Stovetop Pork Carnitas Recipe 45

BEST CARNITAS (SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• In a small bowl place oregano, cumin, black pepper, salt, and chili powder, then stir together.
• Trim any excess fat from the pork shoulder (but remember that some fat is good), then rub the spice mixture generously around the entire pork shoulder and place in the slow cooker.
• Add the onion, minced garlic, jalapeno and orange juice in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).
• Remove the pork from the slow cooker to a large cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat. Don't get rid of the liquid as you will be using it later.
• Place the shredded pork on a baking sheet. Pour 1 cup of the reserved slow cooker liquid over the pork to keep it moist and tender.
• Broil for 5-10 minutes or until the meat becomes golden browned and crispy on the edges.

PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Prepare oven: Preheat the oven to 300 F degrees.
• Mix dry rub ingredients: In a small bowl, combine all the dry rub ingredients together.
• Season pork and place all ingredients in pot: Place the pork shoulder in a large Dutch oven or an oven safe pot and rub the dry rub all over the pork on all sides. Throw in the onion, garlic juice from the oranges, limes and the spent orange and lime halves.
• Cover pot and cook: Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Bake for 3 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and shreddable.
• Shred meat: Remove the meat from the pot and place it on a baking sheet. Using two forks shred the meat into small pieces. There should be about 1 1/2 cups of liquid left in the pot. Ladle about 1 cup of that liquid all over the shredded pork.
• Crisp up carnitas: Place the meat under the broiler, for about 5 to 10 minutes. Half way through turn them over with a spatula to crisp up on both sides. You can crisp them up 450 F degrees for about 30 minutes, especially if your oven doesn't have a broiler.
• Serve: Serve hot on tortillas, burritos, tamales, sandwiches, etc.

PORK CARNITAS RECIPE (MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower middle position. Preheat oven to 300F.
• Combine pork, onion, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, garlic, 1 1/2 tsp table salt, 1 tsp pepper, water, and lime juice in a large Dutch oven Liquid should barely be covering the meat. Juice the orange in a bowl and add both the juice and orange remnants to the pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until meat is soft and is fork tender, about 2 1/2 hours, stirring meat around once during cooking.
• Remove the pot from oven. Transfer pork to a bowl with slotted spoon. Remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from the liquid and discard. Do not skim fat from liquid. Place pot over high heat and simmer liquid, stirring often, about 10-12 min. You should end up with 1 cup of reduced liquid. Turn oven to broil.
• Shred pork roughly; not too finely. Fold in the reduced liquid, season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Place sheet on an upper rack and broil until top of meat is well browned but not charred. Edges should be slightly crisp. 5-7 in. Serve immediately with your choice of garnishes and warm corn tortillas.

BRAISED PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat a large, cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season pork shoulder with garlic, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Place pork shoulder fat-side down into the hot pot and sear until deep golden brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Add yellow onion to cook with rendered drippings for 1 minute. Slowly pour in pork stock to cover pork shoulder.
• Bring to a light boil; cover and braise until fork-tender, 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
• Transfer to a bowl and shred into carnitas, adding 1 1/2 cups of pork stock for moisture and more salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions and cook until slightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat corn tortillas in the hot skillet on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total for each tortilla. Place braised pork into tortillas and garnish with cabbage, queso fresco, salsa, green onions, and a squeeze of lime.

STOVETOP PORK CARNITAS RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• 1. Cut the pork shoulder into a few large chunks. You don't want them bite-sized; I make mine about 3-4 inches. 2. Mix cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, and the two peppers together in a small bowl. Place the pork chunks in a plastic container with a lid or a Ziploc bag. Pour in the spice blend, then toss the bag vigorously until the chunks are completely coated on all sides. 3. Place the pork in a large, deep pan. Pour the lime and lemon juice into the bottom, then add water to just cover the meat. 4. Turn heat to high and bring the water to a rip-roaring boil. You want big bubbles! When it's rolling, turn the heat to a simmer. Keep the pan uncovered. You want it bubble a fair amount, but not be a roiling boil. While it's cooking, it will look like uninspired soup. Do not be discouraged!Essentially, you're waiting for the water to evaporate from the pan, but while the water is evaporating, the powerful acidic qualities of the lime and lemon juice are tenderizing the meat. Yay, science! 5. At about the 2-hour mark, check the pot. The water should be much lower and maybe even almost gone. Now things get interesting... allow all the water to cook out of the pan and watch as the meat magically fries and carmelizes. It is a thing of beauty. But seriously, you need to watch it at this point. 6. Carefully turn the hunks of meat - without shredding them - to brown all sides, then remove the hunks to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes before eating. If you're into this sort of thing, you can save the pork fat from the bottom of the pan in a glass jar and use it for other cooking projects. *And now, a story of near-disaster... I've made this several times without incident, but one day, I left the pot on the stove while I went to the studio in our backyard to work. I kinda sorta maybe forgot the pork was cooking. By the time I remembered, I could smell the delicious aroma in the backyard... through two closed doors. I was a little worried. The bad news: Some of the pork had turned to charcoal in the bottom of the pan, and the bone from the pork shoulder was stuck to the pan like Excalibur in the stone. The good news: The charred bits tasted like the best bacon ever, and the rest of the pork survived the experience just fine. It turned out to be a delicious batch of carnitas, but for your own piece of mind, you might want to set a timer or tie a ribbon 'round your finger so you don't forget you've got a bubbling pan on the stove. What to do with pork carnitas... Eat it like an animal. Serve on a plate with avocado slices, pineapple chunks, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges. Cut into cubes and use in paleo egg foo yung. Shred, wrap in butter lettuce leaves, and drizzle with Sunshine Sauce. Eat alongside creamy cucumber salad made with homemade mayo. Shred and saute in coconut oil with shredded cabbage, onion, and a sprinkle of caraway seeds.