Carnitas

By Hester

To make carnitas (which literally means “little meats”), cubed pork butt is cooked low-and-slow in citrus – then browned under the broiler. The result is an extremely moist texture with an amazing, flavorful caramelized crust!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 - 3 pound pork butt, cut into large pieces at least 2x2 inches in size
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 lime, skin on, quartered
• 4 medium garlic cloves skinned and left whole, slightly smashed
• 1 jalapeno stemmed and sliced into 1/2 inch rings, seeds left in
• 1 medium onion, skinned and quartered
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup bacon fat
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Details

Adapted from afamilyfeast.com

Preparation

Step 1

1.In 4-quart Dutch oven cook meat, half at a time, in oil over medium-high hear, turning to brown meat evenly. Remove meat and add onion and garlic; cook until tender. Return all the meat to the Dutch oven.

2.Add the water, orange juice, salt, oregano, crushed red pepper, cumin and bay leaves to Dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 2 hours.

3.Remove from meat from Dutch oven with a hand strainer or spider strainer.

4. Use your fingers to pull apart the pork pieces, discarding any particularly fatty pieces (or removing the fat from them).

5. Return the pot to the stovetop and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil for 8-15 minutes (longer or shorter if necessary) until the liquid is thickened and glaze-y and, when stirred, the spoon leaves a trail in the liquid (you should have about 1 cup of liquid).

6.Place cooked pork on a foil-lined sheet pan, drizzle with the cooking liquid and place under broiler for five minutes or until the pork starts to brown and the edges become crispy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a spatula to flip the pork. Return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, broiling until the pork is browned and crispy This step needs to be watched – you want the meat to caramelize without burning it or drying it out.

7.Serve simply in a warmed flour tortilla with chopped onion and cilantro.