Oven Carnitas
Slow-braised pork shoulder in the oven, served with salsa verde, tortillas, and toppings.
Ingredients
- — 275°F
- 2 onion
- 0.50 cup cilantro
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- — 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish
- — orange
- 4 onion quarters
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- — cinnamon stick
- 0.25 cup vegetable oil
- 0.50 cup cooking liquid
- 0.50 cup fat
- 2 kosher salt
- 6 medium tomatillos
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 24 corn tortillas
- 1 cup queso fresco
- 3 lime wedges
Equipment
- oven
- fine-mesh strainer
- fat separator
- saucepan
- immersion blender
- countertop blender
- cast iron skillet
Instructions
Braise the Pork
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 275°F . Cut onion into fine dice and combine with 0.50 cup cilantro . Refrigerate until needed.
Split remaining onion into quarters. Set aside. Season 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder , cut into 2-inch cubes, with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and place in a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish . The pork should fill the dish with no extra space. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice over pork.
Nestle squeezed orange pieces into dish. Add 2 onion quarters , 4 garlic cloves , halved, 2 bay leaves , and cinnamon stick , broken into three or four pieces. Nestle everything into an even layer.
Pour 0.25 cup vegetable oil over surface. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook until pork is fork tender, about 3.5 hours .
Drain and Shred
Set fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Using tongs, remove and discard orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Transfer pork, rendered fat, and cooking liquid to strainer.
Let drain for 10 minutes . Transfer pork back to baking dish. You should end up with about 0.50 cup cooking liquid and 0.50 cup fat . Using a flat spoon or fat separator , skim fat from surface and add back to pork. Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with kosher salt . Refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer remaining cooking liquid to saucepan .
Make the Salsa Verde
Add 6 medium tomatillos , husks removed and halved, remaining 2 onion quarters , remaining 2 garlic cloves , and 2 jalapeño peppers , halved lengthwise, to saucepan with strained pork liquid. Add water until it is about 1 inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes . Blend salsa with immersion blender or countertop blender until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt . Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
Crisp and Serve
To serve: Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 4 inches below heating element. Broil pork until brown and crisp on surface, about 6 minutes . Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again until crisp, 6 minutes . Tent with foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat 24 corn tortillas . Preheat an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water. Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about 30 seconds . Flip and cook until dry, about 15 seconds . Transfer tortilla to a tortilla warmer or wrap in a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
To eat, stack two tortillas on top of each other. Add carnitas mixture to center. Top with salsa verde, chopped onions and cilantro, and 1 cup queso fresco , crumbled. Serve with 3 lime wedges .
View Cooklang Source
---
title: Oven Carnitas
description: "Slow-braised pork shoulder in the oven, served with salsa verde, tortillas, and toppings."
servings: 6
prep time: 25 minutes
cook time: 4 hours
total time: 4 hours 35 minutes
tags: [pork, mexican, carnitas, oven, main]
cuisine: Mexican
difficulty: intermediate
---
== Braise the Pork ==
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat #oven{} to @275°F. Cut @onion{1} into fine dice and combine with @cilantro{1/2%cup}. Refrigerate until needed.
Split remaining @onion{1} into quarters. Set aside. Season @boneless pork shoulder{3%pounds}, cut into 2-inch cubes, with @kosher salt{1%tablespoon} and place in a @9 by 13 inch glass baking dish{}. The pork should fill the dish with no extra space. Split @orange{1} into quarters and squeeze juice over pork.
Nestle squeezed orange pieces into dish. Add @onion quarters{2}, @garlic cloves{4}, halved, @bay leaves{2}, and @cinnamon stick{1}, broken into three or four pieces. Nestle everything into an even layer.
Pour @vegetable oil{1/4%cup} over surface. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook until pork is fork tender, about ~{3 1/2%hours}.
== Drain and Shred ==
Set #fine-mesh strainer{} over a bowl. Using tongs, remove and discard orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Transfer pork, rendered fat, and cooking liquid to strainer.
Let drain for ~{10%minutes}. Transfer pork back to baking dish. You should end up with about @cooking liquid{1/2%cup} and @fat{1/2%cup}. Using a flat spoon or #fat separator{}, skim fat from surface and add back to pork. Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with @kosher salt{}. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer remaining cooking liquid to #saucepan{}.
== Make the Salsa Verde ==
Add @tomatillos{6%medium}, husks removed and halved, remaining @onion quarters{2}, remaining @garlic cloves{2}, and @jalapeño peppers{2}, halved lengthwise, to saucepan with strained pork liquid. Add water until it is about 1 inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about ~{10%minutes}. Blend salsa with #immersion blender{} or #countertop blender{} until smooth. Season to taste with @kosher salt{}. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
> Remove jalapeño seeds or omit them entirely for a milder salsa verde.
== Crisp and Serve ==
To serve: Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 4 inches below heating element. Broil pork until brown and crisp on surface, about ~{6%minutes}. Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again until crisp, ~{6%minutes}. Tent with foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat @corn tortillas{24}. Preheat an 8-inch #cast iron skillet{} over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water. Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about ~{30%seconds}. Flip and cook until dry, about ~{15%seconds}. Transfer tortilla to a tortilla warmer or wrap in a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
To eat, stack two tortillas on top of each other. Add carnitas mixture to center. Top with salsa verde, chopped onions and cilantro, and @queso fresco{1%cup}, crumbled. Serve with @lime wedges{3}.
> Carnitas can be prepared through the braise step up to three days in advance. Pork can be crisped straight from the refrigerator.