapped chicken and....

It was fully cooked!!  On top of that, it was tender and not dried out!  Yay!  So now I know for my crock pot, chicken is done in 4.5 hours and anything more just dries it out.  :)  I'll admit, what threw me off was the pink bacon, but that was cooked as well.  Just need to get over the fact that it isn't crispy.  If you can't, then just slip the bacon off the chicken and enjoy.  With the soup and the bacon, you don't need to add anymore salt to taste.  We didn't add any pepper either because we found it to be balanced enough without it.

Verdict:  Another chicken dish hit.  Paired with a salad or noodles and you're set.  We'll had to retest the Beer Chicken with the new cook time to see if it comes out better. :)

Cheers!

Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken

Recipe type: dinner

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  8 hours

Total time:  8 hours 15 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 8 bacon slices
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10 oz) cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup flour (all purpose or gluten free blend)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until some of the fat is rendered. Be sure that the bacon is still pliable and not crisp. Drain on paper towels. If you use this method, reduce the flour to ¼ cup. Or don’t cook the bacon and proceed with the recipe.
2. Then wrap one slice of bacon around each boneless chicken breast and place in a 4-5 quart crockpot.
3. In medium bowl, combine condensed soups, sour cream, and flour and mix with wire whisk to blend. Pour over chicken.
4. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken and bacon are thoroughly cooked. You may want to remove the chicken and beat the sauce with a wire whisk so it is very well blended.
5. Pour sauce over chicken.
6. If you have a newer crockpot, check the chicken at 5 hours. The internal temp should be 160 -170 degrees F.

- See more at: http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/01/sour-cream-and-bacon-crockpot-chicken/#sthash.QyGqZXds.dpuf

Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken

Recipe type: dinner

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  8 hours

Total time:  8 hours 15 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 8 bacon slices
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10 oz) cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup flour (all purpose or gluten free blend)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until some of the fat is rendered. Be sure that the bacon is still pliable and not crisp. Drain on paper towels. If you use this method, reduce the flour to ¼ cup. Or don’t cook the bacon and proceed with the recipe.
2. Then wrap one slice of bacon around each boneless chicken breast and place in a 4-5 quart crockpot.
3. In medium bowl, combine condensed soups, sour cream, and flour and mix with wire whisk to blend. Pour over chicken.
4. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken and bacon are thoroughly cooked. You may want to remove the chicken and beat the sauce with a wire whisk so it is very well blended.
5. Pour sauce over chicken.
6. If you have a newer crockpot, check the chicken at 5 hours. The internal temp should be 160 -170 degrees F.

- See more at: http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/01/sour-cream-and-bacon-crockpot-chicken/#sthash.QyGqZXds.dpuf

Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken

Recipe type: dinner

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  8 hours

Total time:  8 hours 15 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 8 bacon slices
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10 oz) cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup flour (all purpose or gluten free blend)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until some of the fat is rendered. Be sure that the bacon is still pliable and not crisp. Drain on paper towels. If you use this method, reduce the flour to ¼ cup. Or don’t cook the bacon and proceed with the recipe.
2. Then wrap one slice of bacon around each boneless chicken breast and place in a 4-5 quart crockpot.
3. In medium bowl, combine condensed soups, sour cream, and flour and mix with wire whisk to blend. Pour over chicken.
4. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken and bacon are thoroughly cooked. You may want to remove the chicken and beat the sauce with a wire whisk so it is very well blended.
5. Pour sauce over chicken.
6. If you have a newer crockpot, check the chicken at 5 hours. The internal temp should be 160 -170 degrees F.

- See more at: http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/01/sour-cream-and-bacon-crockpot-chicken/#sthash.QyGqZXds.dpuf

Hiatus is over! I bring you BEEF!

