Michoacán Carnitas

Name: Michoacán Carnitas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 195 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 1.5 kg pork shoulder, in 5 cm chunks; 300 g pork lard; 1 orange, halved; 1 white onion, quartered; 6 cloves garlic; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp Mexican oregano; 1 tsp whole cumin seed; 100 ml evaporated milk; 2 tbsp kosher salt; 18 corn tortillas, to serve; 1 white onion, diced, to serve; 1 bunch cilantro, chopped, to serve; 4 lime wedges, to serve

The Michoacán way — pork shoulder confit-style in its own lard with orange, bay, and a glug of evaporated milk, then cranked high until the edges crisp into amber lace while the interior stays pull-apart tender.

gluten-free
dairy-free
nut-free
egg-free
contains-meat

Ingredients

pork shoulder, in 5 cm chunks1.5 kg
pork lard300 g
orange, halved1
white onion, quartered1
garlic6 cloves
bay leaves2
Mexican oregano1 tsp
whole cumin seed1 tsp
evaporated milk100 ml
kosher salt2 tbsp
corn tortillas, to serve18
white onion, diced, to serve1
cilantro, chopped, to serve1 bunch
lime wedges, to serve4

Steps

Season pork and melt lard.
Season pork chunks generously with salt. Let sit 15 minutes while you melt the lard in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add pork and aromatics to pot.
Add pork, onion, garlic, bay, oregano, cumin, the squeezed orange halves with juice, and evaporated milk. The pork should be just submerged in lard — top up with water if needed.
Simmer pork until tender.
Bring to a bare simmer, then drop the heat so it barely trembles. Cook uncovered for 2 hours until pork is fork-tender.
Crisp pork edges in lard.
Raise heat to medium-high and let the lard sizzle for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the meat shreds at the edges and crisps into amber lace.
Drain and shred carnitas.
Lift carnitas out with a slotted spoon, draining onto a rack. Shred coarsely with two forks.
Warm tortillas on comal.
Warm tortillas on a dry comal until pliable and lightly freckled.
Assemble carnitas tacos.
Pile carnitas on tortillas, scatter with diced onion and cilantro, finish with a hard squeeze of lime.

Nutrition

Nutrition, per serving. 710 calories. Protein 38.5 grams, 21 percent. Carbs 24.3 grams, 13 percent. Fat 52.7 grams, 65 percent. Fiber 3.1 grams, sugar 3.2 grams, saturated fat 18.4 grams, sodium 1140 milligrams. Estimated from ingredients.