Disclosure: This Slow Cooker Ancho Chile Carnitas recipe contains affiliate links, since we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Also, I was gifted a complimentary review copy of The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker, as well as one to giveaway. All opinions are my own.*
Who doesn’t love Taco Tuesday?!? Take your taco game up a notch by making this easy Slow Cooker Ancho Chile Carnitas recipe for dinner tonight! Plus check out my cookbook review of The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker: 100 Delicious Recipes for Easy Everyday Meals!
Happy first day of spring and happy Taco Tuesday! The spring here in Texas is absolutely stunning and I soak up every minute of it before the summer heat settles in. This means taking advantage of the longer spring days by spending as much time outside. To embrace as much of spring as we can, we rely on simple dinners, like sandwiches, grilling out and throwing things in the slow cooker. That’s why I’m happy to share this Slow Cooker Ancho Chile Carnitas recipe and The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker: 100 Delicious Recipes for Easy Everyday Meals, by Vianney Rodriguez, cookbook review with you today!
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to share this particular cookbook review with you. I’ve known fellow blogger Vianney, from Sweet Life Bake, for several years now and she is such a nice person and so full of positivity and energy! Every time we see each other we are constantly laughing and she is super genuine. Vianney and her family were hit extremely hard by Hurricane Harvey last summer and through it all she remained positive and gave back in big ways to her small Texas town and community. She talked about this struggle in her cookbook and dedicated the recipes in the cookbook to her community, her familia, after she witnessed countless strangers, businesses and first responders show compassion and kindness to each other through their tragedy.
And even though Vianney is my friend and I know all the love and hard work she poured into this book, I can honestly say that The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker is beautiful and packed with a ton of great recipes that represent our beloved home state of Texas!
I’ve cooked several recipes from this book and here’s the dets:
Pictures: YES! Every single recipe has a photo.
Prep Time, Cooking Time, and Number of Servings listed: While of course the cooking time is listed in the directions of each recipe, it is not listed at the top of the recipe; only the number of servings.
Nutritional Information Provided: No
Clear, easy to follow directions and ease of preparation: Yes, all the recipes include easy to read and understand directions; with some of the recipes even including special notes explaining things further. And since these are all slow cooker recipes, all the recipes are pretty easy!
Mexican Chocolate Granola (page 136)
Easily available ingredients and budget friendly: I would say this is a super budget friendly cookbook; and pretty much all the ingredients are easily available at most grocery store chains. However, a few select ingredients are harder to find, like nopales (paddles of the cactus plant), even for me living here in Texas, and may require visiting a specialty store or ordering online. Also, several recipes call for beer or other alcohol, like tequila, which depending on if you have these things already on hand, may require a stop to the liquor store.
Variety of recipes: This cookbook focuses on classic Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes prepared in the slow cooker, as well as includes modern twists on some classic dishes. It has appetizers, entrees, side dishes, salsas and other homemade sauces, desserts and even beverages and cocktails.
Special Feature: Each recipe has a little blurb from Vianney about why each dish is a family favorite or gives information about where the recipe originated and/or explains what specific tools or ingredients are. This cookbook also has tips and tricks for using a slow cooker and what size slow cooker to use for each recipe.
Picadillo (page 85)
You can purchase The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker: 100 Delicious Recipes for Easy Everyday Meals here.
So far I’ve made:
Ancho Chile Carnitas recipe (recipe below)
Mexican Chocolate Granola (page 136)
Picadillo (page 85)
Other recipes I have bookmarked:
Pecan Soda (page 158)
Hominy Squash Casserole (page 114)
Roasted Poblano-Chorizo Mac and Cheese (page 110)
Guava Drumsticks (page 55)
Green Chile Frito Meatballs (page 24)
All the recipes I’ve made so far from The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker have been easy to make and were loved by everyone I served them to. But, since carnitas is one of our favorite Tex-Mex dinners and a staple for Taco Tuesday, I decided to share these Ancho Chile Carnitas. I have my go to classic carnitas recipe (that I thought I’ve shared here before, but it looks like I haven’t, so I’ll have to share that ASAP), but this Ancho Chile Carnitas recipe is different than mine as that is gets all of it’s flavor from dried ancho chiles and cola.
Also, I’ve edited the recipe a bit to include my tip for crisping the slow cooked pork under the broiler after shredding. This gives the pork additional flavor and that slightly crispy, “burnt ends” texture you typically get from slow cooking meat in an oven or smoker. This step is purely optional, but I’ve found it adds a special touch to some slow cooked dishes like carnitas, brisket, etc.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and consider supporting my friend buy purchasing The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker: 100 Delicious Recipes for Easy Everyday Meals! You can also enter to win a copy of the book by following me on Instagram, as I’ll be sharing a cookbook giveaway there soon!
- 4 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- Water, as needed
- 1 (4-5 pound) boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
- 1 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 (12-ounce) can cola or root beer , (beef broth may be substituted)
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- --
- For serving:
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Fresh cilantro
- Queso fresco, crumbled
- Radishes, sliced
- Place ancho chiles in a microwave safe bowl and cover completely in water. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place pork shoulder in a large 6-8-quart slow cooker. Season pork on all sides with salt, black pepper, cumin and oregano.
- Pour chiles and soaking water, cola, lime juice and zest, onion, garlic, and bay leaves over pork. Top pork with the cilantro. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-9 hours or until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Using two forks or tongs, shred the pork directly in the slow cooker.
- Preheat broiler to high heat and line two sheet pans with aluminum foil. Using tongs or a slotted spoon transfer shredded pork to the sheet pans. Broil pork for 3-5 minutes or until the edges of the pork become crispy.
- Place pork in a serving bowl and ladle some of the cooking liquid over the pork. Serve pork in tortillas with fresh cilantro, queso fresco and radish slices; if desired.
recipe adapted from The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker: 100 Delicious Recipes for Easy Everyday Meals
Other The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker: 100 Delicious Recipes for Easy Everyday Meals cookbook reviews and recipes:
Slow Cooker Picadillo {Addicted 2 Recipes}
Cookbook Review: The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker by Vianney Rodriguez {Bicultural Familia}
*Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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