Tender slow-cooked pork, crisped in a skillet and ready for quesadillas, tacos or a sandwich.

Prep: About 10 minutes   Cook: 7–8 hours on low, plus crisping

Ingredients

  • 2–3 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2–4 cloves garlic, chopped or smashed
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • About 1–2 tablespoons adobo seasoning, enough to generously season the pork
  • Neutral oil or spray oil, enough to coat the skillet

Directions

  1. Place the sliced onion and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour in the orange juice.
  2. Generously season the pork with adobo and place it on top of the onions and garlic.
  3. Cover and cook on low for approximately 7–8 hours, until the pork is tender enough to shred. Cooking time will vary with your slow cooker and the size of the pieces.
  4. Remove and shred the pork. Reserve some of the cooking liquid.
  5. Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cast iron is my choice. Add enough neutral oil or spray oil to lightly coat the bottom.
  6. Add the shredded pork and cook for about 3–4 minutes, until it begins to crisp. Turn it and crisp the other side. Work in batches if needed.
  7. Take the pan off the heat. Add a little reserved cooking liquid to remoisten the pork—just enough, so it isn’t soggy or swimming.
  8. Use the pork for quesadillas, tacos or a bánh mì-ish sandwich. Add something bright and crunchy, such as pickled red onion or other vegetables.

Notes

Adobo blends vary in saltiness. Taste the cooked pork before adding more salt.

For our Cinco de Mayo dinner, I used the pork in quesadillas with cheese and pickled red onion and served corn and rice with black beans on the side.