Crispy Carnitas Recipes

Steps:

• Toss the pork with 2 teaspoons of salt. Transfer to a 6- to 7-quart Dutch oven or pot along with the oil, oregano, red pepper, cloves, garlic, bay leaves, lime juice, orange peel and onion. Cover with 4 to 5 cups of water. Bring to a high simmer, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot and simmer gently, checking occasionally to give it a stir, until the pork is tender and just beginning to fall apart, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Fish out the bay leaves and orange peel. (The pork will not look super-attractive at this point but don't panic!)
• Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high. Simmer vigorously, stirring frequently, until all of the water has evaporated, leaving only the oil, and the pork has browned and begun to fry slightly at the bottom of the pot; continue to cook, scraping up the bottom of the pot frequently to release the fried bits, 30 to 40 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from any remaining oil in the pot.
• Serve with tortillas and suggested toppings to make tacos.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Put the poblano and onion slices in the bottom of a heavy pot. Mix the cayenne, cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a bowl, then use the mixture to season the pork shoulder. Put the pork on top of the vegetables. Add the chicken broth, jalapeno slices, lime zest and juice and orange zest and juice. Cover and cook until tender, 4 to 5 hours.
• Turn the heat up to 450 degrees F, remove the lid and cook until the surface crisps slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pork to a board and let it rest until cool enough to handle, then remove the fat and shred the meat with 2 forks.
• Strain the vegetables from the sauce and set aside. Put the meat in serving dish, add the vegetables and pour over some of the sauce.
• Serve the shredded pork with warm corn tortillas, radishes, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, hot sauce, lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.
• Combine all ingredients in a large dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven.
• Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.
• Remove the pot from the oven and use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.
• Remove and discard everything from the pot except the cooking liquid.
• Place pot over medium-high hear on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20-25 minutes. You should have about 1 cup of liquid remaining when it is finished.
• While the liquid is reducing, break each cube of pork into three pieces. Once the liquid has become syrup, gently fold the pieces of pork into the pot, trying not to break up the pork any further.
• Spread the pork back onto the foil-lined pan and evenly spread so there is a single layer. Place the pan of meat on an upper middle rack of the oven and broil on high until the top of the meat is well browned and the edges are slightly crisp, about 7-8 minutes. Using a wide spatula, flip the pieces of meat the broil the other side the same way.
• Serve in a tortilla will your favorite toppings.

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Remove fat from pork; cut pork meat into 2-inch cubes and roughly chop fat.
• Mix pork, garlic, olive oil, orange peel, orange juice, salt, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and 5-spice powder together in a bowl until pork is coated completely. Transfer mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and cover baking dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is fork-tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Transfer meat to a colander set over a bowl. Remove garlic, bay leaves, and orange peels from baking dish and pour accumulated juices from the baking dish over meat in colander into the bowl. Return meat to the baking dish and drizzle accumulated juices over each piece of meat.
• Cook meat under the preheated broiler for 3 minutes. Drizzle more accumulated juices over meat and continue broiling until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a serving plate and drizzle more accumulated juices over the top.