Carnitas - Sour Orange Carnitas (Tucson style)

By á-47

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tea. salt
• 1/2 cup sour orange juice (or 1/4 cup lime juice and 1/4 cup orange juice)
• 3 lb. boneless pork butt, cut into 1-2" pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• water

Preparation

Step 1

Put garlic, salt and sour orange juice in a ziplock. Add pork cubes, seal bag and tilt to evenly distribute the marinade. Place in refrigerator for 4 hours or up to 24 hours. (I marinated 6-7 hours)

Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf to a large, wide pot. Pour the contents of th3 bag into the pot and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a steady simmer.

Depending on the size and shape of your pan, after about two hours (mine did it in about 1 hour 15 minutes), most of the liquid will be evaporated and a thin layer of fat will have rendered off of the pork. Lower the heat slightly and allow the pork to continue to cook in its own fat until brown (took about 30-45 minutes). As the meat is browning, turn the pieces until they're evenly browned on all sides, about an hour more.