Phew!  It's been 2 1/2 months since my last post and I apologize for the hiatus!  Since my last post, our baby girl was born May 9th and we've moved into a new house!  My time has gone to taking care of a newborn, trying to get us all unpacked and settled into our new place, and of course taking care of the family and a bit of schooling as well.  It's definitely been an adjustment period with a third kid and getting used to our new home, but it's been great!  Tiring, but great.  :)

Today's recipe is something that I've been craving lately since I've been nursing.  Not sure if it's because I'm lacking something in my diet, but man oh man, have I been craving beef.  Burgers, steaks, stews, you name it.  I see a commercial or drive by a place that has beef on the menu and the crave begins.  If you don't eat beef, I am truly sorry because it is just so good!

Picture from Miss Information's blog! Looks delicious, right?

Love Julia Child but don't have the time for her recipes?  This was the inspiration behind Miss Information's slow cooker version of her Boeuf Bourguignon.  I've never attempted the recipe from scratch before, so I didn't quite know what to expect from the slow cooker version.  If you've seen the pin, you probably clicked on it and saw that it links you to My Recipe Magic, which then asks you to click on another link to go to Miss Information's blog.  I fixed the link on my pin board to go directly to the recipe on her site.  Why the extra step, right?

Here are the ingredients and directions for slow cooker boeuf bourguignon:

Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1 1/2” cubes (have the butcher do it for you)
6 slices of bacon minced then cooked
3/4 bag of frozen onion
10 baby carrots cut into small pieces or 1 medium carrot
1/4 cup of tomato paste or a 8oz can of reduced can of tomato sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups Pinot Noir
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
1 package of frozen pearl onions
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cartons of baby bella mushrooms cut into quarters

Season the beef with Salt and Pepper and put it in your slow cooker. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp and drain. Put your diced onions in the skillet with the carrot’s, tomato paste, garlic and thyme till onions are unfrozen and soft. Put in your flour and stir for 1 minute to get the flour taste out of it. Stir in 1 cup of wine and get all the bacon bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour into the crock-pot. (You are now wondering how am I going to fit the rest in this slow cooker, don’t worry it will cook down enough to add the other stuff later) Pour in broth, soy sauce and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 9-10 hours on low.
About 30 minutes before it’s done put your pearl onions, water, butter and sugar in a pan and sauté until the onions are soft, throw in 1 cup of wine and reduce. Throw in the mushrooms and sauté about 10 minutes. Throw it all in the slow cooker and let it cook for about 15 more minutes.
Serve over mashed potatoes with a nice glass of wine and you will be happy happy!

Right of the bat, I didn't know that they sold onions frozen!  Since we keep lots of onions on hand at home, we decided to use fresh onions in the slow cooker but still use a bag of frozen pearl onions.  Well, the commissary and Wally World did not have frozen pearl onions so I picked up a bag of fresh pearl onions.  If you were like me and never cooked with them before, don't fret because they're simple to cook with!

I bought my 4lbs of boneless chuck roast whole and had to cube it myself.  When we cook with meat, we don't trim all of the fat off because it helps with flavor.  This is how much it filled up my 6 qt crock pot:

 

Ingredients: 4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1 1/2” cubes (have the butcher do it for you) 6 slices of bacon minced then cooked 3/4 bag of frozen onion 10 baby carrots cut into small pieces or 1 medium carrot 1/4 cup of tomato paste or a 8oz can of reduced can of tomato sauce 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon dry thyme 1/3 cup all purpose flour 2 cups Pinot Noir 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons butter 1 package of frozen pearl onions 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons sugar 2 cartons of baby bella mushrooms cut into quarters Season the beef with Salt and Pepper and put it in your slow cooker. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp and drain. Put your diced onions in the skillet with the carrot’s, tomato paste, garlic and thyme till onions are unfrozen and soft. Put in your flour and stir for 1 minute to get the flour taste out of it. Stir in 1 cup of wine and get all the bacon bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour into the crock-pot. (You are now wondering how am I going to fit the rest in this slow cooker, don’t worry it will cook down enough to add the other stuff later) Pour in broth, soy sauce and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 9-10 hours on low. - See more at: http://www.missinformationblog.com/2013/04/slow-cooker-beef-bourguignon.html#sthash.j3jQiv8c.dpuf

I had trouble cutting the bacon uncooked so I sectioned the slices up into thirds, cooked them and then shredded it up before putting in the onions, carrots, paste, etc.

