Crispy Carnitas

May 27, 2014 in latin american food, pork dish, pork shoulder, tex-mex, carnitas, crispy carnitas, pork, pork butt, pork carnitas, pork shoulder. Read the original on: threeovens

0
vote

Crispy Carnitas are bits of pork that have been slow cooked for hours, then cooked a second time to get a nice crispy outside. I like to do them in the pressure cooker because it not only speeds up the cooking time, but also locks in all the flavors. I have found that you can take the same recipe and cook it in a crock pot, pressure cooker, oven, or stove-top and you will get differing results.

This particular recipe is very simple. It is meant to be eaten in tacos, but this meat can be used in a myriad of ways.

Crispy Carnitas

Ingredients

- 2 1/2 lbs pork butt or 2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder, cut intoÂ 2-inch cubes
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon driedÂ ancho chileÂ powder
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or more to just cover meat)

Instructions

In the pressure cooker, stir together the pork cubes, onion, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and chile powder.Â Stir in enough broth to just cover the meat.Â You want to be sure to have enough liquid to not burn out.

Cook for 35 to 45 minutes until the meat is tender when prodded with a fork.

Spread the cubes out on a baking pan and run under the broiler, turning often, until a bit crispy on the outside, about 15 minutes.Â Spoon some of the cooking liquid over periodically so that the meat does not dry out.

You could alternatively crisp up the meat in a skillet, but that is more work, right?

Use two forks to shred the meat and serve as desired.