Pork Carnitas
Pork shoulder braised low in its own rendered fat with orange, bay, and cumin until it shreds, then spread thin and crisped under high heat so the edges go brown and brittle.
- 1
Toss the pork with the salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano and let it sit 15 minutes while the oven heats to 300°F.
- 2
Melt the lard in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the pork in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Return it all to the pot.
- 3
Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon. Squeeze the orange halves over the pork and drop the spent halves in, then pour in the water.
- 4
Cover and braise in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the pork is well past the 145°F safe minimum for pork and pulls apart with light pressure from a fork.
- 5
Lift the pork onto a sheet pan and shred it into large pieces. Discard the onion, orange halves, bay, and cinnamon.
- 6
Strain the cooking liquid, skim the fat off the top, and spoon 1/3 cup of the fat and 1/2 cup of the juices back over the meat.
- 7
Raise the oven to 450°F and roast the spread-out pork for 15 minutes, tossing once at the halfway point, until the edges are deeply browned and crisp.
- 8
Serve with lime wedges, or cool and refrigerate up to 4 days, crisping portions in a hot skillet as needed.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3-inch chunks
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1/4 cup lard
- 1 onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 orange, halved
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 (2 inch) stick cinnamon
- 1 cup water
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Instructions
- 1
Toss the pork with the salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano and let it sit 15 minutes while the oven heats to 300°F.
- 2
Melt the lard in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the pork in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Return it all to the pot.
- 3
Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon. Squeeze the orange halves over the pork and drop the spent halves in, then pour in the water.
- 4
Cover and braise in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the pork is well past the 145°F safe minimum for pork and pulls apart with light pressure from a fork.
- 5
Lift the pork onto a sheet pan and shred it into large pieces. Discard the onion, orange halves, bay, and cinnamon.
- 6
Strain the cooking liquid, skim the fat off the top, and spoon 1/3 cup of the fat and 1/2 cup of the juices back over the meat.
- 7
Raise the oven to 450°F and roast the spread-out pork for 15 minutes, tossing once at the halfway point, until the edges are deeply browned and crisp.
- 8
Serve with lime wedges, or cool and refrigerate up to 4 days, crisping portions in a hot skillet as needed.