Epic Pork Carnitas

• servings: 8 cups
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 3 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

4 pounds (1.8kg) pork shoulder with the fat left on, use bone-in or boneless

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons avocado oil or melted pork lard

1 medium orange, halved, or 2 use clementines

Half large onion, quartered

5 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

Directions

Adjust an oven rack towards the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Prepare the pork: Add one tablespoon of the oil to a wide, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot (like a Dutch oven). If you do not have a Dutch oven, see the tips for using a baking dish below.

Season the pork on all sides with the salt and pepper, and then place it into the pot with the fattiest side facing up. Squeeze the oranges over the pork. Scatter the squeezed orange halves, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf around the pork.

Bake the pork: Drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of oil over everything. Cover the pot with its lid and slowly bake in the oven until the pork is fork tender, 3 to 3 ½ hours.

Pull the pork: Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cool until you can handle it. Pull the pork with forks or your fingers. Depending on your preference, you can separate the meat into larger chunks or smaller shreds. Discard the bone (if there is one), any connective tissue, and larger clumps of fat. I like leaving a few smaller bits of fat.

Strain the cooking liquid: Pour the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve it for later. Discard the onion, oranges, and spices.

Make crispy carnitas: Spread the shredded carnitas on a baking sheet and pour enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten them. (If your cooking liquid has solidified, rewarm some of it in a small saucepan before adding it to the pork.)

Broil the pork: Set an oven rack 4 to 5 inches below the broiler and preheat it. Slide the pork underneath and broil until the pork crisps and caramelizes, 2 to 5 minutes. As you broil, stir once or twice, and keep a close eye on them, as they can burn or smoke quickly.

Serve carnitas in tacos, burritos, salads, rice, or with your favorite sides.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe (about
• Calories: 353
• Total Fat: 12.9g
• Saturated Fat: 6.6g
• Cholesterol: 136mg
• Sodium: 705.2mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 5.2g
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Total Sugars: 2.4g
• Protein: 51.6g