![\"Pork](\"http:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/CarnitasHeader.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCubes of pork shoulder marinated over-night in milk and quartered oranges. A 5-gallon pot with pounds of lard and the pork chunks heated to the brink of boiling, and stirred every so often by a 3-foot, home-made wooden paddle. Pork that is extremely tender, has a slight crisp to the outside, and can easily broken down by tooth or fork. And, flavor that is out of this world.<\/p>\n
Those are carnitas the way my grandfather made them.<\/p>\n
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Fast forward. These days, I use a different process to prepare carnitas, one that doesn\u2019t use milk or lard (unless you want to). Instead, I coat the raw pork chunks in a dry rub, cook them up in a pan the next morning, and then slow-cook them in a crockpot with oranges, onions, and garlic for several hours.<\/p>\n
While the texture and tastes may differ slightly, and the approach is not as authentic, this version never fails to entice. \u00a0It is a bit of a process, with a handful of steps. \u00a0But, each part takes just a little while with a whole lot of time in between to do other things.<\/p>\n
I often prepare carnitas for parties and dinner guests. \u00a0If we have leftovers \u2013 which isn\u2019t often \u2013 I freeze the pork for lunches, top salads with it, or scramble it up with eggs and vegetables for breakfast.<\/p>\n
What you\u2019ll need for the carnitas<\/p>\n
Part 1: Cube, Dry Rub, Refrigerate (takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare and several hours of waiting)<\/strong> For the Dry Rub Recipe\u00a0<\/strong>Combine:<\/p>\n Part 2:\u00a0Cook the Pork (takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 4 hours to cook in\u00a0crock pot)<\/strong><\/p>\n Once your meat has marinated for several hours, preheat a large casserole dish or large pan to medium-high heat. \u00a0While you\u2019re waiting for it to heat, cut 2 oranges and 1 large onion into eighths, and peel 6 cloves of garlic.<\/p>\n Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, bacon fat, or lard to the pan. \u00a0When melted, place about \u00a01\/3 to 1\/2 of\u00a0the meat cubes in the pan to fry it up.\u00a0 It might take a couple of batches to cook all of the meat. \u00a0When the meat is seared on all sides, add the onions and garlic. \u00a0Cook for a minute or two and then add the oranges.<\/p>\n When meat is cooked through and golden brown, place the cooked meat, oranges, onions, and garlic into your crockpot. \u00a0Stir it to distribute things evenly. \u00a0Cook on low heat for about 3 hours, then remove the oranges, onions, and garlic. \u00a0Turn the crockpot heat to high heat for 1 more hour.<\/p>\n When it\u2019s done, your pork should be tender, staying in cubes that can be cut easily with the side of a fork, but not disintegrate.<\/p>\n Turn off the heat and let the pork rest while you prepare the garnish.<\/p>\n Part 3: Garnish (takes about 10 minutes to prepare)<\/strong><\/p>\n What you\u2019ll need<\/p>\n Toss ingredients together in a bowl. \u00a0Use as garnish or as a salad base.<\/p>\n Part 4: Serve and Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n Carnitas is great:<\/p>\n Cubes of pork shoulder marinated over-night in milk and quartered oranges. A 5-gallon pot with pounds of lard and the pork chunks heated to the brink of boiling, and stirred every so often by a 3-foot, home-made wooden paddle. Pork that is extremely tender, has a slight crisp to the outside, and can easily broken… <\/p>\n
\nTake the pork shoulder or pork butt and cut it into \u00a01 1\/2\u2033 cubes. \u00a0Place the cubes in layers in a large food storage container, sprinkling a bit of the following dry rub recipe in between each layer. \u00a0Place a lid on the container, shake it up a bit, and let the meat sit in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours.<\/p>\n\n
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Carnitas Photo Tutorial<\/h3>\n
\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/carnitas-4.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-B.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-C.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-A.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-DD.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-D.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-F.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-G.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Cabbage-lime-garnishA-4.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Carnitas-tacos-10.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t