Sunday, January 29, 2012

Carnitas

1 3 1/2 - 4 lb pork butt (pork shoulder), cut into 2 inch cubes*
Table salt and black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small onion
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp juice from 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange, halved

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should barely cover the meat). Juice orange into bowl and remove seeds (I did this right into pot), add juice and spend orange halves. I also used 2 oranges as they were small ones. Bring to simmer on stove top, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork 2-2 1/2 hrs. Flip meat once during this time.

Remove pot from oven and use slotted spoon to removed all meat from liquid, placing in a bowl or on a plate for use later. Remove the onion, orange halves, bay leaves and gross of fat chunks (keep fat liquid) still in liquid. Simmer clean liquid until it is reduce to the point where a spatula leaves a wide clean spot when pulled through. This took me about 20 minute of boiling. About 1 cup of reduced liquid.

Pull the pork apart and return to reduced liquid to coat. Then transfer meat to cookie sheet or broiler pan and place under broiler for 5-8 minutes or until the meat is brown and crispy on one side. Rex would have liked me to have flipped the meat to get it brown on another side but it was pretty good as it was.

* the meat should have about 1/8 of an inch of fat on it, otherwise it will be too lean. you want it nicely marbled.

Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated