Carnitas

by Julie Johnson, Tastemaker in Residence - Please Note: Some modifications were made to the original recipe.  The original recipe comes from Cook Illustrated, Fall 2010 edition.

Ingredients

1 (3 ½ - 4 pound) boneless pork butt – cut into 2-inch chunks

Sea Salt and Pepper to season pork butt chunks 

1 tsp cumin

1 small onion, peeled and cut into quarters

1 tsp dried oregano

Juice from 1 squeezed lime

2 cups water

Juice from 1 squeezed orange (Note: Wash orange prior to cutting it because oranges halves will be added to meat) 

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 300°. Combine pork, salt, pepper, cumin, onion, oregano, lime juice, orange juice plus orange halves, and water to a large dutch oven. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and transfer pot to oven; cook until meat is tender and can be easily shredded with a fork. Cooking time in oven will be 1 ½ - 2 hours. Stir ingredients a few times during cooking time in oven.

2. Remove pot from oven. Remove pork from the pot and transfer to a platter or bowl. Leave liquid in pot but remove and discard the onion and orange halves. Add ¾ cup JJ’s Redhead Salsa (Mild Head or Hot Head) to liquid. Place pot over high heat and simmer liquid for 25-30 minutes. Stir frequently. The liquid should be reduced to about 1 ½ cups at the end of the simmering time.

3. Turn oven to broil. Shred pork and add to the reduction sauce. Stir until reduction sauce is mixed evenly with pork. Place pork on a broiler pan. Broil pork until the top of meat is browned.

4. Serve. Serving options include build your own burrito bowls (with desired sides such as rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa, and sour cream), carnitas tacos, or as a filler for enchiladas.