Oven Carnitas
Course:
Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine:
Mexican
Yield:
Yield 4-6 servings
Time:
Active: 30 minutes, Total: 3.5 hours
INGREDIENTS:
CARNITAS:
- 3 pounds Boneless, Skinless Pork Shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Toasted Cumin Seeds
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Large Yellow Onion (~12 ounces), peeled and quartered, but with root left intact
- 1 Orange (~6 ounces), peel left on, quartered
- 4 Large Garlic Cloves, smashed
- 3 Avocado Leaves (use pieces about the same size as Bay Leaves)
- 1⁄4 cup Melted Lard or Avocado Oil, room temperature
- Corn Tortillas
- Pickled Red Onions (recipe below)
- Salsa (recipe below)
PICKLED RED ONIONS:
- 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- • 3⁄4 cup Vinegar
- • 3⁄4 cup Water
- • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- • 1 clove Garlic
- • 1-2 teaspoons Toasted Black Peppercorns
- • Pinch of Sugar
SALSA:
- 1 1⁄2 cups Pineapple, finely diced (~12 ounces)
- 1⁄2 Red Onion, finely diced (~3.5 ounces)
- 1⁄2 cup Cilantro Leaves, chopped (~1 ounce)
- 1-2 Jalapenos, finely diced (add to taste)
- Juice of 1 Lime
- Salt to taste
Vanessa Mathison Pork Carnitas - Home & Family
CARNITAS DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oven to 275 ̊F.
- Season pork cubes with salt, cumin, and oregano. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Squeeze orange quarters over pork, then stuff orange quarters, onion quarters, garlic cloves, and avocado leaves into a casserole dish, between pork cubes. Dish will be tightly packed, make sure ingredients are in a single layer, if possible.
- Pour melted lard over the surface. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven until pork is fork-tender, 3 - 3 1⁄2 hours.
- When pork is tender, remove the dish from the oven. Remove foil from the dish and discard orange quarters and avocado leaves.
- Scoop meat/onion mixture into a large mesh strainer set over the bowl. Allow meat to drain for 5-10 minutes, then place back in the casserole dish.
- Separate fat from drippings (you’ll have ~1⁄2 cup), and stir at least 1⁄4 cup back into the meat. Shred pork chunks and season to taste with salt. Chill until ready to serve. Remaining fat/drippings can be saved or discarded as you see fit.
- When ready to serve, broil pork in a casserole dish until brown and crisped all over (~5-8 minutes). Remove the casserole dish from the oven, stirk to expose un-crisped meat and broil again until brown all over.
- Serve with warm tortillas, pickled red onions, and pineapple salsa.
PICKLED RED ONIONS DIRECTIONS:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine vinegar, water, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a light boil until all of the salt is dissolved.
- Add onion, garlic, and peppercorns to a pint glass jar. Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar.
- Let cool on the counter until no longer steaming, then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
SALSA DIRECTIONS:
- Toss all ingredients together until combined. Season with salt to taste.