Pork Carnitas

Ideally you need a large oven-proof pot with a lid – I used my dutch oven – but you could also sear the pork in a skillet, cook the whole carnita mix in a crock pot on low for the day, shred the meat then put it in a casserole to bake, reduce the juices and crisp it up before serving – go with what you have time for.

Heat a bit of oil in a large dutch oven and sear the pork chunks on all sides.  It will take about 10 minutes – I stood there with my big tongs and salt and peppered the meat every time I turned them.  Once browned, remove the pot from the heat and zest both oranges into the pot, then quarter them, squeeze the juice over the meat just using your hands, and then tuck the orange pieces in around the meat chunks.  Sprinkle the coriander, cumin and paprika over all, drop the pepper in, pour in the milk, and finish by drizzling the honey over everything.  If you’ve strategically cut your roast, then the meat should be just about covered with liquid already, but add water as needed.

Cover up the pot and bake at 350 for 4 to 5 hours – I honestly didn’t really pay attention, but for 2 pounds of pork roast, I think you need at least 4 hours.  Basically you need to cook it until it easily comes apart – the first try I baked it for 3 hours and then simmered it on the stove for another 2, the second time I just baked it for 5 hours.  When you feel it’s ready to shred, use a large spoon to remove all 8 oranges pieces and the pepper, then scrape the fat layers off of the meat – using 2 forks is the quickest way to take it all apart, but leave all the liquid in!  I found, both times, that once it’s all ‘pulled’ it doesn’t really need that much reducing, but we prefer Katie’s way of baking it to finish it off.  I put it all into a shallow casserole and baked it, uncovered, at 400 for about 30 minutes to crisp it up.  Serve with warm corn tortillas and all of the trimmings.