Freezer Meal Carnitas!!!!

Have I mentioned how much I love Mexican food?   I also really love Pulled Pork so when I saw this recipe I had to try it.   We had the pork on a salad earlier this week and it was absolutely amazing! One stupid thing I did was not fully read the instructions before cooking so I put the rub on the entire pork roast verses dicing the roast first...Next time I'll know though and now you know...Dice the pork, then coat in the rub for the most flavor!

To make traditional carnitas, Michoacán style, skip the spice mix and just boil the pork in water with an onion, a bay leaf, cumin, salt and hot pepper.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds pork roast, leg or shoulder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 head butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 2 carrots, spiralized (or grated)
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• water almost to cover
  Spice Mix:

• 1 tablespoons un-sweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon coriander
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
  INSTRUCTIONS

1. The day before cooking the meat, make the spice mix by combining all of the ingredients listed, cut the roast into manageable pieces and rub them with the onion and spices. Then wrap the meat back into the butcher's paper and refrigerate overnight.
2. Brown the roast on all sides, in pre-heated pressure cooker, the add enough water to almost cover (2-3 cups).
3. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker.
4. For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 50-60 minutes at high pressure.
   For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 45 minutes pressure cooking time.
5. Open with the Natural release method - move the pressure cooker to a cool burner and wait for the pressure to come down on it's own (about 10 minutes). For electric pressure cooker, disengage the “keep warm” mode or unplug the cooker and open when the pressure indicator has gone down (20-30 minutes).
6. Pull out the meat and place on a platter, and then begin pulling the flesh into strips using two forks. In the meantime, reduce the cooking liquid in the cooker to half strain and de-fat using your favorite method (I leave it in the fridge overnight).
7. At this point, you can also refrigerate the cooked, now shredded, pork for several days or continue with the recipe.
8. In a pre-heated large wide saute' pan add vegetable oil, or lard, and fry the shredded pork until it becomes lightly brown. For extra spice, drizzle the cooking liquid on the pulled pork before serving.
9. To make lettuce wraps, simply prepare the lettuce cups with carrots on a serving platter. Fill with just-fried pork. Finish with a squirt of fresh lime.