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Carnitas served on a plate with a dollop of sour cream and a lime wedge.

Carnitas Recipe

Handsome man wearing glasses and a blue polka dot shirt with a Williams Sonoma apron at a cozy kitchen counter.Jonathan Porter
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 12 servings
Calories 190 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 pounds pork shoulder cut into large pieces
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 medium orange
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 cans chicken broth (14 1/2 ounces each)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the pork shoulder pieces with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt. Brown the pork in batches for about 10 minutes, turning so all sides get a light color.
    Browning pork shoulder pieces for Carnitas in a red Dutch oven.
  • Once browned, add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, dried oregano, and ground cumin. Stir for one minute to combine the flavors.
    Adding chopped onion and spices to browned pork for carnitas.
  • Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 2 1/2 hours until the pork is very tender.
    Pork carnitas simmering in a red Dutch oven.
  • Preheat your oven to 400°F. Remove the pork from the pot and let it cool slightly. Use two forks to shred the pork, keeping some of the cooking liquid.
    Shredding carnitas pork with two forks on a baking sheet.
  • Spread the shredded pork on a baking sheet, drizzle with reserved liquid, and bake for about 20-30 minutes, turning once to crisp the edges (add more liquid as needed to prevent it from drying out). If needed, use the broiler setting to make it even crisper.
    Crispy shredded pork carnitas on a baking sheet.

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 19gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1034mgFiber: 0.5g
Keyword Carnitas Recipe
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