Melty cheese. Shredded carnitas. Buttery tortillas. These Slow Cooker Carnitas Quesadillas make for one heck of a tasty meal!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time6 hourshrs20 minutesmins
Total Time6 hourshrs40 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carnitas, pork, quesadilla, slow cooker
Servings: 4servings
Calories: 604kcal
Author: David
Ingredients
For the Slow Cooker Carnitas
3-4poundboneless pork shoulder
1tspchipotle powder
2tspblack pepperdivided
2tspkosher saltdivided
2Tbspolive oil
1cuplow-sodium chicken broth
¼cupof lime juice
1medium white onionchopped
3dried bay leaves
1Tbspgarlicminced
1Tbspadobo sauce
2tspdried oregano
2tspdried thyme
1tspground cumin
For the Quesadillas
4large flour tortillas
½Tbspbutter
1¼cupsshredded carnitasrecipe above
1cupoaxaca cheeseshredded (can substitute Colby Jack if oaxaca is unavailable)
½cupcornfresh or frozen
½cupred bell pepperdiced
¼cupgreen onionschopped
{optional} ¼ cup pickled jalapenosdiced
sour creamfor serving
Instructions
For the Slow Cooker Carnitas
Rinse pork shoulder under cold water and then pat dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, combine chipotle powder, 1 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of kosher salt. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over pork shoulder.
Using a Dutch oven (or large skillet), add olive oil; place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add pork shoulder and sear each side for 3-4 minutes.
Transfer pork shoulder to crock pot and add remaining ingredients (chicken broth, lime juice, remaining salt and pepper, chopped onion, bay leaves, garlic, adobo sauce, oregano, thyme and cumin).
Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours, or low for 8-10 hours. When done, the pork shoulder should shred very easily.
Transfer pork to a large cutting board or plate and shred using 2 forks; stir in several tablespoons of the cooking liquid. (Note: You will have plenty of leftover carnitas for more quesadillas, tacos, nachos, etc.)
For the Quesadillas
Using a large skillet or griddle, add butter and place over medium-low heat. (Tip: If using unsalted butter, then add a pinch of salt to the pan.)
Lay flour tortillas out on large cutting board. Divide fillings evenly across tortillas, but place all fillings on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas over to create half-moon shaped quesadillas.
Once butter has melted, add quesadillas and cook over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Garnish with sour cream and additional chopped green onions before serving.