Easy One Pan Baked Dumplings is my take on the viral Trader Joe’s recipe. Potstickers (or dumplings) are baked in a creamy ginger and garlic infused Thai curry and coconut sauce and served with rice of your choice. Yields 4 servings.
Looking for a Quick and Easy Dinner? This is it.
After seeing the viral Trader Joe’s baked dumplings on my Pinterest feed for that past few months, I decided to give it a try. After looking at the ingredients, I realized I would have to make this a little more from scratch since the closest TJ’s is a 45 minute drive away. In this recipe, potstickers or dumplings are covered in an incredible homemade, creamy coconut sauce infused with thai red curry paste, garlic, ginger and toasted sesame oil and baked until tender. It’s really just that simple!
To Make These One Pan Baked Dumplings You Will Need:
thai red curry paste – A flavorful red paste usually consisting of dried chiles, garlic and lemongrass – to name a few.
light brown sugar – Lends subtle sweetness and balances flavors.
garlic paste – I use store bought pre-grated garlic paste which helps make this recipe come together faster.
ginger paste – I use store bought pre-grated ginger paste which helps make this recipe come together faster.
low-sodium soy sauce – Or substitute with low-sodium tamari if gluten free.
toasted sesame oil – Gives this dish a toasty warm flavor.
rice wine vinegar – Adds delicious tang.
full fat coconut milk (canned) – Lends flavor and creaminess.
pot stickers or dumplings (frozen) – Use vegetable, chicken or pork.
for serving (optional):
Preheat your oven to 375℉ (or 190℃).
Grab a large 9×13 ceramic or porcelain baking dish and set nearby.
Make The Sauce:
In a bowl, measure and add 3 tablespoons of red curry paste, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and 2 teaspoons each of garlic and ginger paste.
Next, measure and add 3 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar.
Whisk to combine.
Pour in 1 (15 ounce) can of unsweetened coconut milk. For what it’s worth, I really love the brand Native Forrest.
Whisk one last time to incorporate.
Arrange 20 potstickers or dumplings into the baking dish.
Pour the coconut red curry sauce over top. Try your best to cover each dumpling.
Cover tightly with foil and bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes more. The sauce should be thick and bubbling. I wish you could smell this!
Serve drizzled with chili garlic crunch, sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
I probably could eat the entire pan myself.
I like to serve these thai curry coconut dumplings along with cooked jasmine rice and roasted or steamed broccoli. But you could do baby bok choy too.
These baked dumplings are also delicious with a squeeze of lime juice over top as well!
And leftovers reheat beautifully the next day.
Enjoy! And if you give this One Pan Baked Dumplings recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Yield: 4servings
One Pan Baked Dumplings
Easy One Pan Baked Dumplings is my take on the viral Trader Joe’s recipe. Potstickers (or dumplings) are baked in a creamy ginger and garlic infused Thai curry and coconut sauce and served with rice of your choice.
Prep Time: 10 minutesmins
Cook Time: 30 minutesmins
Total Time: 40 minutesmins
3tablespoonsthai red curry paste
2tablespoonslight brown sugar
2teaspoonsgarlic paste
2teaspoonsginger paste
3tablespoonslow-sodium soy sauce, or low-sodium tamari
2tablespoonstoasted sesame oil
1tablespoonrice vinegar
15ouncesfull fat coconut milk
20potstickers or dumplings
FOR SERVING (OPTIONAL):
cooked rice of choice
steamed or [10-minute roasted broccoli]
chopped cilantro
sliced green onions
chili garlic crunch
toasted sesame seeds
Preheat your oven to 375℉ (or 190℃).Grab a large 9×13 ceramic baking dish and set nearby.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, measure and add thai red curry paste, light brown sugar, garlic and ginger paste, low-sodium soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar. Whisk well to combine. Add in the coconut milk and whisk again to incorporate.
Arrange the potstickers or dumplings into the baking dish. Pour the coconut red curry sauce over top. Cover tightly with foil and bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.
Drizzle with chili garlic crunch, and top with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with rice and broccoli.
Nutrition Disclaimer:All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline. Note:Nutritional information is for the baked dumplings and does not include any sides or toppings.
This post may contain references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Oh Sweet Basil may receive compensation when you click on links to such products.
Garlic Butter Skillet Pork Bites & Green Beans is the kind of quick, flavorful dinner that makes you feel like a weeknight hero. Made with juicy, pan-seared pork bites and vibrant green beans tossed in a lemon garlic butter sauce, this one-skillet recipe is easy to throw together and is ready in under 30 minutes!
From Canned Veggies to Skillet Magic
Green beans were a staple in my house growing up, but with five kids and a mom from a farm in Idaho who was taught to save and preserve everything, our green beans were 99% canned by mom. They were tender and so flavorful, but that meant fresh green beans took me a little time to warm up to with all of that crunchy texture!
The Trick That Changed Everything
As an adult, I’ve discovered that the secret to really good green beans is in the prep work. Blanching them in hot water until they’re vibrant green, tossing them straight into an ice bath to stop the cooking, and finally sautéing in a cast iron skillet for depth of flavor has been life-altering.
Can We All Agree Pork Is Better with Crispy Edges?
We love searing pork bites until the edges are crispy and caramelized. It takes the flavor up a notch – but that’s not even the best part. This healthy 30 minute meal finishes with a lemon garlic butter sauce that has us eating straight from the pan. And those green beans? They’ve never been this exciting.
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Skillet Pork Bites & Green Beans
Simple, pantry-friendly ingredients come together for a flavorful, low-carb dinner that cooks in one cast iron skillet.
Pork Chops: Boneless and cut into 1-inch pieces. Loin or bone-in chops work too, just adjust cook time.
BBQ Rub: My Homemade BBQ Rub is perfect here. Make a batch to have quick seasoning without extra prep.
Olive Oil: For searing the pork. Use avocado oil if you prefer.
Butter: Builds the base of the garlic lemon sauce.
Garlic: Fresh cloves that are minced adds a sharp, rich flavor.
Lemon (Zest + Juice): Brightens and balances the sauce.
Chicken Broth: Deglazes the skillet and adds moisture.
Green Beans: Blanched and sautéed for tender-crisp texture.
Red Pepper Flakes: Optional heat.
Fresh Parsley: For a fresh finish.
How to Make Garlic Butter Skillet Pork Bites & Green Beans
Simple ingredients, simple steps, big flavor – just how weeknight dinners should be.
Season the Pork: Coat chopped boneless pork chops with BBQ rub.
Sear the Pork: Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork in batches, 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside.
Melt the Butter: Lower heat to medium and melt butter in the pan.
Add Garlic: Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
Deglaze: Pour in lemon juice, zest, and chicken broth, scraping up bits from the bottom.
Add Green Beans: Toss in blanched green beans and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
Finish the Dish: Return pork to the pan and stir everything to coat in sauce.
Serve: Sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes, if using.
TIP: Pork is done when it hits 145°F inside, checked with a meat thermometer.
Storing and Freezing Garlic Butter Skillet Pork Bites & Green Beans
Got leftovers? You’re set for an easy lunch.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze cooked pork and green beans for up to 2 months. We use our FoodSaver to keep things fresh.
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of broth to keep the pork tender.
FAQs About Garlicky One‑Pan Pork & Green Beans
Can I skip blanching the green beans?
You could, but blanching locks in color and crunch. If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the ice bath and go straight to sautéing – just expect a slightly softer texture.
Can I use bone-in pork chops instead of boneless?
Yes! Bone‑in chops are flavorful and help retain moisture. If you’re using them, just add a few minutes to the sear time and monitor internal temp carefully.
Is lemon juice OK for kids or picky eaters?
Absolutely. A little lemon brightens the sauce without making it sour. If citrus is a no-go, you can use a small splash of chicken broth alone and still get great flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
Replace chicken broth with vegetable broth or even a splash of white wine.
Add a spoonful of Dijon mustard to the butter sauce for extra tang.
Toss in mushrooms, zucchini, or cherry tomatoes with the green beans.
For a creamy twist, finish with a splash of heavy cream or a little grated Parmesan.
No fresh parsley? Use chives, thyme, or skip it altogether.
Ready in just 30 minutes or less this easy, deliciously low carb and healthy pork recipe is the best new addition to our quick and easy recipe index!
More Pork Recipes to Try:
Watch How this Skillet Pork Bites Recipe is Made…
Prevent your screen from going dark
In a pie plate, sprinkle pork with seasoning and toss to coat well.
1 ½ lbs Pork Chops, 1 ½ Tablespoons BBQ Rub
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Brown the pork bites in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until edges are crispy and browned, drizzling more oil as needed. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add butter and cook until melted.
¼ Cup Butter
Add the garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4 Cloves Garlic
Scrape up any browned bits from the pan as you pour in the lemon juice and zest and broth.
½ Lemon, ¼ Cup Chicken Broth
Carefully add the green beans into the pan and toss in the lemon butter sauce to coat well. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning often.
1 lb Green Beans
Push cooked green beans on the side and return the pork into the pan. Toss the pork bites through the sauce to evenly coat.
Add a sprinkle fresh parsley and red chili pepper flakes. Serve immediately!
How do barukas, also known as baru almonds, compare with other nuts?
There is a new nut on the market called baru almonds, branded as “barukas” or baru nuts. Technically, it isn’t a nut but a seed native to the Brazilian Savannah, known as the Cerrado, which is now among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Over the last 30 years, much of the Cerrado’s ecosystem has been destroyed by extensive cattle ranching and feed crop production to fatten said cattle. If it were profitable not to cut down the native trees and instead sell baru nuts, for example, that could be good for the ecosystem’s health. But what about our health?
“Although baru nuts are popular and widely consumed, few studies report on their biological properties.” They do have a lot of polyphenol phytonutrients, presumably accounting for their high antioxidant activity. (About 90% of their phytonutrients are present in the peel.) Are they nutritious? Yes, but do they have any special health benefits—beyond treating chubby mice?
Researchers found that individuals fed baru nuts showed lower cholesterol, supposedly indicating the nuts “have great potential for dietary use” in preventing and controlling cholesterol problems. But the individuals were rats, not humans, and the baru nuts were compared to lard. Pretty much everything lowers cholesterol compared to lard. Nevertheless, there haven’t been any reports about the effect of baru nut consumption on human health, until this: A randomized, controlled study of humans found that eating less than an ounce a day for six weeks led to a 9% drop in LDL cholesterol. Twenty grams would be about 15 nuts or a palmful.
Like many other nut studies, even though the research subjects were told to add nuts to their regular diets, there was no weight gain, presumably because nuts are so filling that we inadvertently cut down on other foods throughout the day. How good is a 9.4% drop in LDL? It’s the kind of drop we can get from regular almonds, though macadamias and pistachios may work even better, but those were at much higher doses. It appears that 20 grams of baru nuts work as well as 73 grams of almonds. So, on a per-serving basis or a per-calorie basis, baru nuts really did seem to be special.
There are lower-dose nut studies that show similar or even better results. In this one, for instance, people were given 25 grams of almonds for just four weeks and got about a 6% drop in their LDL cholesterol. In another study, after consuming just 10 grams of almonds a day, or just seven individual almonds a day, study participants got more like a 30% drop in LDL during the same time frame as the baru nuts. Three times better LDL at half the dose with regular almonds, as you can see below and at 2:47 in my video Are Baruka Nuts the Healthiest Nut?.
