StovetopMexican

Carnitas, lard-crisped

Pork shoulder confited in its own fat, then blasted until the edges shatter. Taco meat that does not come from a packet.

Made it?

3 hr 30 min · 30 min hands-on · pull 203°F · rest 15 min

Ingredients

8 lb on the fire · ~4.4 lb to the table · 9 plates at 8 oz

1
Toss the chunks with salt and cumin. Pack into a Dutch oven with orange juice, rinds, garlic, bay, and fat.
2
Cover and cook at 300°F (oven or a lazy stovetop simmer) until the pieces shred, 2½–3 hours.
3
Fish out the rinds. Shred roughly. Spread on a sheet and broil or sear in a hot skillet until the edges crisp.
4
Spoon a little of the cooking fat over. Onion, cilantro, lime. Do not sauce it into soup.

Lard → The pork’s own fat plus a splash of water or orange juice to start. You need fat to confit. Oil works. Stock alone is a braise, not carnitas.
Shoulder → Picnic, or a mix of shoulder and belly. Picnic has more skin — good. Loin is the wrong cut.

Oven only
No pan-fry at the end. Uncover the last 30 minutes at 425°F so the tops brown. Still shred and crisp a batch in a skillet.
Citrus-heavy
Tacos, not burritos. Orange and a lime. Coca-Cola is a pin, not a requirement.
Smoker first
You want bark then confit. Salt the chunks, 275°F to 165, then into the fat to finish and crisp.

On the plate

With this dish, try making pinto beans.
Start when a packer wraps, or at the beginning of a shoulder. Soaked beans, smoked hock, onion, chili. Simmer until creamy. Salt late.
2 hr 30 min
With this dish, try making pot liquor collards.
On with a shoulder or a ham. They want time, not a grate. Strip the stems, simmer with a hock until the leaves give and the pot liquor is the sauce.
1 hr 30 min
With this dish, try making quick pickled onions.
In the morning, or while the meat is on. Thin red onion, hot vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt. They pink up as they sit.
15 min