Double Sauced Chimichangas – Smothered and Covered Pork

We wanted Mexican for Cinco de Mayo this year, something other than just opening a box of Old El Paso, and we attempted to do it all weekend.  Saturday’s meal was mostly “meh” – enchiladas with a green sauce and cheese that defied the laws of nature and refused to melt.  But oh, we had lofty plans for Sunday’s dinner!  We set up to do pulled pork chimichangas with not one but TWO awesome sauces.

The Meat

We started with a spicy spice rub consisting of paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.  The spices got combined and then rubbed into the meat on all sides.  After applying the spice rub, we fired up our trusty cast iron pan, heated it over a high flame, then seared the meat for a few minutes on each side.  The combination of the high heat and the brown sugar leaves the outer skin spicily caramelized.

Once seared, the meat goes into the crock, followed by the water and apple cider vinegar.  You need to be careful when pouring the liquids in, you don’t want to dislodge and rinse off the spices.  Because it seems like every slow cooker I’ve ever worked with has its own idea of what it considers “LOW” or “HIGH” temperature settings, we’ll leave you with this cooking instructions: cook it until it’s done.  You want the internal temp of the meat to be at least 195°F, which should be high enough for you to easily pull apart the meat with two forks.

The Sauces

We prefer our chimichangas to be a bit on the saucier end of the spectrum.  The red sauce has a lot of heat to it, and you can adjust the spice level to your liking.  You can also adjust how thick it is by slowly adding the cornstarch and cold water a bit at a time.  The cheese sauce has been modified from one featured on Carlsbad Cravings, changed up a bit to bring the heat level up to our tastes.  Both sauces use some beer as their liquid bases, which gives things a bit of bite as well.

We *heart* chimichangas, and so should you!

The great thing about chimichangas is that they are so versatile.  All they require is a tortilla and something to fill it with.  Here, we used pork, but they’d be just as good if you stuffed it full of spicy ground beef or beans and rice.  Roll them up, bake them, and serve them.  Their versatility makes them a great way to use up leftovers, and the sauces make a fantastic spread for quesadillas.  What do you like stuffing yours with?  Let us know in the comments below!

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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chimichangas

There's a lot going on in the name, but there's nothing complicated in the recipe.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword carnitas, cheese, chimichanga, pork, sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Slow Cooked Pork

• 3-4 lb pork roast
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar packed
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water

Spicy Jalapeno Beer Cheese

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 cup beer we used Modello's
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 4 oz can chopped mild green chilies
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp hot sauce

Red Hot Sauce

• 1/2 cup beer
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

For the Pork

1. Combine all of your dry spice ingredients, then rub into all sides of the meat.

2. Sear the meat on all sides in a hot pan, then place in slow cooker.  Carefully pour the water and vinegar into the slow cooker, don't pour directly on the meat or you will lose your spice rub.

3. Cook in your slow cooker until the internal temp of the meat reaches 195F.  Shred the pork with two forks and keep in crock pot while you make the sauce.

For the cheese sauce

1. Melt butter in olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and allow to cook, stirring constantly, until the flour has browned.
   

2. Reduce heat and gradually whisk in chicken broth, beer, spices, and hot sauce.  Allow things to simmer and continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
   

3. Stir in chilies and cheese, stirring until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

For the Red Sauce

1. Combine all dried spices in small saucepan with the beer and bring to a simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes.

2. Mix cornstarch and cold water together in small cup.  Gradually pour mixture into the simmering beer and spices, stirring constantly until it has thickened, another 3-4 minutes.

Chimichangas

1. Spread 2 tsp of refried beans on a tortilla.  Sprinkle some shredded cheese on the beans, then add a small mound of pork in the center.  Fold the sides of the tortilla to the center, then roll up the tortilla.  

2. Spray cooking sheet or baking dish with cooking spray, then place chimichanga with the seamed side down on the pan.  Lightly spray the tops of the chimis with cooking spray and bake in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes.  

3. Remove from oven and flip each chimi over on the pan, then return to oven and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

4. Serve the chimichanga with spoonful of both sauces, sprinkling more shredded cheese on top if desired.

The Tart

The Tart likes to eat, cook, and bake things.  She eats to work out, and she works out to be able to eat.