Ingredients: 4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1 1/2” cubes (have the butcher do it for you) 6 slices of bacon minced then cooked 3/4 bag of frozen onion 10 baby carrots cut into small pieces or 1 medium carrot 1/4 cup of tomato paste or a 8oz can of reduced can of tomato sauce 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon dry thyme 1/3 cup all purpose flour 2 cups Pinot Noir 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons butter 1 package of frozen pearl onions 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons sugar 2 cartons of baby bella mushrooms cut into quarters Season the beef with Salt and Pepper and put it in your slow cooker. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp and drain. Put your diced onions in the skillet with the carrot’s, tomato paste, garlic and thyme till onions are unfrozen and soft. Put in your flour and stir for 1 minute to get the flour taste out of it. Stir in 1 cup of wine and get all the bacon bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour into the crock-pot. (You are now wondering how am I going to fit the rest in this slow cooker, don’t worry it will cook down enough to add the other stuff later) Pour in broth, soy sauce and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 9-10 hours on low. - See more at: http://www.missinformationblog.com/2013/04/slow-cooker-beef-bourguignon.html#sthash.j3jQiv8c.dpuf

Ingredients: 4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1 1/2” cubes (have the butcher do it for you) 6 slices of bacon minced then cooked 3/4 bag of frozen onion 10 baby carrots cut into small pieces or 1 medium carrot 1/4 cup of tomato paste or a 8oz can of reduced can of tomato sauce 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon dry thyme 1/3 cup all purpose flour 2 cups Pinot Noir 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons butter 1 package of frozen pearl onions 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons sugar 2 cartons of baby bella mushrooms cut into quarters Season the beef with Salt and Pepper and put it in your slow cooker. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp and drain. Put your diced onions in the skillet with the carrot’s, tomato paste, garlic and thyme till onions are unfrozen and soft. Put in your flour and stir for 1 minute to get the flour taste out of it. Stir in 1 cup of wine and get all the bacon bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour into the crock-pot. (You are now wondering how am I going to fit the rest in this slow cooker, don’t worry it will cook down enough to add the other stuff later) Pour in broth, soy sauce and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 9-10 hours on low. - See more at: http://www.missinformationblog.com/2013/04/slow-cooker-beef-bourguignon.html#sthash.j3jQiv8c.dpuf

I started mine pretty late, later than I wanted.  It was about 1:45pm when I finally finished the second step (had to take breaks to feed the baby, thankfully my toddler was napping) and I didn't want to wait until 11pm to eat it so I cooked on high for 5 hours.  I set it and forget it, only hoping that it wouldn't over cook the beef and make it extra chewy.  :(

This was what it looked like with about 2 hrs left!

With about an hour left, I started on the step with the peal onions.  I read that it's easy to peel them if you boil them for about 5 minutes, cut the root portion off and then squeeze them out, but we wanted them fresh so no squeezing.

I omitted the mushrooms because only one person in our family is fond of them.  Poured in the wine, reduced for a few minutes and added it to the crock pot with 45 minutes left on the timer.  I threw it in before the time expired for the pearl onions to really cook in there.  With 15 minutes left on the timer, I started the mashed potatoes.  Yes, boxed, because with little ones, I wanted that to be done fast.  :)

The end product all plated:

Yes, I probably should've put the salad on a separate plate, but we didn't mind it. 

Verdict: OHMIGOSH it was so amazing! A home run for our household!  My fear of the beef being overcooked?  The beef was "no knife needed" tender and the broth alone was tasty.  No extra salt or pepper needed and it does pair perfectly with mashed potatoes!


I hope you beef lovers will try this recipe out!


Cheers!

Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon

Carnitas in a Crock Pot?

