The next test of the slow cooker was a little more adventurous. I slow cooked a large joint of bone-in pork shoulder to make the classic Mexican dish of carnitas. Carnitas is a broad term and is cooked differently across Mexico but in essence it describes tender, slow cooked pork that goes on to become a taco filling.
After adding pork shoulder to the pot, I popped in some roughly chopped onion, a dried ancho chilli, seasoning, some chilli powder and a couple of bay leaves. I then filled the pot with chicken stock (though you could use beer) until the meat was just covered. I set the slow cooker to high and left it to stew for eight hours.
That evening, the pork was falling off the bone and smelt incredible, the mixture of chilli, onion and bay had added a real depth of flavour to the meat. After pulling the meat into small strands, I reduced the cooking liquor on the hob, straining out the aromatics, and then added the meat back into the juices. This was another moment for appreciating the flexibility and culinary possibilities opened up by the machine’s sear and stew functionality.
Related: The best bread maker for delicious, homemade loaves
Cleaning the Morphy Richards Slow Cooker
Both the non-stick pan and the lid are dishwasher safe so clearing up couldn’t be simpler. I opted to hand wash both after our Mexican feast as our dishwasher was so full and found both easy to clean.