RECIPE: Rick Bayless's Pork Carnitas

These were BEYOND delicious, and relatively easy, too.  My husband followed the recipe exactly, using a 3 pound pork shoulder and an oval Le Creuset covered casserole.  We served them with corn and flour tortillas, refried black beans, guacamole, sour cream, and chorizo stuffed jalapeno peppers.

Rick Bayless's Pork Carnitas

Serves 6

Original Recipe: https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/home-style-pork-carnitas/

This is the pot we used (I used soaking, and Le Creuset cleanser, to removed the baked on food):

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-pound pork shoulder roast, cut crosswise into 2" slabs (no thinner!)
• Salt
• 1/2 cup orange juice or water
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 heaping T. Mexican oregano
• 1 t. coarsely ground black pepper
• For Serving:
• 2.5 cups guacamole
• sour cream
• refried black beans
  
• 1.5 cups salsa verde or tomato salsa
• 2 or 3 limes, cut into wedges
• 15 or more warm tortillas (Rick recommends corn but I prefer wheat)

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Bake the pork: 

Heat the oven to 325F degrees.  

Lay the pork on a cutting board and sprinkle all sides liberally with salt (you'll need at least 2 t.).

Nestle the meat into a baking dish just big enough to hold it (it usually fits in a 7x11" baking dish) and drizzle the water or orange juice on and around it, lifting to allow the liquid to run under the meat. 

Nestle the garlic between the meat (the bay leaves between the meat and the pan burned), then sprinkle with the oregano and black pepper.  

Pork shoulder ready to go into oven

Cover tightly with foil and slide into the hot oven.  Set a timer for 1.5 hours.

Brown the pork:

Remove the pan from the oven and uncover.  Test the pork: it should be almost tender when pierced with a fork.  If the meat is still very firm, re-cover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  

Raise the oven temperature to 450F. Slide the uncovered pork back into the oven and roast until all the liquid has evaporated and only the rendered fat remains, about 30 minutes. 

Use a large metal spatula to turn the meat over, and break it into large chunks.  Return to the hot oven and roast for another 20 minutes or so, turning the meat every 7 or 8 minutes, until the carnitas are richly golden all over.  

Serve: 

Arrange the carnitas on a warm platter and sprinkle with salt (a good finishing salt is welcome here, like Maldon).  (We put a trivet on the table and served it directly from the pan!) 

Serve with the guacamole, salsa, limes and warm tortillas.  Encourage your guests to pull apart the golden pieces of deliciousness, fitting several pieces on each tortilla, before topping with guacamole, salsa and lime.

Working ahead:

Once the carnitas have been browned, you need to serve them right away.  You can, however, braise the pork up to a couple days ahead, cover and refrigerate it.  On the day you're serving let the pork come to room temperature, and an hour before serving it, roast it. 

 We had NO leftovers, so I can't say how long it will keep! I also have no photos of the meal because we were so buy tucking into it.