Po Campopork Carnitas Food

CRISPY PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Remove fat from pork; cut pork meat into 2-inch cubes and roughly chop fat.
• Mix pork, garlic, olive oil, orange peel, orange juice, salt, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and 5-spice powder together in a bowl until pork is coated completely. Transfer mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and cover baking dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is fork-tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Transfer meat to a colander set over a bowl. Remove garlic, bay leaves, and orange peels from baking dish and pour accumulated juices from the baking dish over meat in colander into the bowl. Return meat to the baking dish and drizzle accumulated juices over each piece of meat.
• Cook meat under the preheated broiler for 3 minutes. Drizzle more accumulated juices over meat and continue broiling until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a serving plate and drizzle more accumulated juices over the top.

CARNITAS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat the pork butt dry with a paper towel. Use a large, sharp knife to trim away excess fat. Cut the pork butt into 1" thick slices. Then, cut each slice into 1" cubes.
• Transfer the pork to a 4-5 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Add all of the dry spices, and massage them onto the pork with your hands.
• Add the orange juice, lime juice, and a 1/2 cup water to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Add the bay leaves, cover, and transfer to the oven.
• Cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, and turn on the broiler on high. Have ready a rimmed sheet pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the prepared sheet pan. Using the tines of a fork, gently press down on the pork to ever-so-slightly break it apart.
• Place the pork under the broiler, and watch closely so that it does not burn. As soon as the pork begins to tinge with dark brown hues and crisps up on the edges, remove it from the oven. Depending on your broiler, this could take anywhere from 1- 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Place the Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat and allow to come to a simmer. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the cooking liquid and allow to simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Either add the pork back to the Dutch oven and stir or brush the sauce lightly over the carnitas. Serve with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

SLOW-COOKER PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Add the chicken broth, orange juice, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, cloves, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt to a large slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaves and stir to combine. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves, onion, and garlic. Shred the pork into bite-size pieces with 2 forks, leaving some larger chunks, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the lard in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shredded pork and press down into an even layer with a spatula. Cook, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until crisped and browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons lard and shredded pork.
• Serve with tortillas, cilantro, jalapenos and pickled red onions.
• Put the sliced onions in a medium heatproof, nonreactive bowl. Put the vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, bay leaves, sugar, coriander and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the red onions and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or cover and refrigerate up to 4 days.

PALEO PARTY PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Generously sprinkle the pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in large nonstick skillet set over high heat. Sear the meat on all sides until deeply browned, about 3 minutes per side.
• Transfer the pork to a slow cooker. Add the almond milk, broth, oregano, garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaves, lemon peel and onions. Set the slow cooker to low, then cover and cook until the meat can be easily pulled apart with a fork, 6 to 8 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a work surface and use two forks to shred the meat. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve. Transfer the pork to a serving platter, then ladle the cooking liquid over the meat and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Place the avocado slices, lettuce leaves, half of the lime wedges, the cilantro sprigs and red onion slices on a platter. Squeeze the remaining lime wedge over the avocados to prevent discoloration. Have guests build their own carnitas lettuce wraps.

PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Set a multi-cooker to the Saute setting and add the oil.
• Sprinkle the cubed pork generously with salt and pepper. Sear the pork in batches on all sides until well browned. Remove to a plate, add the onions and poblanos and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the oregano, cumin, chile powder and garlic and continue to cook for an additional minute.
• Add the lemon-lime soda and orange zest and juice. Return the pork pieces and any liquid that is on the plate to the multi-cooker. Cover and position the vent to the Sealing setting. Set the multi-cooker for High Pressure, use the Manual button to adjust the cook time to 25 minutes and cook. When the time is up, allow the multi-cooker to sit for an additional 10 minutes.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Carefully release the remaining pressure by switching the vent to Venting. Let the steam vent until the float valve has dropped, then remove the lid. Remove the pork mixture with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet and shred the pork with 2 forks.
• Place the baking sheet under the broiler and crisp the carnitas for 2 to 3 minutes. (Watch carefully to prevent burning.) Remove from the oven, ladle some of the juices from the pot over the carnitas and carefully toss. Serve alongside the warm tortillas with peach salsa, Easy Queso and fresh cilantro leaves.
• Combine the cheese, the whole can of tomatoes and chiles and the jar of pimientos with their liquid in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is fully melted, 5 to 7 minutes.