Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas)
These "little meats" are tender on the inside, caramelized on the outside, and are perfect for filling tacos and burritos!
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Full-size sheet pan with rack
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless pork butt fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and halved
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 cups water
- 1 medium orange halved
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300°F. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in a large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into a medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about ⅓ cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
- Remove the pot from the oven and turn oven to broil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork to a bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from the cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heat-safe spatula should leave a wide trail when dragged through glaze), about 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup of reduced liquid.
- Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in an even layer on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet or on a broiler pan (meat should cover almost the entire surface of the rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a wide metal spatula or tongs, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm tortillas and garnishes. Enjoy!
Notes
To store:
Leftover carnitas should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Carnitas can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 1108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 4mg
