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pork carnitas

Crispy Dutch Oven Pork Carnitas

This pork carnitas recipe is undoubtedly delicious and very versatile. Carnitas can be served in salad bowls, over tortillas, as a pizza topper, they can be tossed in your choice of barbecue sauce, etc. This dish leaves plenty of room for creativity!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Servings: 6 people
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pounds boneless and skinless pork shoulder or butt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8-10 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2½ cups chicken broth unsalted
  • ¾ cup orange juice
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons chili pepper powder
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 1 large onion cut into 4-6 pieces
  • 2 bay leaves

Equipment

  • 7-Quart Dutch Oven

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Cut pork into large cube pieces, pat dry, sprinkle with salt, and set aside.
  3. In a bowl, combine dried oregano leaves, cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili pepper, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
  4. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in Dutch oven; add pork and sear all sides (3 to 5 minutes per side until they turn brown).
  5. Add chicken broth, orange juice, lime juice, spices, cloves of garlic, celery sticks, onions, and bay leaves to Dutch oven. Stir to combine ingredients.
  6. Cover Dutch oven with lid, transfer to oven and braise until pork is tender for approximatively 3.5 - 4 hours.
  7. Remove pork from Dutch oven, transfer to large sheet pan, and shred meat using two forks.
  8. Spoon some the juice (about ¼ cup) from Dutch oven and pour over pork. Broil meat for approximatively 8-10 minutes or until pork start to develop crispy edges.