Cumin Pork Burritos

If you are looking for a delicious meal for a party. Look no further than this super easy cumin pork burrito recipe. The crock pot does all the work and lets you focus on making all the trimmings for a crowd.

With just a few ingredients and less than five minutes of prep, you can start the cumin pork in the morning and only have to take a few minutes to break it apart just before serving. Make sure to choose the correct cut of pork so the meat easily shreds once it has cooked in the slow cooker. 

Choosing the Right Meat for Cumin Pork Burritos

Pork is wonderful, after all, it is what bacon is made from. But you should be mindful to match the cut of pork to the best cooking method. When looking at larger pork roasts, you can find easily find three different cuts.

Pork Loin

Pork loin is a lean cut taken from the area between the shoulder and back legs. It is tender meat with little to no connective tissue. This mild-tasting meat is the perfect canvas for cooking by sautéing, grilling, or quick roasting and pairs well with rubs, marinades, and sauces. Since we are shredding the meat for Cumin Pork Burritos, this is not the cut you want to use.

Pork Shoulder (or picnic shoulder)

Pork Shoulder (also labeled as picnic shoulder) is a less inexpensive cut of meat that contains a large middle bone and often has a layer of the fat cap on it. It is triangular in shape. You want to cook this cut low and slow to break down the connective tissue and melt the fat marbling into the meat. This means barbecuing, and braising, and is perfect to cook in a slow cooker.

Pork Butt (or Boston Butt)

Pork Butt (also labeled as Boston Butt) comes from the shoulder of the animal above the pork shoulder cut. It is sold bone-in as well as boneless and tied and looks like a rectangle or square of pork. It should be cooked the same way pork shoulder is cooked. This makes it my choice for cooking in the slow cooker which makes it fall apart and full of wonderful rich pork flavor.

Why is it called Boston Butt

In the late 1700s, the uniform-shaped pork butt was often stored and transported packed in barrels called butts. The cut was to have thought to have been made popular in Colonial Boston. Putting the pork cut and storage barrel together the name of Boston Butt stuck for this popular pork roast that comes from the upper shoulder of a pig.

Cook a cook butt (Boston butt) by a low and slow cooking method and to an internal temperature of 195°F. This makes it easy to shred after it has cooled slightly.

Tips for Cooking a Pork Butt in a Slow Cooker

• It is very easy to prep this cumin pork burrito for the slow cooker. I like to pat the roast dry after removing it from the packaging. Remove the skin from the onion and slice it in half. Position the halves cut side down to make a platform for the meat.
• Sprinkle the ground cumin, black pepper, paprika, and dried oregano, generously over the top of the meat. Toss in several garlic cloves and another onion peeled.
• Pour a scant 1/2 cup of beef stock around the base of the meat and cover with the lid.
• Cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 9-10. Until the meat registers an internal temperature of 195°F and the meat pulls apart easily.

How to Estimate the Amount of Pork Butt Needed

Remember when you are figuring the amount of meat needed there is a great difference between uncooked and possibly bone-in pork and cooked meat. Most meat losses about 40% of its weight as it cooks. The basic rule of thumb is about 1/3 pound of cooked pork per person. So count the number of guests and divide by 3, then double that amount for the size of raw pork roast needed. 

I find that when estimating the amount of meat needed for Cumin Pork Burritos, it is more like 1/4 to 1/5 of a pound of meat since so many other things go into the burritos.

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