The biggest reason we are more confident in regular almonds than baru almonds is that studies have been done over and over in more than a dozen randomized controlled trials, whereas in the only other cholesterol trial of baru nuts, researchers found no significant benefit for LDL cholesterol, even at the same 20-gram dose given for even longer—a period of eight weeks.
That’s disappointing, but it isn’t the primary reason I would suggest choosing other nuts instead of baru nuts. I would do so because we can’t get raw baru nuts. They contain certain compounds that must be inactivated by heat before we can eat them. The reason raw nuts are preferable is because of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), so-called glycotoxins, which are known to contribute to increased oxidative stress and inflammation.
Glycotoxins are naturally present in uncooked animal-derived foods, and dry-heat cooking like grilling can make things worse. The three highest recorded levels have been in bacon, broiled hot dogs, and roasted barbecued chicken skin—nothing even comes close to that, not even Chicken McNuggets, as you can see below and at 3:50 in my video.
However, any foods high in fat and protein can create AGEs at high enough temperatures. So, although plant foods tend to “contain relatively few AGEs, even after cooking,” there are some high-fat, high-protein plant foods. But, again, AGEs aren’t a problem at all with most plant foods. See the AGE content in boiled tofu (in a soup, for instance), broiled tofu, a raw apple, a baked apple, a veggie burger—I was surprised that veggie burgers are so low in AGEs, even when baked or fried—and nuts and seeds, which are up in tofu territory, especially when roasted, which is why I would recommend raw nuts and seeds and nut and seed butters whenever you have a choice. See below and at 4:33 in my video.
Doctor’s Note
In my Daily Dozen checklist, I recommend eating a quarter cup of nuts or seeds or two tablespoons of nut or seed butter each day. Why? See related posts below.
For those unfamiliar with advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), check out the first two videos I did on them way back when: Glycotoxins and Avoiding Glycotoxins in Food.
The overall cost-benefit ratio for mycotoxins depends on which food is contaminated.
Ochratoxin has been described as toxic to the immune system, developing fetus, kidneys, and nervous system, as well as being carcinogenic, but that is in animal studies. Ochratoxin “causes kidney toxicity in certain animal species, but there is little documented evidence of adverse effects in humans.” That’s why it’s only considered a possible human carcinogen.
Big Ag assures that current ochratoxin levels are safe, even among those who eat a lot of contaminated foods. The worst-case scenario may be young children eating a lot of oat-based cereals, but, even then, “their lifetime cancer risk is negligible.” Individuals arguing against regulatory standards suggest we can eat more than 42 cups of oatmeal a day and not worry about it. Where do they get these kinds of estimates?
They determine the so-called benchmark dose in animals—the dose of the toxin that gives a 10% increase in pathology—then, because one would want to err on the side of caution, divide that dose by 500 as a kind of safety fudge factor to develop the tolerable daily intake. For cancer risk, you can find the tumor dose—the dose that increases tumor incidence in lab animals by 5%—and extrapolate down to the ”negligible cancer risk intake,” effectively incorporating a 5,000-fold safety factor, as seen below and at 1:28 in my video Should We Be Concerned About the Effects of Ochratoxin?.
It seems kind of arbitrary, right? But what else are you going to do? You can’t just intentionally feed people the stuff and see what happens—but people eat it regularly. Can we just follow people and their diets over time and see if those who eat more whole grains, like oats, for example, are more likely to have cancer or live shorter lives?
What is the association between whole grain intake and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality? Every additional ounce of whole grains eaten a day is associated with not only a lower risk for cancer mortality but also a lower risk of dying from all causes put together. Below and at 2:05 in my videoare findings from all the big cancer studies. Every single one trended towards lower cancer risk.
The bottom line is that you don’t find adverse effects confirmed in these population studies. This is not to say ochratoxin is necessarily harmless, but “any such risk does not outweigh the known benefits of wholegrain consumption.” In fact, healthy constituents of the whole grains themselves, like their antioxidants, may directly reduce the impacts of mycotoxins by protecting cells from damage. So, eating lots of fruits and vegetables may also help. Either way, “an overall healthy diet can play a significant role in mitigating the risk of contaminants in grain.”
In summary, healthy foods like whole grains are good, but just not as good as they could be because of ochratoxin, whereas less healthful foods, like wine and pork, are worse because of the mycotoxin, as shown below and at 2:52 in my video. Ochratoxin was detected, for example, in 44% of tested pork.
In this Homemade Three Meat Bolognese Lasagna, a rich and flavorful, homemade bolognese sauce consisting of ground beef, pork and veal, slowly simmers with vegetables, herbs, wine and cream over a couple of hours. This robust bolognese sauce is the backbone to this lasagna. Spoonfuls are layered between noodles, mozzarella cheese and a creamy mascarpone and ricotta mixture.
Years ago, Pat and I took our first trip, just the two of us, to Las Vegas for our anniversary.
On our last night in Vegas, we went to FiAmma Trattoria & Bar which has since closed. But it was an upscale Italian restaurant located in our hotel, at the MGM Grand. I immediately ordered a glass of Malbec and skimmed the specials while Pat perused the main menu.
I’m a sucker for ordering from the specials. Most likely because I’m guaranteed to find something I’ve never had before and nine times out of 10 it tastes amazing– they don’t call it today’s “specials” for nothing, amiright. In the end, Pat ordered his usual Italian go-to of chicken fettuccine and Caesar salad and I ordered the three meat bolognese lasagna (yes, from the specials) and a pear and walnut salad.
After the first forkful, it was clear to me that this lasagna would be one of the best lasagnas my taste buds will ever have the pleasure to experience.
Well. Until this one, of course.
For the Three Meat Bolognese Lasagna Sauce You Will Need:
olive oil – For sautéing vegetables. Can substitute with avocado oil or butter.
yellow onion – Adds a sweet and subtle onion flavor.
carrot – Adds color, texture and subtle sweetness.
celery – Lends earthy flavor and delicious texture.
garlic – Adds distinct punchy flavor.
fresh thyme – Lends an earthy, slightly minty and lemony flavor.
bay leaves – Adds a somewhat subtle minty or pine-y flavor with hints of black pepper.
ground beef – I prefer to use 80/20 or 85/15 – Force of Nature Ancestral blend is my favorite ground beef to use.
ground pork – Use 85/15 or 80/20 ground pork.
ground veal – This provides a milder, more delicate flavor and a tender texture to the meat sauce.
tomato paste – Lends depth and flavor to the soup.
heavy cream – Lends richness and creaminess.
dry red wine – Use a wine you like to drink, such as merlot, malbec or pinot noir.
crushed San Marzano tomatoes – Adds robust tomato flavor and are less acidic.
kosher salt – Enhances the flavors in the recipe.
black pepper – Adds robust tomato flavor.
Instead of spending most of my time finely chopping all those vegetables, I gave my onion, celery and carrots a [very] rough chop an threw them into my food processor and pulsed it until finely chopped. This whole step took 5 seconds.
SO EASY.
Into your large dutch oven, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and all of the chopped veggies and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
Stir, cover and cook until the onions are translucent and vegetables are tender. About 5 to 8 minutes or so.
Once the vegetables are tender, add in the garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Next, add in 1/2 pound each of ground beef chuck, pork and veal. Using a wooden spoon, break up the meat into crumbles and cook until not longer pink.
Be careful not to crush the bay leaves.
Once the meat is cooked, add in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, stir and cook for 2 minutes. If you notice that the meat mixture is swimming in fat, use a spoon to remove no more than half. Don’t fear the fat! Fat = flavor and we don’t want to lose too much flavor or the sauce will be dull. I personally removed zero fat and this yielded a glorious bolognese sauce.
Increase the heat to medium/medium-high and pour in the cup of heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until most of the heavy cream evaporates and the meat mixture is only a little bit creamy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Then pour in the wine and continue to simmer, about 10-15 minutes until the wine evaporates.
Stir in the crushed san Marzano tomatoes.
Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 20-25 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 1 hour, still stirring every 2o minutes or until the sauce is thick and rich.
Season with a teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste. Allow the bolognese sauce to cool down a bit before assembling the three meat bolognese lasagna.
To assemble the Three Meat Bolognese Lasagna you’ll need:
a full recipe of the three meat bolognese sauce
16 [1 box] oven-ready lasagna noodles
freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
16 ounces whole milk ricotta
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 eggs
black pepper
First, preheat your oven to 375℉ (or 190℃).
In a medium bowl stir together the ricotta, mascarpone, 1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella and two eggs. Keep mixture refrigerated until ready to use.
Lightly spray a lasagna pan with olive oil spray.
To assemble:
Layer 1: Measure 1-1/4 cups of sauce and spread it out even onto the bottom of your pan. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the [chilled] ricotta mixture, then top the ricotta with 1 cup of the sauce and 3/4 to 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
Then Layer 2: Top the mozzarella with 4 more lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup of sauce and then 3/4 to 1 cup of the mozzarella.
And Layer 3: Place 4 more noodles, the remaining ricotta, and 1 cup of sauce [ NO cheese].
Lastly layer 4: Place the last 4 noodles on top of the sauce, spoon the remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with the 2 cups Mozzarella cheese.
Bake this homemade three meat bolognese lasagna on the middle rack of your preheated 375° oven for 20 minutes.
Rotate the pan halfway and continue to bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and the the whole pan is bubbly.
Once baked, remove and let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Delicious saucy layers and cheese pulls. I die.
Lasagna is something that I don’t typically make during the week, instead saving it for a Sunday or special occasions. Around the holidays I know many of you make my classic lasagna for your Christmas dinner. It’s such an honor to know that lasagna recipe has become a tradition in some of your homes. Hopefully, you’ll find this one equally as special and just as delicious.
I serve this three meat bolognese lasagna with a Caesar or simple green salad and wine.
Enjoy! And if you give this Three Meat Bolognese Lasagna recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Yield: 12servings
Three Meat Bolognese Lasagna
In this Homemade Three Meat Bolognese Lasagna, a rich and flavorful, homemade bolognese sauce consisting of ground beef, pork and veal, slowly simmers with vegetables, herbs, wine and cream over a couple of hours. This robust bolognese sauce is the backbone to this lasagna. Spoonfuls are layered between noodles, mozzarella cheese and a creamy mascarpone and ricotta mixture.
Prep Time: 2 hourshrs45 minutesmins
Cook Time: 40 minutesmins
Additional Time: 35 minutesmins
Total Time: 4 hourshrs
FOR THE THREE MEAT BOLOGNESE Sauce:
2tablespoonsolive oil
3mediumcarrots, roughly chopped or (or 1 cup diced very small)
3ribs celery, from celery heart, roughly chopped (or 1 cup diced very small)
1medium onion, roughly chopped (or 1 cup diced very small)
kosher salt
6clovesgarlic, minced
2teaspoonsfresh thyme
2bay leaves
1/2poundground beef
1/2poundground pork
1/2poundground veal
2tablespoonstomato paste
1cupheavy cream
1cupdry red wine, like merlot or pinot noir
28ouncescanned crushed San Marzano tomatoes, (or regular crushed tomatoes)
1/2teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
FOR THE RICOTTA MASCARPONE FILLING:
16ounceswhole milk ricotta cheese
8ouncesmascarpone cheese
1/2cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2cupshredded Mozzarella cheese, not pre-shredded
2large eggs
1/2teaspoonblack pepper
FOR THE LASAGNA:
16oven-ready lasagna noodle sheets
3½cupsshredded mozzarella, not pre-shredded*
MAKE THE THREE MEAT BOLOGNESE:
In your food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse the carrots, celery and onion until finely chopped.
