Dinner - Pork Carnita Nachos

Tonight our home was filled with guilty pleasures of all sorts. We decided to make these nachos in the slow cooker (nachos are one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures), and we decided to eat them in front of the TV (on which Matt decided to play one of his favorite guilty pleasures, The Jersey Shore).

The nachos turned out delicious, super close in flavor to the nachos we like to get at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Riviera Maya here in Bay View. I can also say that The Jersey Shore turned out alright too, ending with a proper catfight among the girls. (Yes, I cannot believe I got sucked into watching that stupid show.)

To create the delicious nachos, a pork shoulder is prepared and seasoned, then slow cooked for 6-8 hours. The meat was tender, perfectly flavored, and a great pairing with salty tortilla chips. It would also be pretty delicious in a taco or burrito, similar to the shredded meats used at the chains Qdoba and Chipotle.

It was also a fairly simple meal to make, with minimal prep (such as browning the pork and chopping ingredients), and it was easy to assemble into the slow cooker in the morning before we left for work. The recipe is also quite versatile, as most of the ingredients are added to the nachos, so you can customize each plate to the diner's taste! We really enjoyed this recipe and I know we will be making it again often!!

Pork Carnita Nachos

Ingredients:
-1 onion, sliced
-2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (**We'll be making another recipe with these soon, also check my friend Heather's blog here as she just made something with them too! Otherwise freeze the rest of the can for another use.)
-2 to 3 pound boned pork butt or shoulder
-4 garlic cloves, slivered
-Salt & pepper
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For serving:
-Tortilla chips
-Toppings: fresh queso or Chihuahua cheese, salsa, jalapenos, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, olives, etc...

Prepare the pork by browning it on all sides in the vegetable oil. Make slits all over pork with a knife and insert garlic into the slits. Once pork is browned, wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight. Pour 1/2 cup water into pan to loosen particles from roast and reserve liquid for slow cooker.

When ready to cook, combine onion, chipotle peppers, and 1/4 cup water in 5 quart slow cooker. Place pork in slow cooker, and pour reserved liquid over. Season with salt and pepper (I also used some of the incredible Arizona Dreaming seasoning from Penzey's - amazing!!).

Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 6 hours.

Let roast cool and shred with two forks. Return to cooker and stir to combine.

Serve over tortilla chips with desired toppings.

(From "Southern Living Slow-Cooker Quick Fixes")