Friday, December 2, 2011

carnitas

While I was home for the holiday break, we had a big meal at my dad's house the day after Thanksgiving as our Thanksgiving. As Ebe and I had already done Thanksgiving at mom's with all the traditional food, we decided to do a Mexican take on it for Dad's. I made some carnitas (one of my few meat experiences!), we had tilapia, steak, and the typical Mexican side dishes. I found this recipe on SK and instantly wanted to make it. I waited a few weeks until I was home to make it at dad's, but I really liked it. The pork tasted delicious and it was so incredibly easy to make. It took a while, but it was minimal effort and interaction. Really do follow her directions; it will eventually cook all the liquid off, and if you let it sit and sizzle a bit at the end, you get these lovely, crispy brown sides that are so yummy.







3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 to 3 limes)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste

Corn tortillas, for serving plus
Avocado slices, chopped cilantro and fixings of your choice

Place the pork in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and enough water to just barely cover the meat. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for two hours. Don’t touch the meat.

After two hours, increase the heat to medium-high and while occasionally stirring and turning the pieces, continue to cook for about 45 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving only the rendered pork fat. Let it sizzle in this fat long enough to brown at the edges, turning pieces gently (they’ll be eager to fall apart), only as needed.

When pork has browned on both sides, it’s ready. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve on warmed tortillas with fixings.

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