In a dutch oven, add olive oil, [finely chopped] carrots, celery, onions and a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Heat on medium. Stir, cover and cook (stirring occasionally) until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add in garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes.
Next add in the beef, pork and veal. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into crumbles — be careful not to crush the bay leaves. Cook until no longer pink. If you notice that the meat mixture is swimming in fat, use a spoon to remove no more than half. Please don’t fear the fat! Fat = flavor and you don’t want to lose too much flavor or the sauce will be dull. I personally removed zero fat and this yielded a glorious robust bolognese sauce. (no regrets!)
Next add in the tomato paste and cook 2 to 3 minutes before pouring in the heavy cream. Increase the heat to medium/ medium-high and simmer until the heavy cream evaporates and is only a little creamy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Pour in the wine and continue to simmer, about 10-15 minutes until most of the wine evaporates.
Lastly, add in crushed tomatoes. Stir, cover and increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring every 20-25 minutes for 2 hours.
Allow the sauce to cool before assembling the lasagna. I prefer to make the bolognese a day in advance so the flavors can develop even more overnight. Remember to remove the bay leaves before assembling.
MAKE THE RICOTTA FILLING:
In a medium bowl stir together the ricotta, mascarpone, grated fresh Parmesan, mozzarella and eggs. Keep mixture refrigerated until ready to use.
ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA:
Preheat your oven to 375℉ (or 190℃).
Layer 1: Measure 1¼ cups of sauce and spread it out even onto the bottom of your pan. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the [chilled] ricotta mixture, then top the ricotta with 1 cup of the sauce and 3/4 to 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
Layer 2: Top the mozzarella with 4 more lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup of sauce and then 3/4 to 1 cup of the mozzarella.
Layer 3: Place 4 more noodles, the remaining ricotta, and 1 cup of sauce [no cheese].
Lastly layer 4: Place the last 4 noodles on top of the sauce, spoon the remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with the 2 cups Mozzarella cheese.
Bake (uncovered) on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and the the whole pan is bubbly. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Disclaimer:All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.
This recipe was originally posted on December 13th, 2017 and has been updated with clear and concise instructions, new photography and helpful information.
What does the gut have to do with developing Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is an ever-worsening neurodegenerative disorder that results in death and affects about 1 in 50 people as they get older. A small minority of cases are genetic, running in families, but 85% to 90% of cases are sporadic, meaning they seem to pop up out of nowhere. Parkinson’s is caused by the death of a certain kind of nerve cell in the brain. Once about 70% of them are gone, the symptoms start. What kills off those cells? It still isn’t completely clear, but the abnormal clumping of a protein called alpha-synuclein or α-synuclein is thought to be involved. Why? Researchers injected blended Parkinson’s brains into the heads of rats and monkeys, and Parkinson’s pathology and symptoms were induced. It can even happen when injecting just the pure, clumped α-synuclein strands themselves. How, though, do these clumps naturally end up in the brain?
As I discuss in my video The Role Meat May Play in Triggering Parkinson’s Disease, it all seems to start in the gut. The part of the brain where the pathology often first appears is directly connected to the gut, and we have direct evidence of the spread of Parkinson’s pathology from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to the brain: α-synuclein from brains of Parkinson’s patients is taken up in the gut wall and creeps up the vagal nerves from the gut into the brain—at least that was the case in rats. If only we could go back and look at people’s colons before they got Parkinson’s. Indeed, we can. Old colon biopsies from people who would later develop Parkinson’s were dredged up, and, years before symptoms arose, you could see the α-synuclein in their gut.
Research supported by the Michael J. Fox Foundation has found that you can reliably distinguish the colons of patients from controls by the presence of this Parkinson’s protein lodged in the gut wall. But how did it get there in the first place? Are “vertebrate food products…a potential source of prion-like α-synuclein”? Indeed, nearly all the animals with backbones that we consume—cows, chickens, pigs, and fish—express the protein α-synuclein. So, when we eat common meat products, when we eat skeletal muscle, we’re eating nerves, blood cells, and the muscle cells themselves. Every pound of meat contains, on average, half a teaspoon of blood, and that alone could be an α-synuclein source to potentially trigger a clumping cascade of our own α-synuclein in the gut. Though “it may seem intuitive that dietary α-synuclein could seed aggregation in the gut,” this kind of buildup, what evidence do we have that it’s actually happening?
We have some pretty interesting data. There’s a surgical procedure called a vagotomy, in which the big nerve that goes from our gut to our brain—the vagus nerve—is cut as an old-timey treatment for stomach ulcers. Would cutting communication between the gut and the brain reduce Parkinson’s risk? Apparently so, suggesting that the gut to brain’s vagal nerve may be critically involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease.
Of course, “many people regularly consume meat and dairy products, but only a small fraction of the general population will develop PD,” Parkinson’s disease. So, there must be other factors at play that “may provide an opportunity for unwanted dietary α-synuclein to enter the host, and initiate disease.” For example, our gut becomes leakier as we age, so might that play a role? What else makes our gut leaky? “Dietary fiber deprivation has also been shown to degrade the intestinal barrier and enhance pathogen entry.” So, this raises “possibilities for food-based therapies.”
Parkinson’s patients have significantly less Prevotella in their gut, a friendly fiber-eating flora that bolsters our intestinal barrier function. So, low levels of Prevotella are linked to a leaky gut, which has been linked to intestinal α-synuclein deposition, but fiber-rich foods may bring Prevotella levels back up. “Therefore, it is possible that by adopting a plant-based diet, in addition to the beneficial effects of phytonutrients, increasing overall fiber intake may modify gut microbiota and gut permeability [leakiness] in beneficial ways for people with PD.”
So, does a vegan diet—one with lots of fiber and no meat—reduce risk for Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s “appears to be rare in quasi-vegan cultures,” with rates that are about five times lower in rural sub-Saharan Africa, for instance. All this time, we were thinking the benefits seen for Parkinson’s from plant-based diets were due to the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nature of the animal-free diets, but maybe it’s also due to the increased intestinal exposure to fiber and decreased intestinal exposure to ingested nerves, muscles, and blood.
Wasn’t that fascinating? For more on Parkinson’s, see the related posts below.
Add more olive oil to the skillet if it looks dry. Add the onion, peppers, and a pinch of salt. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook, stirring, until just toasted, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine, chicken broth, and vinegar. Nestle the pork chops back into the skillet and pour over any collected juices from the plate. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and the chops are cooked through, about 6 minutes, flipping the chops halfway. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
This Cider Braised Pork Shoulder is so tender and delicious. A seared bone-in pork shoulder cooks low and slow with vegetables and herbs in an apple cider broth. I like serve this over mashed potatoes or whipped butternut squash for the ultimate comfort fall dinner. Yields 6 to 8 servings.
Ever since the first cold wisps of fall I’ve been dying to braise something. Anything. Everything.
So last week I picked a beautiful sunny yet slightly chilly day, I hit play on my favorite playlist and took out my favorite dutch oven.
If I had to pick my favorite thing to braise, it would be a pork shoulder. Or venison. But being that I had a pork shoulder that I had planned to throw in the slow cooker to make carnitas with, but didn’t because that would involve me going down into our basement storage area and find it, and well, as you can see I’d rather braise in my Staub.
Being that I live in Michigan there’s a cider mill right around the corner from us, so come fall, we always have apple cider in our fridge. Therefore I knew exactly what I was making for dinner with my pork shoulder – and it wasn’t sandwiches.
To Make This Cider Braised Pork You Will Need:
avocado oil
bone-in pork shoulder
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
onion
carrots
celery
garlic
apple cider
low-sodium chicken broth
fresh thyme sprigs
rainbow carrots
Prep The Pork Shoulder:
Preheat your oven to 300°F (or 150°C).
Always pull a large piece of meat 30 to 60 minutes before searing it. Doing this will take the chill off of it, because you don’t ever want to sear cold meat. Next pat it dry with paper towels.
Then place 2 tablespoons of avocado oil into a large 7-quart Dutch oven and heat to medium-high.
While the pot is preheating season all sides of the pork shoulder generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
Next, sear the meat for 3 to 5 minutes on all sides.
If the roast is sticking, give it another minute and try again.
While your searing the pork, roughly chopped up 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and then smash and peel 4 large cloves of garlic.
Once you’ve seared the pork, remove to a clean plate and set off to the side.
Next add in all the chopped vegetables and garlic, and use a wooden spatula to stir while scraping the bottom of the pot.
Nestle the pork shoulder into the vegetables in the pot.
Pour in 2 cups of apple cider and 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth.
Lastly, add in 8 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Cover and slide into your preheated oven for 3 hours.
In the last 10 minutes of cooking, prep 10 rainbow carrots. If you can’t find them, you can of course use regular carrots.
After braising for 3 hours, remove the pot from the oven and preheat your oven to 375°F (or 190°C). The pork will be fall-apart-tender and your home should be smelling incredible.
Carefully remove the pork shoulder to a carving board with a juice groove. I use tongs and a large spatula to help lift it out of the pot. Remove the bone and discard.
Use a knife to cut into 8 large chunks. If it falls apart while cutting it (which it may very well) no worries.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies, garlic and thyme stems and transfer to a bowl. They’ve done their job flavoring the braising liquids. Allow these to cool before throwing away.
Pour the braising liquids into a fat separator. After a few minutes, the fat will rise to the top.
Pull the plunger out of the spout and pour the braising liquids back into the pot leaving the fat in the separator cup.
Use tongs to add the pork back into the pot with the braising liquids.
Then add in the rainbow carrots. Place the pot, leaving it uncovered, back into the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender.
The carrots will cook and the pork will get a little crispy on the top.
Serve the cider braised pork and tender carrots over mashed potatoes, cauliflower puree or whipped butternut squash.
Spoon some of the apple cider braising liquids over top and season with a little freshly ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley and thyme.
This luscious and tender cider-braised pork is simple, scrumptious and perfect for cooler fall or chilly winter days.
Enjoy! And if you give this Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Yield: 8servings
Cider Braised Pork Shoulder
A seared bone-in pork shoulder cooks low and slow with vegetables and herbs in an apple cider broth. I like serve this over mashed potatoes or whipped butternut squash for the ultimate comfort fall dinner. Yields 6 to 8 servings.
10rainbow carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or use regular)
1tablespoonchopped fresh parsley leaves
Preheat your oven to 300°F (or 150°C).
Always pull a large piece of meat 30 to 60 minutes before searing it. Doing this will take the chill off of it, because you don’t ever want to sear cold meat. Next pat it dry with paper towels.
Then place 2 tablespoons of avocado oil into a large 7-quart Dutch oven and heat to medium-high. While the pot is preheating season all sides of the pork shoulder generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
Once the oil is hot, sear the pork for 3 to 5 minutes on all sides. While your searing the pork, roughly chopped up 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and then smash and peel 4 large cloves of garlic.Once you’ve seared the pork, remove to a clean plate and set off to the side.
Next add in all the chopped vegetables and garlic, and use a wooden spatula to stir while scraping the bottom of the pot. Nestle the pork shoulder into the vegetables in the pot. Pour in 2 cups of apple cider and 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth. Lastly, add in 8 sprigs of fresh thyme. Cover and slide into your preheated oven for 3 hours.
In the last 10 minutes of cooking, prep the rainbow carrots. After braising for 3 hours, remove the pot from the oven and preheat your oven to 375°F (or 190°C). Carefully remove the pork shoulder to a carving board with a juice groove. I use tongs and a large spatula to help lift it out of the pot. Remove the bone and discard. Use a knife to cut into 8 large chunks. If it falls apart while cutting it (which it may very well) no worries.
Using a slotted spoon to remove the veggies, garlic and thyme stems and transfer to a bowl, let cool before discarding. Pour the braising liquids into a fat separator. After a few minutes, the fat will rise to the top. Pull the plunger out of the spout and pour the braising liquids back into the pot leaving the fat in the separator cup.
Use tongs to add the pork back into the pot with the braising liquids. Then add in the rainbow carrots. Place the pot, leaving it uncovered, back into the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until fork tender.
Serve the cider braised pork and tender carrots over mashed potatoes, cauliflower puree or whipped butternut squash. Spoon some of the apple cider braising liquids over top and season with a little freshly ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley and thyme.
Nutrition Disclaimer:All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.
This recipe was originally posted on October 21, 2014 and has been updated with clear and concise instructions, new photography and helpful information.
These Easy Carnitas Taquitos are one of those recipes I come back to again and again—crispy, cheesy, and the perfect way to turn leftover carnitas into something new and exciting. You can bake, fry, or air-fry them, and no matter how you make them, they come out perfectly golden and crunchy. Best of all, they’re simple, family-friendly, and guaranteed to disappear fast!
Oriana’s Thoughts On The Recipe
These carnitas taquitos are the perfect way to give leftover carnitas a second life. When I make carnitas, I like to cook a big batch. Half gets turned into tacos the same day, and the rest goes straight into the freezer so I can whip up taquitos the following week. Smart, right? Cook once, eat twice—that’s my kind of motto! Instead of just reheating the pork, you wrap it in a tortilla with cheese and creaminess, crisp them up, and suddenly you’ve got something everyone’s excited about. My kids actually cheer when these are on the menu!
And let’s be honest—sometimes the best dinners are the ones you can eat with your hands. These taquitos are crispy, cheesy, and just plain irresistible. No matter if I bake, fry, or pop them in the air fryer, they disappear fast.
Why You’ll Want to Try My Recipe
Leftovers Made New: Turn yesterday’s carnitas into today’s crispy, cheesy taquitos.
Quick & Easy Dinner: With just 15 minutes of prep, dinner is on the table in no time.
Crispy Finger Food: Perfect for family dinners, parties, or game night—taquitos are always a hit.
Cook Your Way: Bake, fry, or air-fry… they’re delicious every single time.
Family Favorite: Trust me, when these are on the menu, nobody complains!
Ingredients You’ll Need, Substitutions & Notes
Scroll down to the recipe card for all the details, including measurements and instructions.
Cooked Carnitas or Pulled Pork: The star of this recipe! Tender, flavorful pork gives taquitos their meaty bite. You can use shredded chicken as an alternative if you don’t have carnitas. This is the slow cooker carnitas recipe I use.
Cream Cheese: Adds creaminess and helps the filling stick together. You can use dairy-free cream cheese if needed.
Shredded Cheese: Melty, gooey goodness! I usually use a Mexican blend, but cheddar or Monterey Jack works great. For dairy-free, use your favorite vegan shredded cheese.
Corn Tortillas: Classic choice for taquitos. Flour tortillas also work, but corn gives that authentic flavor.
Vegetable Oil: Needed for frying, but if you’re baking or air-frying, just a light brush is enough.
This recipe is naturally egg, wheat/gluten, nut, peanut, soy, sesame, fish, and shellfish free, making it suitable for most dietary needs, but always check labels for hidden allergens.
Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives.
Process Overview: Step-by-Step Photos
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
Step 1 – Make the Filling
Mix your cooked carnitas, cream cheese, and shredded cheese in a big bowl. Give it a good stir until everything is creamy and blended together. This is your tasty, cheesy filling.
Step 2 – Roll the Taquitos
Warm up the tortillas so they don’t crack when you roll them. Spoon some filling onto each tortilla, roll them up tightly, and place them seam-side down.
Step 3 – Cook Until Crispy
Choose your favorite method: fry in hot oil until golden, bake in the oven, or pop them in the air fryer. No matter which way you go, they’ll turn out crunchy and delicious.
Recipe Tips For Success
➤ Potential Recipe Challenges & Pro Tips:
Tortillas Cracking When Rolling: Corn tortillas can be a little stubborn and tear when rolled. Pro Tip:Warm them up first! A quick pass on a hot skillet or wrapped in a damp paper towel and microwaved for 30–40 seconds makes them soft and easy to roll.
Taquitos Unrolling While Cooking: Sometimes they want to open up while baking or frying. Pro Tip:Place them seam side down on the pan or use a toothpick to secure while frying.
Not Crispy Enough: Nobody wants soggy taquitos. Pro Tip:Don’t overcrowd the pan or baking sheet—air needs to circulate for the perfect crunch.
Don’t overfill the tortillas or they’ll be hard to roll.
Roll them tightly for best results.
Keep finished taquitos warm in a low oven (200ºF / 95ºC) if you’re cooking in batches.
Variations & Additions
Add sautéed onions or bell peppers to the filling for extra flavor.
Spice it up with jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce.
Use shredded chicken or even leftover beef instead of pork.
Serving Suggestions
Pile them high on a platter with shredded lettuce, guacamole, salsa, and crema on the side. They’re fun for family dinner, but also perfect as a party appetizer. My kids love dunking theirs in guacamole while I pile mine with pico de gallo.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to keep them crispy.
Freezing: Assemble the taquitos, but don’t cook them. Place on a baking sheet to freeze individually, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake or air fry straight from frozen (just add a few extra minutes).
These Easy Carnitas Taquitos are one of those recipes I come back to again and again—crispy, cheesy, and the perfect way to turn leftover carnitas into something new and exciting. You can bake, fry, or air-fry them, and no matter how you make them, they come out perfectly golden and crunchy. Best of all, they’re simple, family-friendly, and guaranteed to disappear fast!
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 10 minutesmins
Total Time 20 minutesmins
Servings 16taquitos
Get Recipe Ingredients
You can find step-by-step photos above in the post and/or right here on the recipe card. They’ll walk you through the process and make everything super clear! Just click the camera icon button below on the right to show or hide them. Turn them off before printing if you prefer a cleaner copy!
Cook:
To fry: Add enough oil to a deep skillet so it comes about halfway up the sides of the taquitos. Heat the oil over medium-high until it reaches 350°F. Test it by dropping in a tiny piece of tortilla—if it sizzles, you’re good to go. Fry 3–4 taquitos at a time for 1–2 minutes, turning once, until golden and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
To bake: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the taquitos on a parchment-lined baking sheet, lightly brush or spray the tops with oil, and bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
To air fry: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Place the taquitos seam-side down in the basket in a single layer. Spray with cooking spray and air fry for 5 minutes. Flip, spray again, and cook for 2 more minutes.
Remove the toothpicks and serve warm with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, crema, and guacamole.
Carnitas Filling Options: I usually make these taquitos with leftover carnitas. When I cook carnitas, I like to make a big batch—half goes into tacos that same day, and the rest gets tucked into the freezer for easy taquitos the next week. But don’t worry if you don’t have homemade carnitas on hand! You can use Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Traditional Carnitas, Costco’s version, or even rotisserie chicken if that’s what you’ve got. I’ve done it plenty of times. If you go the chicken route, I recommend adding extra seasoning to boost the flavor. Try 2 tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning, or mix together 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and salt to taste. This is the slow cooker carnitas recipe I use. Cheese: Your favorite shredded cheese works great. I like using cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey jack, or Chihuahua for a more authentic taquito. Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to keep them crispy. Freezing: Assemble the taquitos, but don’t cook them. Place on a baking sheet to freeze individually, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake or air fry straight from frozen (just add a few extra minutes). Food Allergy Swaps: This recipe is naturally egg, wheat/gluten, nut, peanut, soy, sesame, fish, and shellfish free, making it suitable for most dietary needs, but always check labels for hidden allergens.
Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives.
Recipe Tips For Success: ➤ Potential Recipe Challenges & Pro Tips:
Tortillas Cracking When Rolling: Corn tortillas can be a little stubborn and tear when rolled. Pro Tip: Warm them up first! A quick pass on a hot skillet or wrapped in a damp paper towel and microwaved for 30–40 seconds makes them soft and easy to roll.
Taquitos Unrolling While Cooking: Sometimes they want to open up while baking or frying. Pro Tip: Place them seam side down on the pan or use a toothpick to secure while frying.
Not Crispy Enough: Nobody wants soggy taquitos. Pro Tip: Don’t overcrowd the pan or baking sheet—air needs to circulate for the perfect crunch.
➤ Extra Tips:
Don’t overfill the tortillas or they’ll be hard to roll.
Roll them tightly for the best results.
Keep finished taquitos warm in a low oven (200ºF / 95ºC) if you’re cooking in batches.
Variations & Additions:
Add sautéed onions or bell peppers to the filling for extra flavor.
Spice it up with jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce.
Use shredded chicken or even leftover beef instead of pork.
Recipe reviews on the website are extremely valuable to other readers online. So, please don’t forget to give it a 5-star rating below.
What were the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a daily half teaspoon of powdered black cumin in Hashimoto’s patients?
“Autoimmune thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, is an organ-specific autoimmune disorder,” where our body attacks our own thyroid gland, often leading to hypothyroidism due to destruction and scarring of the gland itself. We know there’s a genetic component, since identical twins are more likely to share the disease than fraternal twins. “However, even with identical twins, the concordance rate was only about 50%, emphasizing that important factors such as the environment play a role in disease pathogenesis.” Indeed, even if your identical twin, who has basically your exact same DNA, has the disease, there’s only like a flip of a coin’s chance you’ll get it. Genes load the gun, but the environment may pull the trigger.
More than 90 synthetic chemicals were noted to show disruption of hormonal balance or thyroid dysfunction.” However, only a few such ‘pollutants show evidence that they contribute to autoimmune thyroid disease.” These include polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Smokers get a lot of them from cigarettes, but in nonsmokers, exposure comes almost entirely from food, as you can see below and at 1:18 in my video Diet for Hypothyroidism: A Natural Treatment for Hashimoto’s Disease.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are primarily formed when muscle meats, such as beef, pork, fish, or chicken, are cooked using high-temperature methods, such as grilling. PBBs, polybrominated biphenols, are a type of flame-retardant chemical no longer manufactured in the United States, but are still found in the aquatic food chain. PCBs, polychlorinated biphenols, are used in a number of industrial processes and end up in people’s bodies, again, largely through the consumption of fish, but also eggs and other meats, as seen here and at 1:41 in my video.
So, one might suspect those eating plant-based diets would have lower rates of hypothyroidism, and, indeed, despite their lower iodine intake, vegan diets tended to be protective. But they’ve never been put to the test in an interventional trial. A modification of the Paleolithic diet has been tried in Hashimoto’s patients, but it didn’t appear to improve thyroid function. What did, though, isNigella Sativa. That name should sound familiar to anyone who’s read my book How Not to Diet or watched my live Evidence-Based Weight Loss presentation. Nigella Sativa is the scientific name for black cumin, which is just a simple spice that’s also used for a variety of medicinal purposes.
