Dinner was HEAVEN tonight and that is no exaggeration. Pork Shoulder Pernil “Carnitas style” served with Avocado Tomatillo Sauce and Chorizo No Grain Cauliflower Rice

Ok everyone, hold the phone….I made another Cuban inspired crock pot meal. The way I see it is, life is too short to just have one pork shoulder/ pork butt slow cooker meal in your repertoire. Two nights ago I made this pork meal and it was too good to hold out on you guys so I knew I had to create a blog post STAT. Since I have gotten so many hits and searches for my first Cuban Crock Pot Pernil I decided to make another recipe with a few new twists (and ingredients). This 2.0 version of my Cuban Paleo Crock Pot Pork Shoulder is just as good as the previous IF NOT BETTER. Again, a lot of people think pork is not healthy but I want to put an end to that myth right here and right now. I must remind you that pork tenderloin is leaner and has less saturated fat than chicken; there is a reason why it is referred to the other white meat. Similarly, pork shoulder and pork butt cuts, although more fatty or marbled, have so much flavor that a little goes a long way. A trick to cut down on the saturated fat in these cuts is I simply trim off a lot of the excess fat; it’s not rocket science. There is no reason to avoid pork.

I love pork for 4 reasons:

1. It is less fat and healthier than other red meats.
2. It is flavorful.
3. It is forgiving and cooks well in the crock pot; it usually doesn’t dry out like chicken.
4. It is cheap. I paid $1.99 a pound for the pork shoulder last week and you can find pork tenderloin when it goes on sale anywhere from $2.50 to $2.99 a pound.  That’s a bargain!

Going back to the recipe, I served this yummy pork with an amazing chorizo no grain cauliflower rice and that is why I think this recipe is now one of my new fave crock pot recipes. When you make this recipe TRY the cauliflower rice. It was THAT good. If you are scared or just not feeling the paleo lifestyle, then substitute brown rice for the cauliflower. Either way, the flavors were amazing! When we were all said and done with this meal, Ben and I ate 1 and 1/2 bags of cauliflower in addition to all the pork! And yes folks that was in one sitting. I also served the pork with my yummy avocado tomatillo sauce, another favorite in my house. If you end up with more pork left over than you expected, try one of my two favorite “leftover makeover” meals: Mexican Carnitas or Breakfast Suited for Kings.

I am still dreaming about this meal. No joke. The pork was so moist and there are so many options for you to use the pork leftovers. My personal favorite is adding it to your eggs in the morning. The kids love when I make them quesadillas with left over pork. I also add shredded leftover pork to my salads the following day for lunch. Eat it plain, throw it in a soup, or make a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, the possibilities are endless. Pork is so good, I promise you won’t have too many leftovers.

4.9 from 27 reviews

Paleo Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil Carnitas Style

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 hours

Total time

10 hours 10 mins

 

The way I see it is, life is too short to not have some pork shoulder/ pork butt slow cooker meals in your repertoire. This makes a ton of tender and delicious pork.

Author: Laura

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Paleo

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 7 lbs. of pork shoulder
• 5-7 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of oregano
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon of salt
• juice of 2 limes
• juice of 1 orange

Instructions

1. Trim the fat as much as possible from the pork shoulder. It is obviously ok to leave some on but if you can eliminate the big amounts of "white," it will save you later from separating the pork from the fat once the pork has been cooked. Also it cuts down on the saturated fat.
2. Mix all your dry spices together and rub it into the flesh of the pork on all sides.
3. Place dry rubbed pork in crock pot and add the minced garlic and the fresh squeezed lime and orange juices.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
5. Once cooked to your desired liking, shred all the pork off the fat and bone. This step was so easy; the pork was so moist it just fell off the bone.
6. Optional: To make the pork seem more like carnitas preheat oven to Broil. Spread the pork on a cookie sheet and pour some of the remainder juices from the crock pot and cook for 5-10 minutes until the edges of the pork are browned.
7. Serve with the Avocado Tomatillo Sauce and No Grain Chorizo Cauliflower Rice.
8. Eat and be prepared for the party in your mouth that is coming! So good.

3.1.09

Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil “Carnitas Style” Ingredients

Cutting the extra fat on the pork shoulder to fit into the crock pot and minimize the saturated fat

Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil “Carnitas Style’ Dry Spices Rub

Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil “Carnitas Style” with the dry rub in the slow cooker

Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil “Carnitas Style” with citrus juices and garlic is ready to cook in the slow cooker

Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil “Carnitas style” cooked all day in the slow cooker. Pork shredded so easily and was so juicy.

Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil “Carnitas Style” shredded and ready to eat.

Cuban Crock Pot Pork Shoulder Pernil Carnitas style up close and ready to devour. served with Avocado Tomatillo Sauce and No Grain Chorizo Cauliflower Rice

So are you hooked yet?