I am a sucker for carnitas whenever we go out to eat at a Mexican place.  The flavors and how juicy and tender the meat comes out with the way it's cooked... YUM!  I was excited when I found out a recipe for it on Pinterest and a crock pot one at that!  With this huge belly and the discomfort level high since I'm near the end, I'm all about set it and forget it meals at the moment!  I showed my husband and of course he was sold. 

The recipe comes from 52 Kitchen Adventures by a blogger named Stephanie, as part of her Slow Cooker Mondays series.  Here are the ingredients and directions from her blog as adapted from Bon Appetit:

Slow Cooker Carnitas
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 4-6

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (A.K.A. Boston butt)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• A few dashes of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 large onion, cut into 4 pieces

For serving:

• Tortillas
• Cilantro
• Avocado
• Sour cream

Spray a large slow cooker with non-stick spray (I used a 6 quart). Combine salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub the spices over all sides of the meat and place in slow cooker. Top with onion and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove meat with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl. Discard onions. Using 2 forks, shred the meat. (Optional – to crisp the meat, place under the broiler for a few minutes.)
Serve with tortillas, chopped cilantro, avocado, sour cream, or anything else you like.


I leave the meat buying to the husband being that he's 1. Texan and 2. he knows how to find good deals in the meat department.  I mentioned pork shoulder and he told me he'd already had one in our deep freezer when he picked one up back in September last year (you can keep portions like that longer in a deep freezer compared to a normal freezer).  I didn't pay attention to him when he pulled it out of the freezer to defrost it until the next evening when we were ready to make it...

Yes, that is 8 pound pork shoulder.  I looked at him and told him the recipe only called for a 2 lb one and he laughed at me and told me it doesn't exist.  Can't blame him though, look at the steal he got it for!! .99 a pound!

Moving on, since we had a bigger piece of meat to work with, obviously we needed to up all of the measurements of the spices.  Note: we didn't use a specific Mexican Oregano.

Spices mixed and ready to go

When it came to rubbing down the pork shoulder with the spices, the mister also did that as well, and he did it all in the sink to minimize the mess and since it was the only "bowl" big enough!

As you can see on the left, that side still has the fat on it.  The husband doesn't recommend cutting the fat off as it will provide a lot of the flavor while it cooks.  He did cut slits into the fat side to insert the spice mix inside.  When it was ready to go into the crock pot, he put fat side up so that "the juices will trickle down the meat while it cooks."

I used 2 whole large onions to spread all across the top of the pork shoulder as well as putting some along any gaps along the sides.

Now, if you thought like me, you were probably thinking that the cooking time would need to increase as well since we were doing 6 more pounds than what the original recipe called for, right?  Nope.  My husband told me that it would just simple dry it out if you increased the cooking time.  He set it to cook while we slept, the original 8 hours on low that the recipe instructs.  In the morning when he woke up, he flipped the pork shoulder over and set it to cook for an additional hour on low.

The house smelled AMAZING when we woke up in the morning!  I was so anxious to shred it up and taste it already!  Since it finished before lunchtime, I turned off the crock pot completely to wait for my husband to get home.  Didn't feel right shredding it up without him since he did most of the tough work!  When he got home and it was time, he would place the shredded pieces of the shoulder in a tupperware container (one less step to do later when we were done eating).  He cut off all the fat and took out the two bones that were inside and treated our dog.  :) 

The finished pork shoulder, partly shredded

The last picture is how we decided to eat it; traditional street taco style.  Small corn tortillas with chopped up cilantro, onions, and some hot sauce (not pictured).

DE-LISH!!  Now to us, any time we've had carnitas, the flavor is never consistent from restaurant to restaurant (or taco truck).  The spices did provide a little kick, but not over powering to were someone sensitive to heat would shy away.  It was unbelievably moist!  We skipped the broiler step only because we were so anxious to give it a try once it finished!!  The husband says if you want that crispy texture (since carnitas are traditionally fried) to definitely put it under a broiler after you've already shredded the meat.

A great and easy way to get carnitas at home!  Hope your family enjoys this recipe like ours did!
Cheers!