This is one of our favorite slow-cooker recipes.  It has great Tex-Mex flavors, and you can make it as spicy as you like.  The recipe makes enough for 2 pretty big pans of enchiladas, so we usually freeze half of the cooked enchilada filling to use later.  I was in charge of preparing everything for the slow-cooker on the day we made these, which was a bit of a challenge for me since it involved trimming 2 pork tenderloins of their fat.  Since Dan does pretty much all the cooking around here, he also takes care of the cooking steps that involve raw meat, something I’m not very experienced with and probably enjoy least about cooking.  But, I decided to face my fear dislike of processing raw meat and take one for the team this time.  (And I freely admit that I’m a wimp in the kitchen.)

The ingredients for the enchilada filling include pork, onion, garlic, jalapenos, Rotel tomatoes, green chiles, ground cumin and dried oregano.

Add the Rotel to the slow-cooker.

Then add the green chiles.

Chop up the onions and jalapenos (remove the seeds and white rib parts to make them less spicy), and mince the garlic.  Add these ingredients to the slow-cooker.

Add the ground cumin and dried oregano, then mix all the ingredients together.

Once I mixed all the ingredients together, I decided the mixture could use another can of green chiles (I used 3 total.)  These are Green Chile Pork Enchiladas after all.

Okay, time to trim the pork (deep breaths).  To keep things as sanitary as possible, put a plastic grocery bag in the sink for discarding the pieces of fat trimmed off the pork.  Then tie up the bag and throw it in the trash.  Then sanitize the sink anyway.

I’ll just say it — raw meat grosses and freaks me out.  But, I also have to say that the end result is completely worth it.

It may be the blood part of the raw meat that is the worst.  If you’re at all squeamish about this like I am, don’t worry — if I can do it, you can too.  Here we go…

If the grocery store had any pork tenderloins with less fat, I’m pretty sure we deliberately passed over those and chose these instead.

It is finished.  Excuse me while I wash my hands again and re- sanitize the countertops and sink.

Cut the pork into medium sized pieces.   (Wash hands again, then cutting board, then hands.)

Place the pork into the slow-cooker and spoon the other ingredients over the pork.

Cover the slow-cooker and cook the enchilada filling on high for an hour.  After an hour, set the slow-cooker to low and cook for 4-6 hours.  (I don’t know what that smudge is on the power button of our slow-cooker, but it is there to stay.  Don’t worry, it’s not raw pork juice.)

When the enchilada filling is done, remove the pork pieces to shred them for the enchiladas.

The easiest way to shred the pork is using 2 forks.  The pork is tender enough that all you have to do is press down on it with the forks until it breaks apart.

To finely shred the pork, place the tips of the forks together on the meat, then pull the forks apart, going with the grain of the meat.

Put the shredded pork back in the slow-cooker and stir it into the remaining ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.

The ingredients for building the enchiladas include enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, cheddar cheese and whatever you like to use as garnish (we usually use jalapeno, avocado and sour cream.)

Drain the enchilada filling to remove any excess liquid.

Enchilada building station:  warmed tortillas (in foil), enchilada sauce, pork filling, cheddar cheese, plate for rolling, baking dish for cooking in the oven and sliced jalapenos for garnish.

Start building the enchiladas by coating a tortilla in enchilada sauce.  In order to keep the tortillas from cracking when you roll them, it’s best to warm them first.  Just wrap the stack of however many you’re going to use in damp paper towels and heat them briefly in the microwave or oven.

Put the coated enchilada on a plate, then add the pork filling.  Be careful not to over-stuff them, or they might get a little dried out in the oven.

Add a little cheddar cheese, then roll up the enchilada.

As you prepare them, place each rolled enchilada seam-side down in a baking dish with about 1/2 a cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom.

Pour a generous amount of the remaining enchilada sauce (more than you think!) over the top of the enchiladas in the pan.

Use a spoon to make sure all the enchiladas are covered in sauce.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas and garnish with jalapeno slices.  Then cook them in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

We had enough pork filling leftover to freeze 2 portions for future batches of enchiladas.

The enchiladas are done when they are hot all the way through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

The perfect bite — speaks for itself!

Slow-Cooker Green Chile Pork Enchiladas

This should make enough for two pans of enchiladas.  Cut the ingredients in half if you’re only making one pan, or freeze half of the pork filling to use another time.

Ingredients:
For the pork filling:

• 2 pork tenderloins, well trimmed and cut into medium pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely or pressed
• 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and stemmed, finely chopped
• 2-3 8oz cans diced green chiles, NOT drained
• 1 10oz can Rotel, NOT drained
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

For the enchiladas:

• 2-3 14oz cans enchilada sauce
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• corn tortillas
• 1 jalapeno, sliced very thinly

Directions:
Add all the ingredients for the pork filling to the slow cooker and cook for 1 hour on high, then 4 hours to all day on low.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred it using 2 forks.  Return the pork to the slow cooker, stir in with the other ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Drain the pork mixture in a colander, and place in a bowl to begin building the enchiladas.

Pour one half cup of enchilada sauce into a baking dish, and add the remaining enchilada sauce to a second bowl.  Wrap the corn tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave or heat in the oven until hot. Working one at a time, dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce, wipe off excess sauce, place on a plate, add some pork filling, a small amount of cheese, and roll up carefully.  Place seam side down in the baking dish.  Don’t overfill the enchiladas or your tortillas may break.
When all of the enchiladas are built, pour a generous amount of the remaining enchilada sauce over them, add remaining cheese on top, and place one jalapeno slice on each enchilada.
Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

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