Lesson learned: never trust a slow cooker to make crispy carnitas

Tossed in a pork shoulder with all the fixings at 8 AM, came home to a mushy mess that tasted fine but looked like wet cat food, so now I'm doing the final 20 minutes under the broiler like a sane person - what's your go-to move for salvaging texture?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason.mark4d ago

Started doing the exact same thing after my first wet cat food carnitas disaster, works like a charm (though I also shred them first on a baking sheet so more edges get crispy). Pro tip: hit them with a little extra salt and a squeeze of lime before the broiler, it brings back some life.

lindaw123d ago

Three carnitas disasters and you're acting like you invented the broiler? I mean it's not exactly rocket science to figure out soggy meat needs high heat. People act like slow cookers are some kind of magic machine that fixes everything, but they literally just boil stuff in its own juice for eight hours. The whole "wet cat food" thing is funny though, I'll give you that. But let's be real, if you wanted crispy you should have gone with a Dutch oven from the start. The broiler trick works fine, but you're acting like you discovered fire.