Pork Carnitas

If done right this stuff melts in your mouth. I have never done this so this will be an experiment. I kind of searched all over to get an idea of what to do and decided to wing it from there. I am sure that I will have to refine it a few times before I nail it but here goes.

Ingredients:

Dry Rub:

1 T Chili powder
1 T Salt
1 T Cumin
1 T Garlic Powder

Everything else:

4lb Pork Shoulder - Boneless will be easier to work with but bone in will give you better flavor
1 C chopped onion
2 Bay leaves
4 Cloves of garlic - peeled and whole (more if you like garlic)
1 t Paprika
1 t Oregano
1 t Cumin
1 Cinnamon stick
Chicken broth
Olive oil

Method:

Mix the dry rub ingredients together and rub into pork shoulder. Put in a container, wrap and chill. I would let it marinate at least over night but up to 3 days.

Put the bay leaves and other spices, except the garlic, in the bottom of the stock pot or a slow cooker.

Put a little bit of olive oil in a skillet large enough to hold the roast. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook the onions in the skillet until they start to turn translucent. Remove from skillet and put into either a large stock pot or slow cooker.

Throw the roast into the skillet and brown on all sides.

Put the roast into the stock pot/slow cooker. Cover the roast 3/4 of the way with chicken stock and add the garlic.

Cook covered over low heat for 6 - 8 hours.

When the roast is done remove it from the stock pot and reserve 2 cups of liquid. Let the pork rest for 15 minutes. Shred the pork with two forks, removing any large chunks of fat. If you are making this ahead of time you can put the shredded pork in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Put the shredded pork in a baking dish with enough of the reserved liquid to get it moist. Heat under a broiler until the pork starts to get crisp. Then serve.

Serve with corn tortillas, sour cream *, guacamole, diced onions, chopped cilantro, chopped jalapenos, salsa... pretty much what ever you desire. The rule of thumb is to keep it simple. You are not trying to make an overstuffed burrito, instead you are making little hand sized tacos.

* About a year a go I stopped using sour cream and replaced it with yogurt. Hear me out before you freak out. The plain Greek yogurt has the same consistency as sour cream it is just a touch sweeter. I like to add some pressed garlic to the yogurt and let it chill for a few hours to allow the garlic and yogurt to mingle. If you don't tell people they are eating yogurt instead of sour cream they will never know.

**One other note. Out of all of the recipes I saw the one thing that was constant was the use of pork shoulder. The butcher recommended the rump roast but I stuck with the shoulder. It turned out pretty good for about half the price of a rump....