In one study, Hashimoto’s patients received a half teaspoon of powdered black cumin every day for eight weeks in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Not only was there a significant reduction in body weight, which is why I profiled it in my book, but the black cumin also significantly reduced the thyroid-stimulating hormone, a sign that thyroid function was improving. It even lowered the level of autoimmune anti-thyroid antibodies, as well as increased blood levels of thyroid hormone T3 in these Hashimoto’s patients. In addition, there was a significant drop in Interleukin 23, a proinflammatory cell signal thought to help promote the autoimmune inflammation of the thyroid, which “further confirms the anti-inflammatory nature of the plant.” And what were the side effects? There was a 17 percent drop in “bad” LDL cholesterol, as shown below and at 3:19 in my video.
Given the fact that patients with Hashimoto’s may be at particularly high risk of developing heart disease, this is exactly the kind of side effects we’d want. “Considering these health-promoting effects of N. Sativa [black cumin], it can be considered as a therapeutic approach in the management of Hashimoto-related metabolic abnormalities.”
A similar trial failed to find a benefit, though. Same dose, same time frame, but no significant changes in thyroid function. In contrast with the previous study, though, the study participants were not all Hashimoto’s patients, but rather hypothyroid for any reason, and that may have diluted the results. And it’s possible that telling patients to take the black cumin doses with their thyroid hormone replacement therapy may have interfered with its absorption, which is an issue similar to other foods and drugs, and why patients are normally told to take it on an empty stomach. Since there are no downsides—it’s just a simple spice—I figure, why not give it a try? The worst that can happen is you’ll have tastier food.
Doctor’s Note:
I get a lot of questions about thyroid function, and I am glad to have been able to do this series. If you missed any of the other videos, see the related posts below.
More than 95 percent of human exposure to industrial pollutants like dioxins and PCBs comes from fish, other meat, and dairy.
By cultivating muscle meat directly, without associated organs like intestines, the incidence of foodborne diseases “could be significantly reduced,” as could exposure to antibiotics, “pesticides, arsenic, dioxins, and hormones associated with conventional meat.” Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved seven hormone drugs to bulk up the production of milk and meat. “In the European Union, there exists a total ban on such use,” however. Even without injected hormones, though, animal products naturally have hormones because they come from animals. “Eggs, example given, contribute more to the dietary intake of estradiol [estrogens] than beef, whether the animal is legally treated with hormones or not.” After all, eggs come straight from a hen’s ovaries, so, of course, they’re swimming with hormones. But if you’re directly growing just muscle meat or egg white protein, you don’t need to include reproductive organs, adrenal glands, or any of the associated hormones.
“Chemical safety is another concern for meat produced under current production systems.” There are chemical toxicants and industrial pollutants that build up in the food chain, such as pesticides, PCBs, heavy metals, and flame retardants, but there is no food chain with cultivated meat. We could produce all the tuna we wanted, with zero mercury.
When the World Health Organization determined that processed meat was a known human carcinogen and unprocessed meat a probable human carcinogen, it wasn’t even talking about the carcinogenic environmental pollutants. When researchers tested retail meat for the presence of “33 chemicals with calculated carcinogenic potential,” like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides like DDT, and dioxin-like PCBs, they concluded that, in order to reduce the risk of cancer, we should limit beef, pork, or chicken consumption to a maximum of five servings a month.
Why cultivate meat at all when you can just buy organic? Surprisingly, “consumption of organic meat does not diminish the carcinogenic potential associated with the intake of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).” A number of studies have recently compared the presence of environmental contaminants in organic meat versus conventional meat, and the researchers found, surprisingly, that organic meat was sometimes more contaminated. Not only organic beef either. Higher levels were also found in pork and poultry.
If you look at the micropollutants and chemical residues in both organic and conventional meat, several environmental contaminants, including dioxins, PCBs, lead, and arsenic, were measured at significantly higher levels in the organic samples. As you can see below and at 2:56 in my video, The Human Health Effects of Cultivated Meat: Chemical Safety, the green is organic meat, and the blue is conventional.
Cooking helps to draw off some of the fat where the PCBs are concentrated, as shown here and at 3:01.
Seafood seems to be an exception. Steaming, for example, generally increases contaminant levels, increasing contaminant exposure and concentrating mercury levels as much as 47 percent, as you can see here and at 3:15 in my video. Better not to have toxic buildup in the first place.
More than 95 percent of human exposure to industrial pollutants like dioxins and PCBs comes from foods like meat, including fatty fish, and dairy, but the pollutants don’t appear magically. The only way the chicken, fish, and other meat lead to human exposure is because the animals themselves built up a lifetime of exposure in our polluted world, from incinerators, power plants, sewer sludge, and on and on, as you can see here and at 3:40 in my video.
Unlike conventional meat production, a slaughter-free harvest would not only mean no more infected animals, but no more contaminated animals either. In terms of pollutants, it would be like taking a time machine back before the Industrial Revolution.
Doctor’s Note:
Cultivated meat means less contamination with fecal residues, toxic pollutants, antibiotics, and hormones; up to 99 percent less environmental impact; and zero pandemic risk. Cultivated meat allows people to have their meat and eat it, too, without affecting the rest of us.
This is the final video in this cultivated meat series. If you missed the first two, check out the videos on Food Safety and Antibiotic Resistance.
I previously did a video series on plant-based meats; see the related posts below.
In this creamy Parmesan Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale, mild Italian sausage, tender kale and orecchiette pasta are tossed in a garlicky parmesan cream sauce. A simple yet incredibly delicious pasta dish for any night of the week. This recipe yields 6 generous servings.
Love a cozy and satisfying dinner but don’t want to spend all evening making it?
Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale is your answer.
As the weather gets colder I like to start adding simple yet hearty pasta dishes to our weekly dinner menu. And this gem is one of them. I love that calls for minimal ingredients and comes together pretty easily. Which means that I can put a deliciously comforting meal on the table in under an hour and I love that.
Usually I serve this pasta dish with a toasty warm baguette and salted butter, but other times I’ll make a salad too. Either way you serve it, this simple pasta dish is incredible.
To Make This Parmesan Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale You Will Need:
olive oil – Or substitute with avocado oil.
mild italian sausage – I use pork sausage for this, however turkey italian sausage would also work.
garlic – Adds distinct punchy flavor.
shallot – Lends delicate and sweet onion flavor.
sea salt – For seasoning the pasta water.
orecchiette pasta – Or use any small pasta shape you prefer.
heavy cream – Is the base for the lusciously creamy sauce.
parmesan cheese – Adds distinct nutty and cheesy flavor.
nutmeg – Warm, aromatic with subtle hints of clove. Adds subtle flavor.
red pepper flakes – For a little spicy kick but is totally optional.
lemon juice – Adds acidity and brightness the sauce.
lacinato kale – Or substitute with chopped baby spinach.
reserved pasta water – Use to thin out the sauce if too thick.
In a large skillet or deep sided pan, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil and add in 1 pound mild italian sausage.
Use a wooden spatula to break up the sausage into crumbles, cooking over medium heat until fully cooked and no longer pink.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a small palmful of sea salt (about 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons)and stir.
Meanwhile, once the ground sausage is cooked, add in 1 medium diced shallot and 4 large cloves of minced fresh garlic.
Stirring often, cook until the shallot is tender, about 6 minutes. Once. softened, transfer the sausage mixture to a clean bowl.
At this point, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
Meanwhile, reduce the heat under the pan to medium-low. Pour in 1-1/2 cups heavy cream.
Add in 1-1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, a pinch or two of red pepper flakes (if using) and about 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Note: For a creamy and smooth consistency use freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Stir to combine.
Continue to stir over medium-low heat until the cheese melts, sauce is smooth and thickened slightly.
Add in the chopped kale, stir and cook until tender. About 3 to 5 minutes or until desired doneness.
Stir in the sausage mixture.
And lastly, toss in the cooked orecchiette. Add a little of the reserved pasta water as needed so the sauce is to a desired consistency. Taste and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with a sprinkle of extra parmesan cheese and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes if desired.
Enjoy! And if you give this Parmesan Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Yield: 6servings
Parmesan Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale
Mild Italian sausage, tender kale and orecchiette pasta are tossed in a garlicky parmesan cream sauce. A simple yet incredibly delicious pasta dish for any night of the week. This recipe yields 6 generous servings.
Prep Time: 25 minutesmins
Cook Time: 25 minutesmins
Total Time: 50 minutesmins
sea salt, for pasta water
1poundorecchiette pasta
1teaspoonolive oil
1poundmild italian sausage
4clovesgarlic, finely chopped
1½cupsheavy cream
1cupgrated fresh
1tablespoonlemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/8teaspoongrated nutmeg
red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
1bunchtuscan kale (lacinato), stems removed, leaves chopped
2/3cupreserved pasta water, for thinning sauce as needed
In a large skillet or deep sided pan, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil and add in the mild italian sausage. Once the ground sausage is cooked, add in the shallot and garlic. Stirring often, cook until the shallot is tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to a clean bowl.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a small palmful of sea salt (about 1½ to 2 tablespoons)and stir. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the instructions on the package.
Meanwhile, reduce the heat under the pan to medium-low. Pour in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Next add in the parmesan, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Stir over medium-low heat until the cheese melts, sauce is smooth and thickened slightly.
Add in the chopped kale, stir and cook until tender. About 3 to 5 minutes or until desired doneness. Add the sausage mixture back in along with the cooked orecchiette. Add a little of the reserved pasta water as needed so the sauce is to a desired consistency. Taste and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your preference.
Serve with grated parmesan cheese over top.
Nutrition Disclaimer:All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.
DNA damage is assessed in users of aluminum cookware.
“Over the last decades, the toxicity of aluminum for humans has been heavily discussed and is still not completely clarified.” Those occupationally exposed to aluminum—for instance, in smelter plants—suffer from oxidative stress and free radicals that can damage their DNA. What about just using aluminum cookware? Articles like “Metal Exposures from Aluminum Cookware: An Unrecognized Public Health Risk in Developing Countries,” suggesting an “unrecognized public health risk,” were limited to the developing world where “cookware is made in informal shops by casting liquid aluminum melted from a collection of scrap metal,” including the likes of vehicle radiators, lead batteries, and computer parts, which is how you can get so much lead leaching into people’s food.
Then “The Relationship Between Plasma Aluminum Content, Lymphocyte DNA Damage, and Oxidative Status in Persons Using Aluminum Containers and Utensils Daily” was published, suggesting that aluminum itself may be harmful. Most of our aluminum exposure comes from processed junk food containing aluminum additives, “including those within some processed cheeses, baking powders, cake mixes, frozen dough, and pancake mixes.” However, about 20 percent of the daily intake of aluminum may come from aluminum cooking utensils, such as “pans, pots, kettles, and trays.”
Might this cause a problem? Researchers took blood from consumers who used aluminum cookware versus those who did not and found that not only did the aluminum users have twice the level of aluminum in their blood, as you can see below and at 1:33 in my video Are Aluminum Pots, Bottles, and Foil Safe?, but they had more free radical damage of their body fats and proteins. What’s more, the total antioxidant capacity of the bloodstream of those using aluminum cookware was compromised, so they suffered significantly more DNA damage.
Indeed, as you can see below and at 1:52 in my video, those with the highest levels of aluminum in their blood tended to suffer significantly more damage to their DNA. No surprise, since “aluminum is considered to be a pro-oxidant agent.”
These folks weren’t just casually using aluminum pots, though. Specifically, they use them every day to cook and store acidic foods, like yogurt and tomato sauce, which can leach out more aluminum. But, even using “camping dishes,” which tend to be aluminum since it’s so light, for just one week, could greatly exceed the tolerable weekly intake guidelines, especially for children, if you incorporated something acidic, like marinating a fresh catch in lemon juice. Once in a while won’t make much difference, but these findings suggest that you may not want to cook in aluminum day in and day out.
What about aluminum drinking bottles? They’re nice and light, but children drinking two cups a day of tea or juice from them could exceed the tolerable aluminum exposure limit. So, out of an abundance of caution, safety authorities like the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment “recommend that consumers avoid the use of aluminum pots or dishes for acidic or salted foodstuffs such as apple sauce, rhubarb, tomato puree, or salt herring…thus prophylactically avoiding the ‘unnecessary ingestion’ of aluminum.”
What about aluminum foil? Wrapping and baking food in aluminum foil is a common culinary practice. The concern is that this could represent “a potentially hazardous source of aluminum in the human diet.” When put to the test, there was leakage of aluminum from the foil to the food, but the amount was so small that it would be more of an issue for small children or those suffering from diminished kidney function.
What about just wrapping food in foil to store it in the refrigerator? Only marginal increases in aluminum are seen—except when the food is in contact with the foil and, at the same time, certain other types of metal, such as stainless steel, which is largely iron. That sets up a battery and “can lead to tremendous food aluminum concentrations.” For example, as you can see below and at 4:34 in my video, the aluminum levels in a ham before and after a day coveredin foil are negligible; there’s hardly a bump in the foil-covered ham. But, if that same foil-wrapped ham sits on top of a steel tray or serving plate for a day, the aluminum levels in the ham shoot up.
Finally, you know how aluminum foil is often glossy on one side and dull on the other? Which would be worse? Fish fillets were baked and grilled both ways, wrapped with the glossy side out versus the dull side out, and no significant difference was found.
Perfect for beef, chicken and especially pork, this Homemade BBQ Rub is what makes grilling so amazingly delicious. Just dig in!
We love this on grilled chicken, smoked brisket or pork ribs! It’s great on everything! Heck, I’d add it to roasted brussel sprouts or broccoli and it would be amazing! Ooh, and I totally need to do a salmon recipe with this rub too!
Why Make You’re Own Rub
In my opinion, rubs are a tastier alternative to marinating meat as they give a fuller flavor. We prefer to dry rub the meat so that it can get all flavorful before any BBQ sauce is even added. In fact, sometimes we enjoy meats dry because they are so good on their own.
Making your own seasoning blend is the best way to go since you can fine tune the ingredients to exactly what your palate is craving. Whether or not if you feel like having a sweet, spicy, or smoky flavor — or a mix of them all! — it is very easy to do when you start with the right base. It is great on meats that are smoked, grilled or roasted.
How to Make a Dry Rub
When creating any bbq dry rub, the base typically starts with your sugars and salts abd then you add spices for flavoring.
Sugar
There are many different kinds of sugar (brown sugar, dark brown sugar, turbinado, regular refined sugar and so on) that will give you different flavors. Experiment to see what you like best, and keep in mind that it may be a combination of them as well.
Salt
There are a lot of different salts as well (kosher salt, sea salt, table salt…etc). We prefer kosher salt, but if you don’t have it, you can use table salt. See section below for the differences in salt.
Spices
After getting you sugars and salts picked out, move onto choosing how much and what kind of pepper to use, as well as the other spices that are typical among many rubs, like cumin, chili powder and paprika. Then, start adding in combinations of other spices to make it to your very own liking.
The best part about making a barbecue spice blend is that if you start with very small increments then it’s hard to screw up. When I first started playing around with how much to put in, I forgot to write down what I put in and how much, so don’t make that mistake :).
Here is one of our rub recipes that we really enjoy with any meat.
What’s in This Homemade BBQ Rub?
As I mentioned above, there are so many flavor combinations to choose from when creating a bbq dry rub. Here’s what we used in this particular recipe:
Kosher Salt
Brown Sugar
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Chili Powder
Smoked Paprika
Thyme
Ground Cumin
Nutmeg
NOTE: If you want to add some heat to this rub, add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
The exact measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below so keep scrolling for all the details.
How Long Does Homemade Barbecue Rub Last?
This barbecue dry rub will last up to 2 months in your pantry. Keep it sealed in an airtight container. The molasses in the brown sugar may cause clumps in the barbecue spice rub, but that’s normal. Just break it up with a fork as much as you can.
Do I Have to Use Kosher Salt?
Technically, no. However, if you use regular table salt in place of kosher salt, you need to scale down the amount of salt you add to the barbeque dry rub recipe. Kosher salt flakes are larger than regular table salt flakes, so the same amount of kosher salt tastes less salty than table salt.
Ways to Use BBQ Rub
This BBQ dry rub can be used in so many different dishes! Here are a few easy ways to use it in your cooking:
Add a burst of flavor to your next summer barbecue and rock your taste buds with this smoky BBQ rub recipe. Perfect for ribs, chicken, beef, pork or veggies, this rub will take your grilling game to the next level.
More Homemade Condiment Recipes You’ll Love:
Servings: 1batch
Prep Time: 5 minutesmins
Total Time: 5 minutesmins
Description
Perfect for beef, chicken and especially pork, this Homemade BBQ Rub is what makes grilling so amazingly delicious. Just dig in!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Combine all the ingredients in a jar, and give it a good shaking.
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt, 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Pepper, 1 ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 ½ teaspoon Onion Powder, 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder, 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 1 teaspoon Thyme, 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin, 1 Pinch Nutmeg
It doesn’t matter what order you go in. Make sure you label the jar with the date you made the rub. Typically 2 months is a good shelf life for your homemade rubs. Enjoy!
Store rub in a jar with a tight fitting lid, or in an airtight container for 2 or more months.
This pork carnitas recipe is so flavorful and moist and the best part? They are crazy easy to make with only a few ingredients and a slow cooker!
We had a little Mexican Pot luck in my neighborhood the other night. It was tons of fun and so nice to have everyone out together and just enjoy each others’ company. Everyone brought a dish to share and it turned out perfect. I decided to go with carnitas. I looooooove this pork. It is one of the most simple ways to make carnitas, but it is so juicy and flavorful. I love that you just throw it in the crockpot and don’t think about it all day. You may wonder if with so few ingredients it’s really that delicious, but it is.
I made one big fat error this time around. You may not think it’s that big of a deal, but for me it is. At about 12:30 in the afternoon I realized that I had not placed the pork in the crock. DANGIT!!!! I am a huge, huge believer in letting roasts, and all kinds of pork cook for 8 hours in the crock on low. It is soooooooooo much more juicy, tender and flavorful. I promise. This pork still turned out well, but it would have been 1 million times better if I had been more on top of things. SO, when you try this, don’t forget to slooooooow cook it.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
The ingredients for crockpot pork carnitas are simple and pack so much flavor. You will need a few ingredients for a dry rub and then a few items for cooking the pork in the slow cooker. The orange juice and lime juice add the punch of citrus you want in carnitas! This is what you will need:
Corn Tortillas
Queso Fresco
Cilantro
For the Rub
Seasonings: Dried Oregano, Ground Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Kosher Salt and Pepper
Garlic
Oil
For the Pork
Pork Shoulder/Butt
Onion
Garlic
Jalapeno
Fresh Black Pepper
White Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Oranges
Limes
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post so keep scrolling for all the details!
How to Make Pork Carnitas
Now we come to my favorite part of this slow cooker carnitas recipe…the simplicity! Here are the basic steps:
Combine: Add all the ingredients for the dry rub together in a small bowl and then rub it all over the outside of the pork. Place it in the slow cooker.
Add: Juice the oranges over the pork and leave one of the oranges in the slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker.
Cook: Set the slow cooker to low heat and cook for 10-12 hours or until the meat falls apart.
Shred: Using two forks, shred the pork and leave it in the juice in the crockpot. Pull out the orange peels.
OPTIONAL: If you crave those crispy edges on your carnitas, place the pork on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven to broil for a few minutes.
Serve: Dish up the pork into warmed corn tortillas with some cilantro, diced red onions and queso fresco on top. Avocado slices also make a great addition!
These instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Watch How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
What are Carnitas?
Carnitas are the Mexican version of pulled or shredded pork and can be used for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, enchiladas, tostadas or just to eat plain. The meat is cooked low and slow and is so tender that it practically melts in your mouth.
The meat is usually braised or roasted in lard until it is super tender. We have a roasted pork carnitas recipe that is super popular on the blog if you want to go the traditional route. We also have an Instant Pot Carnitas recipe that gives you carnitas in a fraction of the time.
What is Queso Fresco?
Queso Fresco is a semi-soft cheese, white in color. It is often used in Mexican cuisine. It is mild in flavor and slightly tangy.
What Can You Substitute For Queso Fresco?
Cotija cheese is the best substitute for queso fresco, but usually if you can’t find one, you won’t find the other. A mild feta cheese is your next best substitute for queso fresco.
Can I Use Pork Loin to Make Carnitas?
You really want to use pork shoulder or pork butt because they have a higher fat content which makes them super tender and juicy. Pork loin is a little too lean for carnitas, but if you have a pork loin that you want to use up, try our rosemary pork tenderloin! It’s fabulous!
What to Serve with Pork Carnitas
Homemade crockpot carnitas can be topped with pico de gallo, fresh salsa or guacamole. If you are looking for delicious side dishes, here are some ideas:
Storing and Reheating
Pork carnitas should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep for 3-4 days.
Carnitas also freeze extremely well. Allow them to cool completely and then place them in a freezer safe container. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat carnitas, I prefer to sauté them on the stove top to recreate those crispy edges. Add a little oil to a skillet and heat them up until warmed through.
Learn how to make delicious and tender pork carnitas in your slow cooker with this easy recipe. Perfect for tacos, burritos, and more, this is a crowd-pleasing dish that can be prepared ahead of time.
More Slow Cooker Recipes to Try:
Servings: 8servings
Prep Time: 30 minutesmins
Cook Time: 1 hourhr
Total Time: 1 dayd8 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Description
I looooooove this pork. It is one of the most simple ways to make carnitas, but it is so juicy and flavorful.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Combine the dry rub ingredients and rub it all over the pork. Place in the slow cooker.
Cook for 10-12 hours or until the meat is falling apart.
Using two forks, shred the pork and leave it in the juice in the crockpot. Pull out the orange peels.
OPTIONAL: Place the pork on a baking sheet and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. You can also sauté it in a skillet with a little oil in batches. Then place it back in the juices in the crockpot to serve.
We like to serve ours with warmed corn tortillas, cilantro, diced red onions and cotija or queso fresco and sometimes a little avocado.
I got into this field by spending 10 years working in Research & Development and Product Development test kitchens, testing new products and recipes. For nearly eight years, I was the Senior Culinary R&D Specialist at Weber headquarters, where all the grills are designed, engineered, and tested. I’ve helped launch numerous best-selling, top-rated grills across the globe (you should see my grill collection at home!).
One of my proudest accomplishments happened years earlier, when I had the opportunity to visit the Good Housekeeping Institue in NYC after developing an award-winning Tropical Citrus Shrimp recipe that jumpstarted my career in test kitchens and food editing. Since then, I’ve worked at Serious Eats (one of my favorite food sites) and EatingWell as an updates editor.
I’m passionate about both classic recipes and new, unique twists. I’m constantly learning and that’s what makes food and cooking so fun (just ask me how to bake light and airy pavlovas on the grill – I’ve tested them countless times!).
Pork Carnitas Tacos are a hit every.single.time. Lightly toasted corn shells are filled with crispy and flavorful homemade pork carnitas, cotija cheese, onions, lots of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Yields about 6 servings (4 tacos per person).
This your sign to make Pork Carnitas Tacos.
The pork cooks low and slow in your slow cooker with dried herbs, spices, onions, jalapeño and citrus. Right before serving, simply shred and fry in a skillet. Then you make tacos! Crispy corn shells, crispy shredded pork and lots of fresh toppings like onion, cilantro and fresh lime juice.
Besides delicious and flavorful, I personally file these pork carnitas tacos under easy dinner recipes. And also, dinners my whole family loves.🤩
hot sauce – I like a green hot sauce for these, but use your favorite.
shredded lettuce – Not really authentic, but adds a refreshing crunch.
Make the Pork Carnitas:
Start by making the pork carnitas. For these tacos (or for all things carnitas) I always make my go-to slow cooker pork carnitas recipe. However, I will confess that I have made these tacos with Trader Joes pre-made carnitas – and they were good and easy. With that said, homemade is always better.😉
Once shredded, add the pork to a large 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high. Let the pork cook until golden and crispy, then toss and repeat.
So freaking amazing.
Meanwhile, toast a bunch of corn tortillas. Sometimes I use 2 per taco and sometimes I don’t – it just depends. If you want a sturdier taco, double them up – just make sure to buy enough to do this. To toast the tortillas, I heat a dry skillet over medium to medium-high and once hot, cook a few seconds on each side until slightly golden in spots. They should still be soft but slightly more firm. As I go, I keep them warm on a plate wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.
Make The Tacos:
Grab one or two toasted corn shells and top with pork carnitas, cilantro, cotija and onions – I do both pickled (if I have them) and raw white onion. I also add a squeeze of lime to each taco and some jalapeños for a spicy kick.
I mean… so simple right?
Enjoy! And if you give this Pork Carnitas Tacos recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Yield: 6servings
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Pork Carnitas Tacos are a hit every.single.time. Lightly toasted corn shells are filled with crispy and flavorful homemade pork carnitas, cotija cheese, onions, lots of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.
Prep Time: 25 minutesmins
Total Time: 25 minutesmins
1recipepork carnitas
4ouncescotija cheese, or use queso fresco or feta
1mediumwhite onion
1bunchcilantro, finely chopped
lime wedges
Optional Toppings:
jalapeño , raw or pickled
hot sauce
lettuce, shredded
avocado, or guacamole
Once the pork carnitas are cooked (this can be made a day in advance), shred and add the pork to a large 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high. Let the pork cook until golden and crispy, then toss and repeat.
Meanwhile, toast a bunch of corn tortillas. To toast the tortillas, I heat a dry skillet over medium to medium-high and once hot, cook a few seconds on each side until slightly golden in spots. They should still be soft but slightly more firm. As I go, I keep them warm on a plate wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.Sometimes I use 2 per taco and sometimes I don’t – it just depends. If you want a sturdier taco, double them up – just make sure to buy enough to do this.
Grab one or two toasted corn shells and top with pork carnitas, cilantro, cotija and onions – I do both pickled (if I have them) and raw white onion. I also add a squeeze of lime to each taco and some jalapeños for a spicy kick.
Nutrition Disclaimer:All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline. Note:The nutritional value is for the listed recipe ingredients and does not include the “optional toppings”.
In this Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas recipe, a well seasoned pork shoulder is rubbed with an oregano and cumin spiced oil mixture, then is cooked low and slow with onions, garlic, jalapeño and fresh citrus juice until fall apart tender. Once cooked and shredded, fry up the shredded pork in a skillet until golden and crispy. Yields approximately 6 (4-ounce) servings.
I love carnitas.
And I’ve found the best way to make them at home is in the slow cooker.
This is far from traditional carnitas… but in this day and age, unless you’re in a kitchen in Mexico, standing over a copper pot with someone who’s been turning out carnitas since they could hold a spoon, then how could any carnitas be called authentic? But what I can call this recipe is amazing.
In this recipe, a seasoned pork shoulder cooks low and slow with onions, garlic and citrus juice until it’s fall apart tender. The hardest part? Figuring out what you want to use it in… tacos? nachos? burritos? Decisions – decisions.
To Make These Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas You Will Need:
boneless pork shoulder – An inexpensive cut from the shoulder of a pig that has great flavor and texture.
kosher salt – For seasoning the pork and will also enhance the flavors in this recipe.
freshly ground black pepper – Adds distinct bite and flavor.
avocado oil – Used for helping the herbs and spices adhere to the pork.
oregano – Mexican oregano is preferred. I’ve linked the one I use in the printable recipe near the end of the post.
cumin (ground) – Lends earthiness and warmth, with an edge of citrus.
coriander – Lends a citrusy flavor with a slight sweetness and subtle hint of earthiness.
white onion – Or substitute with a yellow onion.
jalapeño – I leave the seeds and ribs intact but you can remove them if desired. I don’t notice the meat to be spicy when I leave them in.
garlic – Adds subtle yet distinct punchy flavor.
orange – Lends acidity, moisture and adds delicate citrus flavor.
lime – Lends acidity, moisture and adds delicate citrus flavor.
Prep The Pork:
Pat-dry a 4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast. Season it heavily with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Set this off to the side for a moment.
Then in a small bowl add three tablespoons of avocado oil, 2 teaspoons of dried oregano (Mexican oregano if possible), 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander.
Whisk to combine.
Pour this over the pork shoulder.
Use your impeccably clean hands to rub the oil mixture over the pork, massaging it into the meat.
Prep the veggies and citrus:
Next roughly chop up 1 large white onion, 1 jalapeño and smash and peel 6 cloves of garlic.
Add the onions, garlic and jalapeño to the bottom of your slow cooker.
Then place the pork on top.
Squeeze juice from both the orange and lime halves over the pork.
Throw the squeezed orange and lime halves into the slow cooker as well.
Slow Cook The Pork:
Cover and allow the slow cooker to do its thing. I prefer to cook my pork on low for 10 to 12 hours, however you can cook it on high for 6 to 8 hours.
By now your home should be smelling amazing.
Shred and Fry The Pork:
Use tongs to carefully remove the pork and transfer it to a large carving board. Use a couple of forks to shred the meat.
Discard any pieces of fat.
Heat a large 12-inch skillet on medium-high heat and adding the shredded pork shoulder.
Cook until a deep golden crust form, then toss and continue to crisp the pork.
It’s nearly impossible to NOT snack as you go. My girls where all up in my face trying to steal more pieces.
What To make With Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas:
Ways To Use Leftover Pork Carnitas:
Add to potato skins with cheese and any desired add-ins.
Serve in a salad and maybe dressed with cilantro ranch.
Toss with roasted potatoes and veggies and serve with a fried egg on top.
Add to soup or tuck into sandwiches.
Top crispy French fries with pork carnitas, cheese, pico and guacamole.
Enjoy! And if you give this Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Yield: 6servings
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
In this Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas recipe, a well seasoned pork shoulder is rubbed with an oregano and cumin spiced oil mixture, then is cooked low and slow with onions, garlic, jalapeño and fresh citrus juice until fall apart tender. Once cooked and shredded, fry up the shredded pork in a skillet until golden and crispy.
Prep Time: 25 minutesmins
Cook Time: 10 hourshrs
Total Time: 10 hourshrs25 minutesmins
4poundsboneless pork shoulder
1tablespoonkosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3tablespoonsavocado oil, or extra light olive oil
2teaspoonsdried oregano, I use Mexican oregano
1teaspoonground cumin
1/2teaspoonground coriander
1orange
1lime
1white onion, roughly chopped
1jalapeno, roughly chopped
6clovesfresh garlic, smashed and peeled
Use paper towel to pat the pork shoulder dry before generously seasoning with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl combine the oil with the oregano, cumin and coriander. Pour the oil mixture all over the pork shoulder and massage it into the mean until evenly coated.
To your slow cooker, add the onions, garlic and jalapeño and then place the pork shoulder on top. Squeeze the juice from both the lemon and lime and add the citrus halves to the slow cooker as well.
Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours (recommended) or on high for 6 to 8.
Use tongs to carefully remove the pork and transfer it to a large carving board. Use a couple of forks to shred the meat. Discarding any pieces of fat.
Heat a large 12-inch skillet on medium-high heat and adding the shredded pork shoulder. Cook until a deep golden crust form, then toss and continue to crisp the pork.
Once golden, serve in tacos, burritos or on nachos etc.
Nutrition Disclaimer:All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline. NOTE: The amount of pork a (uncooked) 4 pound pork shoulder will yield is roughly about 1½ to 1¾ pounds cooked.
Why are U.S. taxpayers giving billions of dollars to support the likes of the sugar and meat industries?
The rise in calorie surplus sufficient to explain the obesity epidemic was less a change in food quantity than in food quality. Access to cheap, high-calorie, low-quality convenience foods exploded, and the federal government very much played a role in making this happen. U.S. taxpayers give billions of dollars in subsidies to prop up the likes of the sugar industry, the corn industry and its high-fructose syrup, and the production of soybeans, about half of which is processed into vegetable oil and the other half is used as cheap feed to help make dollar-menu meat. You can see a table of subsidy recipients below and at 0:49 in my video The Role of Taxpayer Subsidies in the Obesity Epidemic. Why do taxpayers give nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year to the sorghum industry? When was the last time you sat down to some sorghum? It’s almost all fed to cattle and other livestock. “We have created a food price structure that favors relatively animal source foods, sweets, and fats”—animal products, sugars, and oils.
The Farm Bill started out as an emergency measure during the Great Depression of the 1930s to protect small farmers but was weaponized by Big Ag into a cash cow with pork barrel politics—including said producers of beef and pork. From 1970 to 1994, global beef prices dropped by more than 60 percent. And, if it weren’t for taxpayers “sweetening the pot” with billions of dollars a year, high-fructose corn syrup would cost the soda industry about 12 percent more. Then we hand Big Soda billions more through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamps Program, to give sugary drinks to low-income individuals.Why is chicken so cheap? After one Farm Bill, corn and soy were subsidized below the cost of production for cheap animal fodder. We effectively handed the poultry and pork industries about $10 billion each. That’s not chicken feed—or rather, it is!
As you can see below and at 2:03 in my video, thanks in part to subsidies, dairy, meats, sweets, eggs, oils, and soda were all getting relatively cheaper compared to the overall consumer food price index as the obesity epidemic took off, whereas the relative cost of fresh fruits and vegetables doubled. This may help explain why, during about the same period, the percentage of Americans getting five servings of fruits and vegetables a day dropped from 42 percent to 26 percent. Why not just subsidize produce instead? Because that’s not where the money is.
“To understand what is shaping our foodscape today, it is important to understand the significance of differential profit.” Whole foods or minimally processed foods, such as canned beans or tomato paste, are what the food business refers to as “commodities.” They have such slim profit margins that “some are typically sold at or below cost, as ‘loss leaders,’ to attract customers to the store” in the hopes that they’ll also buy the “value-added” products. Some of the most profitable products for producers and vendors alike are the ultra-processed, fatty, sugary, and salty concoctions of artificially flavored, artificially colored, and artificially cheap ingredients—thanks to taxpayer subsidies.
Different foods reap different returns. Measured in “profit per square foot of selling space” in the supermarket, confectionaries like candy bars consistently rank among the most lucrative. The markups are the only healthy thing about them. Fried snacks like potato chips and corn chips are also highly profitable. PepsiCo’s subsidiary Frito-Lay brags that while its products represented only about 1 percent of total supermarket sales, they may account for more than 10 percent of operating profits for supermarkets and 40 percent of profit growth.
