Carnitas: Braised and Fried Pork

By mirelsonp

Recipe source: Epicurious | April 2011
Note: Chef Roberto Santibanez, the chef/owner of Fonda in Brooklyn, NY shared this recipe as part of a festive taco party menu he created for Epicurious.
Will make 24 - 32 tacos.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds fatty pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 cups water
• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 orange, cut into 2 pieces
• 1/4 cup pork lard or vegetable oil
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fine salt, or 4 teaspoons kosher salt

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Put all the ingredients in a wide 6-to 7-quart heavy pot (don't worry if the pork is not completely covered) and bring the water to a boil, skimming the surface as necessary. Lower the heat and simmer vigorously, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid has completely evaporated, 1½ to 2 hours. Discard the orange pieces and bay leaves. If the liquid hasn't evaporated after 2 hours, transfer the pork pieces to a bowl and let the liquid continue to bubble away, stirring often, until it has.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Transfer the pork and fat to an ovenproof dish, if necessary, and brown the pork, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. There's no need to stir.
Carnitas keeps in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Note:
If you want to make half a batch, cut the amount of pork, salt, and oregano in half, but use the same amount of the remaining ingredients and water. You will need to use a slightly smaller pot.