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Carnitas

March 21st, 2011

Carnitas

One of my favorite things to order when we go out for Mexican food is carnita’s- slow cooked pork shoulder. I have been really craving them lately, and when we had our great friends Scott and Danielle over for dinner last week I thought that would be the right time to make them.

Carnitas are in fact, really easy to make, and fantastic for company because you can make them ahead of time and heat up at the last minute. You can also prepare all of the accoutrements for the carnitas ahead of time and just pop them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

The carnitas themselves you just throw in a pot, turn the heat on low and you can pretty much walk away for 3-4 hours. That is my kind of cooking!

And FYI- they were a HUGE hit! I hope you enjoy them with your friends and family too!

Carnitas
2.5lb Pork Shoulder
1 container medium Salsa
3 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken or beef broth
4 cups water
2 oranges, cut in half
2 cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
salt

Accompaniements
Sweet and Spicy Pickled Red Onions

Corn tortillas
Avocado
Radish
Cilantro
Pickled Red Peppers
Queso Fresca
Limes

Put a large, heavy pot over a high flame.

Meanwhile unwrap your pork shoulder. When the pot is really hot, put the pork shoulder in the pot.

Sear the pork on both sides.

Add the container of salsa and three cloves of garlic to the pot.

Add the broth and then the water.

Bring to a simmer, and then turn the heat to low and put a lid on the pot.

Simmer the pork for about 2 hours.

Then for the last hour (3rd hour) add the oranges, cloves and cinnamon.

At the 3 hour mark, you can remove the pot from the heat.

Place the pork shoulder on a cutting board.

Pull the meat away from the bone and shred, discarding any of the bone or fat.

Reserve the meat in a baking dish.

Put the cooking liquid back on the stove and turn the heat on high. Boil the liquid until it has been reduced to a few cups. Discard the oranges.

Pour the sauce over the meat and stir to combine. You can refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat your oven to broil.

Broil your meat for about 10-15 minutes or until the meat is hot and crispy on the top.

Heat tortillas and serve carnita’s hot with the hot tortillas and all of the accoutrements.