Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas) Recipe

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Ingredients

Pork:
1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless pork butt, fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange, halved
Tortillas and Garnishes:
18 (6-inch)corn tortillas, warmed
Lime wedges
Minced white or red onion
Fresh cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced radishes
Sour cream
Variation from Tasting Table:
For the Carnitas:
3 tablespoons lard or canola oil
3 pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3-inch pieces
Kosher salt, to taste
10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup pickled jalapeño slices
1/4 cup jalapeño pickling liquid
1 teaspoon orange zest
For the Salsa and Assembly:
1 pound (8 small) tomatillos, husked and cored
4 garlic cloves
1 jalapeño—stemmed, halved and seeded
3 tablespoons lime juice
Kosher salt, to taste
Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
Roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish
Thinly sliced radishes, for garnish
Diced white onions, for garnish
Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.

2. Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heatsafe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.

3. Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm tortillas and garnishes.

Variation:
1. Make the carnitas: In a large Dutch oven, heat the lard over medium high heat. Season the pork with salt and add it to the pan. Cook, stirring as needed, until golden brown,15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a bowl.

2. To the pan, add the garlic and onions, and cook until lightly golden, 5 minutes. Return the pork to the pan with the remaining carnitas ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a light simmer and cook, covered, until the pork is tender when pierced with a knife, 2 to 2½ hours. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a bowl. Add 1 cup of the braising liquid to the pork and, using two forks, roughly shred the carnitas into bite-size pieces. Season with salt.

3. Meanwhile make the salsa: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the tomatillos, garlic and jalapeño, and cook, turning as needed, until charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender to cool. Once cooled, add the lime juice and purée until smooth. Season with salt.

4. Serve the carnitas on corn tortillas with the salsa, cilantro, radish and onion, with lime wedges on the side.