Carnitas

Votes: 1

Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 10

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 468, total fat 40 G., saturated fats 9 G., proteins 24 G., carbohydrates 4 G., fiber 1 G., cholesterol 97 mg, sodium 402 mg, sugar 0 G.

Carnitas is a Mexican one-pot dish made by slowly simmering pork in butter or lard with spices. After a while, you'll see the meat transition from braising to frying, and the tender pieces of pork develop a crispy crust—the perfect filling for tacos. Try carnitas on corn tortillas paired with pickled onions, sour cream, and avocado.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

1.3 kg of fatty boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm pieces.
2/3 cup vegetable oil or lard
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
A large pinch of red pepper flakes
A small pinch of ground cloves
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
Juice of 2 limes
2 strips of orange zest (7 cm each)
Half a small white onion, finely chopped
Soft corn tortillas, for serving
Toppings: sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, pickled onions, sliced avocado, and pico de gallo

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: pork shoulder, Orange zest, bay leaf, carnation, oregano, lard, lime, tacos

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Combine the pork with 2 tablespoons of salt. Transfer to a 6- to 7-quart Dutch oven (or stockpot) along with the oil, oregano, red pepper, cloves, garlic, bay leaf, lime juice, orange zest, and onion. Pour in 4-5 cups of water. Bring to a vigorous boil, then reduce heat to low, partially cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender and just beginning to fall apart, about 1 1/2 hours. Discard the bay leaf and orange zest. The pork won't look very appetizing at this point, but don't panic!
Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until all the water has evaporated and the pork is browned and beginning to brown lightly in the fat in the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking, scraping up any browned bits frequently, for 30-40 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from the remaining oil in the pan.