Crispy Carnitas

Name: Crispy Carnitas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 2-3 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless pork, preferable shoulder; 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/3 teaspoon chili powder; 1/3 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 tablespoon bacon grease or 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening; 1/4 cup goya bitter orange marinade (Mojo Criollo); water

Submitted by threeovens

"I make no claim to authenticity, but these are very good. My husband is from Colombia, but there are many Latin American or Caribbean dishes that he is unfamiliar with. This is one of them. This gringa likes expanding our horizons. These are great as a snack or in tacos or nachos."

Download

Ready In:: 2hrs 15mins
Ingredients:: 10
Serves:: 2-3

ingredients

1 lb boneless pork, preferable shoulder
¹⁄₃ teaspoon kosher salt
¹⁄₃ teaspoon chili powder
¹⁄₃ teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₃ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1 tablespoon bacon grease or 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
¹⁄₄ cup goya bitter orange marinade (Mojo Criollo)
water

directions

Cut pork into 2 inch cubes. and place in a large bowl or large plastic bag.
Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and cayenne; rub all over meat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Heat grease in a large oven safe saucepan or Dutch oven.
Brown meat well on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Pour marinade into pan and stir with a wooden spoon to remove any brown bits from the bottom and coat the meat; add water to just about cover meat.
Bring pot to a boil, cover and place in oven.
Cook until tender, about 2 hours; remove from oven and set to broil.
Let cool slightly, then shred, with your hands, into bite size pieces; return to braising liquid.
Stir, then remove meat, in a single layer, to a shallow baking sheet.
Broil a couple of minutes on each side to crisp lightly and serve.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!

Reviews

We absolutely loved the texture and taste of these carnitas. Tender on the inside and slightly crispy with a pleasant chewiness on the outside...delicious! I'd never seen a "1/3 tsp." measurement in a recipe before but since I had about a pound and a half of pork shoulder I just upped it to a 1/2 tsp. and used Mexican oregano which I think really contributed to the flavorful sauce. I browned the meat in batches, then removed from the pot and added about 1/3 cup of orange juice (couldn't get Mojo Criollo in my neck of the woods). The juice boiled up beautifully and thickened a bit and I added the meat back to the pot and proceeded with the recipe. Also, after shredding the meat and putting it in a single layer to the sheet pan, I dribbled some of the excellent sauce over it before broiling....just to make sure it didn't dry out and also to keep in some of the excellent flavor in that sauce. We ate this on flour tortillas with fresh salsa, a bit of guacamole and sour cream. Really loved them, they'll be made again in my house. Thanks so much for this recipe IC Kitty :)

Hey Jude

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

LucyS-D

Brentwood, 72

We may live without poetry, music and art;   We may live without conscience and live without heart; We may live without friends; we may live without books, But civilized man cannot live without cooks.   He may live without books -- what is knowledge but grieving? He may live without hope-- what is hope but deceiving? He may live without love -- what is passion but pining? But where is the man that can live without dining? -- Owen Meredith     I'm an all-American original, having lived in Hawaii, New York, Texas, South Carolina, and Miami.  I also served 7 years in the US Army.  My husband is from Bogota, Colombia and has also lived in the former Soviet Union.  But now we are both in NY.   Tomasi enjoyes a bath! <a href=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/?action=view&current=tomas.jpg target=_blank><img src=http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/tomas.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /></a>   Some of my recipes: <object width=480 height=360 data=http://w845.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/12cdcf0a.pbw type=application/x-shockwave-flash> <param name=data value=http://w845.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/12cdcf0a.pbw /> <param name=src value=http://w845.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/12cdcf0a.pbw /> <param name=wmode value=transparent /> </object> <a href=http://photobucket.com/slideshows target=_blank><img src=http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif alt=/ /></a><a href=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/?action=view?t=12cdcf0a.pbw target=_blank><img src=http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif alt=/ /></a>     I also have the genealogy bug!  I've been tracing my roots for at least 10 years.  One branch came to America just after the Mayflower in the early 1600s.  Others came in the early 1700s, late 1890s.  So, my American roots run pretty deep and I am deeply patriotic.  Just wish someone had thought to same me some land!

View Full Profile