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Pork Carnitas

Pork Carnitas

Pork carnitas.

Needs tortilla and toppings. Recommend Pickled onions and Jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, avocado.

  • 6 servings
  • 20 minutes
  • 4 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons chipotle chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons regular chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Scant pinch of ground cloves
  • 5 lbs bone-in pork butt
  • 1 yellow onion (quartered)
  • 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
  • 2 oranges
  • 2 limes
  • 1/2 cup orange juice

Directions

The night before

  1. combine rub ingredients (up to pork butt). Place pork butt on cooling rack inside quarter tray. Rub pork butt liberally with seasoning.
  2. Place rack in fridge uncovered for overnight dry brine. Keep remaining seasoning for cooking.

The day of

  1. Heat oven to 250 °F, heat a large dutch oven over medium on burner.
  2. Add a small amount of high-temp oil to dutch oven and sear all sides of pork butt. Work in batches if needed.
  3. Throw in garlic, onions, juice from oranges and limes and spent rinds, orange juice, and remaining spice mixture. Cook, covered for 3–4 hours, until 205 °F at bone and fork tender.
  4. Remove pork butt and allow to rest until cooled, and then shred. Separate (remove) solids from dutch oven, keeping the liquid inside. Cook down and skim fat, as needed.
  5. When serving, broil shredded pork butt for a few minutes with rack on highest level.