Ever since I got my very first cast iron skillet I started collecting a variety of healthy recipes that I would try to cook using my cast iron skillet.
I consider cast iron skillet as the most versatile among the cast iron cookware. They are the perfect kitchen tool for cooking a wide range of cast iron recipes. From stovetop to the grill, all the way into the oven. One cast-iron skillet can do the job
Some Cast Iron Cookware trivia – they say that food cooked in cast-iron cookware, especially something acidic like tomato sauce, has higher amounts of iron thus we get additional health benefits when we consume food cooked in cast iron.
Sharing one of my favorite cast iron skillet recipes that you can try – Crispy Carnitas!
Ingredients:
· 2 to 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
· 1 teaspoon of salt
· 1-teaspoon cumin
· 1-teaspoon chili powder
· 1 cinnamon stick
· 1 bay leaf
· 4 garlic cloves, minced
· 1 large onion, thinly sliced
· Water for braising
Instructions:
· Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius)
· In a bowl, mix the salt, cumin, and chili powder and rub it all over the meat.
· Place the meat chunks in a cast-iron skillet with the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, garlic, and onion. It would be best that your cast iron skillet is large enough so that the meat is in a single layer only.
· Add enough water to almost cover the meat.
· Place the cast iron skillet in the oven and braised for about 3 hours. Stir the meat occasionally while it cooks.
· The meat is done when it’s really tender and slightly browned and most of the liquid is gone.
· Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Put the meat on a cutting board and cut it into small pieces. Or you can also use two meat forks and shred the meat into thin strips.
· Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf from the disk and add the shredded meat back to the cast iron skillet and return it to the oven.
· Stir the meat occasionally until the meat is as brown and crispy as you like it. Then you are ready to serve. Btw, soft tortillas go well with your Crispy Carnitas!
Carnitas is a great dish to cook ahead of time and also an excellent dish to bring to large parties to share with your friends and family.
Until our next cast iron skillet recipe!
Enjoy 🙂
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