Get the fresh, citrus flavors of summer on your family’s plates with Leesh & Lu’s Honey Lemon Lime Carnitas!
As the weather warms up, I get hesitant to turn my oven on. Besides not wanting to heat the house up in the summer months, we’re usually out playing and doing other things all day rather than slaving away in the kitchen. This recipe for honey lemon lime carnitas is a great set-it-and-forget-it kind of meal. Throw it in the crock pot before running errands or heading to the pool and when you return your house will smell amazing and dinner won’t be far off!
I really like the method of broiling the cooked meat to get the crispiness that you get with authentic carnitas but with the ease of the slow cooker (and not having to cook it in lard!). This meat is screaming to be wrapped in a warm tortilla and eaten on it’s own so that it’s flavors and textures really get to shine. That, however, didn’t stop me from throwing the leftover meat in a quesadilla for lunch the next day. And for dinner again. It was amazing!
Try these for your next Taco Tuesday and you won’t be disappointed.
Honey Lemon-Lime Carnitas
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork loin/shoulder/butt roast
- 2 limes zested/juiced use for for cooking in crock pot and one for topping right before served
- 1 lemon zested/juiced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 small yellow onion cut in half moons
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- Dry Rub:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
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Combine dry rub ingredients. Pat meat dry and massage rub into the meat on all sides.
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Place onion and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot add water. Placed rubbed pork on the onions and top with the zest from one lemon and one lime and then the juice from both the lemon and lime.
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Cook in crock pot high for 3-4 hours or until done. Place meat on cutting board and shred with potato masher. Reserve liquid from crock pot - add the meat to the onion and garlic mixture. Stir in honey and then stir - add in as much liquid as needed to make the meat as moist as you'd like. Lightly grease a foil lined cookie sheet and spread the meat across. Broil for a few minutes until you get some nice crispy pieces. Watch closely! Top with the last lime zest and juice.
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Serve in warm corn or flour tortillas topped with green onion and cilantro if desired. Also add any cheese, sour cream or salsa as desired. Makes good quesadillas too.
Serve your carnitas with a side of our favorite blender salsa!
Try a few of our other summer favs!
Bacon & Avocado Quesadilla | Fresh Squeezed Lemonade | Toasted Avocado & Lime Sandwich
For more great summery recipes, try these:
Beer & BBQ Flank Steak ~ Perfect for Father’s Day Dinner!
Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches
