For Cinco de Mayo, or anytime -- Rice Bowls with slow-cooker Al Pastor
Let us come together and deem 2023 the Year of the Rice Bowl. After a stint with a child who wouldn’t eat pasta for YEARS, we came to be the “Family That Eats a Lot of Rice Bowls,” and it’s now one of our favorite go-to weeknight dinners.
We’ve showed several rice-based dinners over the years, but the planning is always pretty simple:
Pick a protein, cook it any way you like.
Start some rice to go with it – is this a good time for a flavored rice? Plain white rice? A package of seasoned rice that has been in your pantry since undergrad? This is the time for all the rice.
Add a veg – it’s hard to go wrong with steamed broccoli with lots of salt and lemon juice, but any veg that you and your people enjoy is the way to go.
Throw on some toppings to feel fancy: a sliced scallion, grated parmesan, drizzle of olive oil, flaky salt and fresh herbs add a lot with a little! Pick something that makes sense with the flavors you’ve built in your three main ingredients.
In this month’s rice bowls, Mexican flavors are the star -- just in time for Cinco de Mayo, although this recipe is perfect for any weeknight. I like to make the pork in advance and broil it right before serving, but it’s also a perfect recipe to start first thing in the morning and eat when you get home from work.
PS: Your house is going to smell very yummy.
Slow Cooker Al Pastor
Prep: 20 min. Cook: 8 hours, mostly hands-off Yield: Serves 6-8
1 boneless pork butt/shoulder, 3-4 pounds total, cut into 3-inch chunks
1 whole pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (see note)
½ cup orange juice
¼ onion, cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Tajin for sprinkling, optional
Marinade: In a blender, combine the orange juice, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, smoked paprika, and one cup of the pineapple chunks (I use the core here to avoid waste). Blend until very smooth.
Slow Cooker: Place the pork chunks in the bottom of a slow cooker and pour all the marinade over the top. Stir to coat the pork evenly with the marinade.
Cook: Cook the pork on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 5-7 hours. Check at the low end of the time range. The pork is done when it is fork tender but not mushy – this will depend on your slow cooker, the type of pork you use and the size of the chunks.
Pineapple: Gently shred the pork into bite-sized pieces, then add most of the pineapple to the slow cooker. Cook for 30-45 minutes more to heat the pineapple through.
Broil: (optional) For added texture, spoon some of the meat onto a sheet pan and broil until crispy at the edges right before serving.
Serve over nachos, in tacos or make burrito bowls from the toppings list below. Enjoy!
Rice Bowl Serving Ideas
Rice of choice: white rice, coconut rice or red Mexican rice are all delicious with this pork.
Crumbled cotija cheese
Extra fresh pineapple
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges
Salsa
Sour cream
Black beans
Chopped white onion
Roasted or sauteed fajita veggies
Guacamole or avocado chunks
Recipe Notes and Tips:
Pineapple: I often cut up my own pineapple, but this is a GREAT time to take some help from the store and purchase a pre-peeled/cored pineapple to save time. I use the core in the blended marinade to avoid waste – you never know it’s there.
Pork: Since we are cutting up the pork, the cooking time is a bit less on this recipe. If you are cooking this overnight, I recommend keeping the pork shoulder whole to avoid overcooking the meat, which can make it mealy.
Meat Variations: This recipe can also be made with chicken (6 hours low) or beef (8 hours low) and is delicious both ways.
Make In Advance: This pork is delicious made in advance and can be freshened up from the fridge by broiling it quickly right before serving, and adding fresh toppings to a taco, burrito, or rice bowl for serving.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: For Cinco de Mayo, or anytime -- Rice bowls with slow-cooker Al Pastor