It’s no surprise, then, that the entire system is geared towards garbage. The rise in the calorie supply wasn’t just more food but a different kind of food. There’s a dumb dichotomy about the drivers of the obesity epidemic: Is it the sugar or the fat? They’re both highly subsidized, and they both took off. As you can see below and at 4:29 and 4:35 in my video, along with a significant rise in refined grain products that is difficult to quantify, the rise in obesity was accompanied by about a 20 percent increase in per capita pounds of added sugars and a 38 percent increase in added fats.
More than half of all calories consumed by most adults in the United States were found to originate from these subsidized foods, and they appear to be worse off for it. Those eating the most had significantly higher levels of chronic disease risk factors, including elevated cholesterol, inflammation, and body weight.
If it really were a government of, by, and for the people, we’d be subsidizing healthy foods, if anything, to make fruits and vegetables cheap or even free. Instead, our tax dollars are shoveled to the likes of the sugar industry or to livestock feed to make cheap, fast-food meat.
Speaking of sorghum, I had never had it before and it’s delicious! In fact, I wish I had discovered it before How Not to Diet was published. I now add sorghum and finger millet to my BROL bowl which used to just include purple barley groats, rye groats, oat groats, and black lentils, so the acronym has become an unpronounceable BROLMS. Anyway, sorghum is a great rice substitute for those who saw my rice and arsenic video series and were as convinced as I am that we need to diversify our grains.
We now turn to marketing. After all of the taxpayer-subsidized glut of calories in the market, the food industry had to find a way to get it into people’s mouths. So, next: The Role of Marketing in the Obesity Epidemic.
We’re about halfway through this series on the obesity epidemic. If you missed any so far, check out the related videos below.
This post may contain references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Oh Sweet Basil may receive compensation when you click on links to such products.
Make the perfect Carolina pulled pork with this easy and delicious recipe. Impress your friends and family with this mouth-watering dish, complete with a step-by-step video tutorial.
Want to make the best pulled pork from your own kitchen? The key to making this Carolina pulled pork recipe is the brine. You’re actually going to start this recipe two days ahead of time with the brine, and it takes time to make tender, juicy pulled pork in the oven. So plan your schedule accordingly, and get ready for the best pulled pork of your life!
Make a batch of our very best macaroni salad and toss together a fresh fruit salad, and it’s party time!!
When I think of BBQ, I can’t help but think of slow and low style, the Carolina way. In order to cook the best pulled pork, it’s essential that you plan ahead and spend some time prepping and cooking that delicious meat at those lower temperatures. This helps bring out all those flavors that melt in your mouth and allows that pork to literally fall apart. I know, we are all lazy and don’t want to, but trust me, this Carolina pulled pork recipe is so easy your dog could do it.
This recipe may seem like a process, but here’s the deal: you really just plop the pork in the fridge to marinate, and then transfer it to the oven. Although it takes a long time, you’re just going about your everyday life so it’s really not extra work on your part.
These idea for this pulled pork recipe come from watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Shout out to Guy, who gets to eat for a living! We occasionally watch his show on Netflix at night, and first of all, it makes us so hungry, but we also feel like we can totally guess when he doesn’t really enjoy something. We wish we could find out what he really thinks are the best and the worst of the places he has tried.
Anyway, I got a little off topic. Here are the secrets to the world’s best Carolina pulled pork.
Carolina Pulled Pork Ingredients
There are three main components to this pulled pork recipe: the brine, pulled pork rub, and the homemade BBQ sauce. Here is what you will need for each component:
5-8 Pound Pork Shoulder (or Butt)
Pulled Pork Brine
Water
Apple Cider
Note that you’ll be using apple cider, NOT cider vinegar, in the pork shoulder brine. But many of our readers have missed that and added pure vinegar and so we had no choice but to try it since so many of you loved the results. Sure enough, it was great! So we prefer the juice but hey, vinegar is fun too! Apple cider adds a little more flavor without ever tasting like apple, and all you have to do is dump it in.
Kosher Salt
Dark Brown Sugar
Dry Rub (see below)
Bay Leaves
Red Pepper Flakes
Pulled Pork Dry Rub
Onion Powder
Smoked Paprika
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Dry Mustard
Cumin
Brown Sugar
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Of course, you’re welcome to use a store-bought sauce, but if you’re looking for the best pulled pork recipe ever, well, you need to use homemade barbecue sauce.
Apple Cider Vinegar
White Vinegar
Brown Sugar
Chili Powder
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt
The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
What’s the Best Pork for Pulled Pork?
To make the best pulled pork, you’ve got to start with the best cut of meat. Most barbecue restaurants use whole bone-in pork shoulders, but they’re rarely available in grocery stores. If you find a whole shoulder, use it. Otherwise, we recommend a Boston butt, which is half of the shoulder, the other half being the picnic shoulder.
How to Make Pulled Pork in the Oven
This pulled pork recipe looks lengthy, but each step of this recipe is incredibly easy. Here’s a quick overview of how to make pulled pork in the oven:
Mix all the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.
Stir together the pork shoulder brine and let the pork soak in it for 12 to 24 hours.
Remove the pork from the brine and place it in a large baking dish, then pat it dry with paper towels.
Rub the pulled pork seasoning all over the meat, saving just a little of the dry rub for later.
With the fat facing up, bake the pork at a low temperature until it registers 200ºF at the thickest part.
Turn off the oven and let the pork rest for a couple hours.
Take the pork out of the oven and remove the fat from the top. Then, shred the meat with two forks.
Drain half the juices from the pork, then add the remaining dry rub and toss in the homemade bbq sauce.
Serve with buns or hoagies to make pork sandwiches or just serve the meat plain with some coleslaw and all your favorite sides.
How Long to Cook Pulled Pork
If you’re southern, you know this isn’t just a secret but practically a law in the south — LOW AND SLOW. I always laugh when people tell me they can’t make bbq, “I let it cook for over an hour and it was dry and hard as a rock!”
BBQ is very relaxed, just like southerners. It wants to hang out all day, and while you may think you’re overcooking it, you’re not! Our pork cooks for at least 12 hours, sometimes more if it’s a bigger butt (I feel like there should be a joke in there). Do not rush it.
Can I Make Pulled Pork on a Smoker?
If you’d rather make smoked pulled pork instead of oven pulled pork, we recommend following our Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe. It gives step-by-step instructions on smoking pulled pork on a Traeger.
Can I Make This Pulled Pork Recipe in the Slow Cooker?
Yes this can be done in the slow cooker, but we’ve found that it doesn’t do it justice. It is also hard to fit the size of pork butt you need into a crock pot. If you decide to try it, it will cook for the same amount of time on low. Follow the brining instructions as written, and no need to add any liquid to the slow cooker. There’s enough juice in the pork to keep cooking properly.
How to Prep Carolina Pulled Pork in Advance
Reader Kate says:
“I’m heading up to my cabin and need a dinner for a large crowd a few hours after we arrive, wondering if I can cook the pork and then finish it off in the grill when we arrive? Or if it’s better to do all steps and then reheat it on arrival? Looks delish.”
Great question! We do this ALLLLLLL the time. Go ahead and make this pulled pork recipe, and then you have two choices. Pull it out of the oven and put it straight into the car and it will rest on the way to the cabin and be ready to eat two hours later.
Or make it, rest it, cool it and place in freezer bags, or to be honest, we use this Foodsaver and just suck the air out and freeze pork for use over the next three months. It’s super easy, and tastes perfectly fresh when we reheat. We just place it in the fridge to defrost and then reheat in a large pan with foil in a low oven or stove top with a little oil in the pan and a lid to keep the steam in so it’s juicy.
Tips to Making the Best Pulled Pork
The key thing to remember when making this pulled pork recipe is to let the meat rest after it’s finished cooking. I told you, it’s lazy. Letting it rest redistributes the juices, and because it’s big and cooked for a long time you’re going to want to let it rest longer — like an hour or even two — before shredding.
Perhaps the biggest secret of all, and one that I cannot claim as my own as this is where Triple D (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) comes in, is to sprinkle a little more of the rub onto the meat before serving. We noticed many bbq joints weren’t just slathering on the sauce, but actually sprinkling that dry rub all over the shredded meat and tossing to let it sink it. You won’t believe what a difference it makes!
You can also use another type of bbq sauce in this pulled pork recipe! Carrian likes a thick, sweet sauce or a Carolina vinegar bbq, and I love this Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce on my homemade pulled pork.
What to Serve with Carolina Pulled Pork
We recommend firing up the grill and making grilled corn to go with this Carolina pulled pork. It is so dang good every time! And just for pure comfort, add a side of Southern mac and cheese. A few other pulled pork sides we love are:
Storing and Reheating
Leftover pulled pork should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 3-4 days. This meat also stores great in the freezer. Let it cool completely and then place in ziploc bags (or better yet, use a Food Saver!). It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Use leftovers in pulled pork pizza or pulled pork nachos! If you want to just reheat it, turn on your oven and set the temperature to 250°F. Then, cover your meat with foil and put it into the oven when it’s ready. After you put it into your oven, let it heat for 30 minutes or until reaching an internal temperature of 165 °F.
Get ready for the juiciest and most flavorful pulled pork you’ll ever try! This recipe for Carolina pulled pork is a crowd-pleaser!
More PORK DINNER RECIPES You Must Try:
Servings: 10
Prep Time: 1 dayd
Cook Time: 14 hourshrs
Total Time: 1 dayd14 hourshrs
Description
Want to make the best pulled pork from your own kitchen? This recipe for the world’s best Carolina pulled pork all starts with a brine.
For the BBQ Sauce (Optional)
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prepare the Dry Rub:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a ziploc bag. Set aside.
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder, 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder, 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder, 1 ½ Tablespoon Kosher Salt, 1 Tablespoon Pepper, 2 teaspoons Cayenne Powder, 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard, 1 Tablespoon Cumin, 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
For the Brine:
In a large stock pot, add the water, apple cider, salt, sugar, 3 tablespoons dry rub, pepper flakes and bay leaves.
4 Cups Water, 4 Cups Apple Cider, 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt, 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, 3 Tablespoons Dry Rub, 2 Bay Leaves, 1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
Rinse off the pork and add to the pot making sure it is completely covered in the brine and add the lid.
5-8 pound Pork Butt
Place in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
For the Sauce:
In a glass jar, add the ingredients and place the lid on then shake to combine. Set aside.
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 Cup White Vinegar, 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder, 2 Pinches Red Pepper Flakes, Salt
To Cook:
Heat the oven to 225 degrees F.
Remove the pork from the brine and place in a roasting dish or 9×13″ baking pan as long as the sides don’t touch the pan.
Pat very dry with paper towels.
Remove 2 tablespoons of the dry rub to another ziploc and set aside for after it is cooked.
Rub the remaining seasoning all over the pork and in any cracks or flaps.
With the fat facing up, place the pork in the oven with a meat thermometer.
Bake for 12-14 hours or until 200 degrees F registers on the thickest part of the pork with a meat thermometer. *Remember to watch your oven, ours turns off automatically at 12 hours so I have to turn it back on.
At this point you can turn off the oven and leave the pork in there to rest for two hours or if you have more baking to do place foil over the meat and allow to rest on the stove.
Once the meat has rested, remove the fat from the top and using two forks, shred the meat and remove the bone.
Drain half of the juices out and add the remaining dry rub to taste, toss to coat and drizzle a little vinegar sauce over everything.
Serve immediately as is or on buns.
You can freeze pulled pork. Let it cool completely and freeze in freezer bags to use later.
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