Pork carnitas

Bring maximum flavour and deliciousness to your next taco party with this juicy pull-apart pork carnitas.

Credit: Mary Makes It Easy

• serves

  8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  3 hours

Ingredients

• 2.25 kg pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into roughly 7.5 cm (3 inch) cubes
• Kosher salt
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 3 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dry oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1-1½ tbsp canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
• 1½ cups (375 ml) light flavoured beer, such as lager
• 1 orange, halved
• 1 lime, halved
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• Corn tortillas and/or Crispy Cheesy Shells
• Taco Party Fixings, cotija or feta cheese, sour cream, and coriander (cilantro) leaves

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 170°C (325°F).
2. Place the pork in a large bowl, season with the 2 teaspoons of salt as well as the sugar, cumin, oregano, coriander, paprika, chilli powder and garlic powder, and mix well to combine and evenly coat.
3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add in 3 teaspoons of oil. Sear the pork in batches adding more oil between each batch if needed until golden brown on all sides. Set the seared pork aside and add in the garlic and onion. If the pan looks a bit too dark on the bottom at this point, add a splash of water now to release some of that delicious char into the veg. Season with salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes just until the vegetables pick up some colour. Deglaze the pan with beer, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck-on bits, and add the pork back in. Squeeze in the juice from the orange and lime and add the juiced rinds into the pot along with the chipotle peppers, to taste.
4. Bring to a boil then cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours or until the pork is fork tender.
5. Discard the citrus and transfer the pork and onions to a sheet pan to cool slightly, reserving the braising liquid. Shred with two forks, turn your grill (broiler) on to high, and grill (broil) the carnitas for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned and slightly crisp on top. Add a splash or two of the braising liquid and transfer to a serving dish.
6. Serve the carnitas with corn tortillas or crispy cheesy taco shells and your favourite taco toppings (see recipe for Taco Party Fixings for my favourites

Note

• To cook the carnitas in a slow cooker, transfer the seared pork into a slow cooker along with the garlic and onion. Deglaze the searing pan with the beer, pour over the pork, and add in the orange juice, lime juice, the citrus rinds, and the chipotle in adobo. Cook for 8 hours on low or for 4 to 5 hours on high or until fork tender.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.