Welcome to the CF! I cannot answer your question but I'm sure another member can.

Your recipe sounds great! I hope to see more of you.

Teresa

Thank you for the warm welcome, Teresa!

Welcome to the CF!

I love pulled pork, carnitas, and tortilla soup. SC vinegar-based pork - not so much. lol

I think I'd try making a spice powder by dry frying three ancho and a couple pasilla chilis in a cast iron skillet (you could first seed them if you don't want much heat). After frying for 1-2 min. per side cover in boiling water and let steep for 5-10 minutes. Add the chilis and their steeping water to a blender and add a teaspoon, or two, of cumin and whirl until very well blended. Add this mixture to your pulled pork and put back in slow cooker for a couple hours for the flavors to blend.

I don't think this will mask the strong vinegar entirely but it should go a long ways to changing the overall profile of the pork. A little fresh cilantro at the end will help also.

Would love to hear if you try this how it works.

/tricia

Mmmm, tricia, that sounds good! Do you think using chicken broth instead of water for steeping would help mask/change the vinegar taste even more?

Edeevee, Welcome to the CF. I hope you find participating is much more fun than lurking.

I love carnitas, but I do have to tell you that I wouldn't like pulled pork with vinegar and sugar in a tortilla. Not sure if it would be possible to get rid of the vinegar taste even with the addition of cumin and topped with a salsa.

When I serve carnitas in corn tortillas, I top mine with homemade salsa, a sprig or two of cilantro and I also serve a small wedge of lime to squeeze over the meat. I wonder if the lime would cancel out the vinegar?

I think I would be more tempted to make more pulled pork sandwiches than to try and turn it into "Mexican".

~Ann

Cumin and garlic (probably in powder form if it's already cooked) always works for me.

ann_t, I hesitate to try anything that doesn't have your seal of approval. You are amazing! I do think I want to try this though -- and I'll definitely go heavy on the lime. I think I'lll prepare some beef too, just in case.

cookie8, I love cumin and garlic. The way you say it sounds so positive. It gives me hope :)

We love leftover pulled pork in quesadillas. I doubt it's anywhere near "authentic", but awfully good :-)

Congrats on the "very close" pulled pork! It's always nice to have a written recipe to correlate with a success.

I just wanted to let you know that I usually make shredded pork in the crockpot with just a dry rub. It's kind of a blank canvas to take whatever I need to use it for later, as a base for enchiladas, barbecue or whatever. I also divide plain and freeze.

In any event, this is the rub that I use from Cooking Light:

⢠2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
⢠1 tablespoon smoked paprika
⢠1 tablespoon chili powder
⢠1 teaspoon salt
⢠2 teaspoons ground cumin
⢠1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⢠1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
⢠1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
⢠1 (5-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed

I use water, couple splashes of vinegar, and a splash of (I'll probably get flamed for saying I use this) liquid smoke for braising liquid. Cook to 190 degrees, shred and put just enough (strained/defatted) braising liquid to keep moist.

Cathy in SWPA

Colleen, is the pulled pork you use sweet and vinegar-y? I'm trying to imagine all these flavors together but my brain keeps saying carnitas should taste "like this". Stupid brain.
Cathy, I've used a similar rub then cooked low and slow in the oven. The taste was good but my roast ended up dry. What did I do wrong?
As for the Liqiuid Smoke, there's something about that flavor that doesn't do it for me, although my husband and brother in law are okay with it. Adding real cut up smoked pork (chops) gave it that authentic taste w/o having to use the liquid stuff or actually do the smoking.

Semi-related story: When we were newlyweds we lived next to my new sister in law. Imagine Martha Stewart with a southern accent, black hair and startling blue eyes. She was so perfect that it was intimidating - the way she kept her home, the way she looked, everything - but especially her cooking. Everything she made was delicioius, and there I was next door, only knowing how to cook hot dogs, hamburgers, frozen pizza and tacos. I had a taste for sloppy joes one day - which we called bar b q sandwiches in my family. I called up the sil and asked, "How do you make bar b q?" To which she answered, "Well, first you dig a pit ..." I've been trying to perfect NC barbeque ever since then (without having to dig anything, lol).

In other news, my son, his girlfriend and one of their friends stopped by on Sunday so I have WAY LESS leftovers to screw up.

Thank you all for your help!

Well it sounds like you made it on Friday at the latest and today is Wednesday so I say there's only one option for what you've got left! Thanks for the recipe, I may well give it a try next time but in the oven. I'm guessing the slow cooker doesn't produce much bark?

Bark? Well, my dog liked it, if that's what you mean ;)

I'm smiling, edeevee. You just need a son and friends and whoosh ~ "we can take care of that pork for you." I'm way beyond a newlywed status, and your sister-in-law intimidates me:) BTW, I'm going to look into the smoked pork chops -- that's a really good idea.

Full disclosure: It's my unfortunate curse that I have to make a choice between moist pork/no bark in nesco roaster/slow cooker or drier pork/great bark in oven. If I'm lucky enough to make it work in the oven, it's a toss up whether I can replicate it next time. Because I'm okay with this life limitation:) I just go slow cooker, 190 - 200 degrees, rest, shred and moisten with braising liquid.

Glad your leftovers were taken care of and good luck refining your research/results -- I'm sure your son and his friends will be willing participants:)

Cathy in SWPA