Pork Carnitas Bowls: Why We Never Miss Family Dinner

First off, a little obligatory disclaimer: This post is sponsored by The National Pork Board. But, as always, all thoughts, opinions, musings and recipes are my own!

Ok, now down to biz. Question: do y’all eat family meals a lot? John was out of town for work this week, so I had a couple crazy days where I had to figure out how to fit in dinner AND a chauffeuring to dinnertime basketball practice without another adult to play zone defense. BUT, as y’all know, we are big on family dinners, so even if it sometimes doesn’t look the same as usual when one of us is out of town or we’ve got a busy evening schedule to work around, we still make it a priority. Which is why I decided to do Pork Carnitas Bowls one of those nights.

Side note: when we lived in California, where John and I met and all three of our boys were born, we used to love going to this little spot near our house that served carnitas bowls. You could choose your base and toppings and sauces, and everything was fresh and delicious and customizable. When we moved to small-town Georgia, no such options existed here, so if I wanted a carnitas bowl, I had to recreate it myself at home. Which I did.

The best part is, since this recipe calls for pork butt as the star, it’s a really affordable meal – even for a large family. And since I employ the use of a crockpot, it’s also pretty easy and hands-off – and turns out some reallllly juicy meat. The pork cooks all day long while you go about your biz, and then all you have to do come dinnertime is set out the sides, which the boys love to help with. They also love that they get to build their bowls exactly how they want them, which is huge for kids. And I love that their palates have explored different flavors and cuisines from all over the world starting at such young ages.

All I had to do in the morning was toss the pork and a few other ingredients in the crockpot, set it and go about my day. Then at go-time, all I had to do was shred the pork (which honestly almost just shredded itself, it was so tender), heat up the rice and beans and set out a few fresh toppings. The boys even helped me whip up a quick pineapple salsa, and just a few minutes after the pork was finished cooking, dinner was served. We each piled our bowls high with juicy, umami-flavored pork, sweet + ever-so-slightly-spicy pineapple salsa, warm rice, herb-loaded beans, cool cabbage, avocado, radish, fresh cilantro and jalapeños. Then we all sat together at the table and gobbled up our carnitas as we simultaneously savored one of THE best dishes with which Mexico has ever graced the universe, and compared notes on the day’s events.

Since we’ve lived together, before the boys were even born, John and I have always made distraction-free dinners a priority in our home. It was the one time of day when we weren’t rushing around needing to be somewhere, and we always genuinely enjoyed that time to catch up on each other’s day, eat a good home-cooked meal, make each other laugh. It’s always been the best way to wind down from the day’s events. And as we had children, that tradition continued, and now, whether it’s a weeknight dinner or our traditional Pizza Night we have each and every Friday, it’s a non-negotiable.

Setting time aside to eat dinner together as a family each night is important for a number of reasons:

• Aside from obviously fostering a stronger family bond and saving moolah, family meals help the younger kiddos learn table manners and language skills.
• For slightly older kids, studies have shown that children who regularly sit down to family meals have higher self-esteem, and are less likely to experience depression or use drugs.
• According to one Columbia University study, kids who sat down to family dinners 5 to 7 times per week even made better grades – mostly As and Bs, as opposed to their classmates who ate with family less than 3 times per week.
• Kids who eat regular meals at home with their families are less likely to eat junk and more likely to make smarter food choices, such as eating fruits + veggies. Thus, according to the American Society for Nutrition, these kids generally have a lower body-mass index than those who do not eat family meals.

This year has been rough. There’s no way around that. I’m just hoping that with more of us obviously eating our meals at home this year, tighter family units can emerge. I was encouraged by responses to surveys commissioned by The National Pork Board that, in fact, did reveal strengthened family bonds as more time was shared over meals this year during the pandemic— including both meal preparation and dinnertime itself. Their findings included:

• More than half of families surveyed say they’ve been cooking more over the past 6 months, with 1 in 3 of them trying new recipes.
• Even teenagers report enjoyment from catching up with family members at dinner.
• 85% of families surveyed say they’ll continue eating together post-coronavirus.

If you’re one of those families that have been cooking more than ever, and thus getting bored with the same old recipes day in and day out, I’ve got you covered. If you’re looking to incorporate more family dinners into your weekly routine, I’ve got you covered too. These pork carnitas bowls are a simple, delicious way to switch up or switch into family-meal mode.

Print Recipe

Pork Carnitas Bowls

This is a family favorite of ours, modeled after a menu-item we used to order at a place near our house in SoCal. It's warm and delicious with lots of fresh fixin's, and is great for kids, as they can help prepare the toppings, as well as customize their own bowls.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time8 hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: carnitas

Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

Pork

• 6 lb boneless pork butt
• 12 oz beer I use an IPA
• 1/3 cup tamari reduced-sodium
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 onion coarsely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic peeled + coarsely minced
• sea salt
• pepper freshly ground

Bowl Base

• 2 bags frozen jasmine rice heated
• 2 cans black beans rinsed + drained
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• sea salt to taste
• cilantro

Optional Toppings

• red cabbage shredded
• radishes thinly sliced
• jalapeños thinly sliced
• white onion diced
• avocado diced
• cilantro chopped
• red salsa
• pineapple + avocado salsa
• lime wedges

Instructions

Pork:

• Season pork on all sides with salt + pepper.
• Mix all liquid ingredients together in crockpot, toss in the onions + garlic, then place pork butt on top.
• Cook on LOW for 8 hours, then shred with two forks.

Beans:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, add beans. Stir in the spices + lime juice, then at the end, stir in the fresh cilantro.

To assemble bowls:

• Put rice in bottom of bowl, then top with pork and beans and the rest of your desired toppings.