Carnitas

Name: Carnitas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: 1⅔ kg (3½ lb) boneless pork shoulder (butt), in 5 cm chunks, fat left on; 18 g (1 tbsp) fine sea salt, about 1.1%; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano, Mexican if possible; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 orange, juiced, halves kept; 1 onion, quartered; 6 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 bay leaves; 60 g (¼ cup) lard or neutral oil; 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water; 12 small corn tortillas, warmed; Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo), chopped onion, cilantro and lime, to serve

Pork shoulder braised in its own fat and citrus, then crisped

Serves: 6
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 4 h
Level: Easy

Carnitas, "little meats", come from Michoacán, where pork is cooked slowly in lard in huge copper pots until meltingly tender and browned. At home, pork shoulder braised in the oven with orange, garlic and spices, then shredded and crisped under a hot broiler, gets you close with far less fat. Serve in warm tortillas with salsa.

Ingredients

1⅔ kgboneless pork shoulder (butt) (3½ lb)in 5 cm chunks, fat left on
18 gfine sea salt (1 tbsp)about 1.1%
1 tspground cumin
1 tspdried oreganoMexican if possible
½ tspground cinnamon
1orangejuiced, halves kept
1onionquartered
6 clovesgarliccrushed
2bay leaves
60 glard or neutral oil (¼ cup)
200 mlwater (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
12small corn tortillaswarmed
Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo), chopped onion, cilantro and limeto serve

Diet: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
Allergens: None of the EU 14
Origin: Mexico (Michoacán)

Method

Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Toss the pork with the salt, cumin, oregano and cinnamon.
Put the pork in a snug casserole in a single layer. Add the orange juice, the squeezed orange halves, onion, garlic, bay leaves, lard and water. The liquid will only come a little way up the meat; the pork releases plenty of its own juice as it braises.
Cover and braise in the oven until the pork is completely tender and falls apart when pressed with a fork, 3–3½ hours. The internal temperature will be around 93°C (200°F) — needed for pulled pork, far above the safe 63°C (145°F). 3 h 15 min
Lift the pork onto a sheet pan, discarding the orange, onion and bay. Shred it into large chunks with two forks.
Skim the fat from the cooking liquid into a cup. Boil the remaining liquid until reduced to a few tablespoons of syrupy juice, then toss it through the pork with 2–3 tbsp of the fat. 5 min
Heat the broiler to high. Spread the pork out and broil until the edges are browned and crisp, 5–8 minutes, turning once. (Or fry in batches in a hot cast-iron pan with a spoon of the fat.) 7 min
Serve in warm tortillas with salsa, onion, cilantro and lime.

Why it works

Pork shoulder is marbled with fat and collagen; braising it slowly until the collagen melts makes it tender enough to shred. Braising in some fat and a little liquid partly confits the meat, keeping it moist. Crisping at the end recreates the contrast of soft and caramelized edges that makes real carnitas, and the reduced orange juice glazes it with sweet acidity.

Common mistakes

Using lean pork loin, which turns dry and stringy.
Skipping the crisping — without it, it's just pulled pork.
Shredding too fine. Keep chunky pieces so there's soft meat inside a crisp outside.

Variations

Carnitas bowls: Serve over rice with black beans, guacamole (Guacamole) and pickled onion (Quick Pickles).
Slow cooker: Cook on low for 8 hours, then crisp as in step 6.