Classic Pork Carnitas

Carnitas, literally meaning "little meats", is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the state of Michoacán. Carnitas are made by braising or simmering pork in oil or lard until tender.  Pork carnitas are sometimes made after you've prepared a large bone-in pork shoulder and wish to use some of the remaining pork in burritos or tacos.

Today I will describe the classic method of preparation. But know that if you have leftover pork shoulder you'd like to make into carnitas, you can simply cut it into bite size pieces and fry it in lard or vegetable oil until crispy, as the meat is already cooked and tender. 

However today I'm going to make pork carnitas in the classic style from a raw piece of boneless pork butt cut into large chunks and then cooked in part vegetable fat and lard. You can use either one of these, although cooking the meat is lard is typical in Mexico. 

Carnitas are very versatile as you can serve them as a dish on their own (as I'm doing today with a little BBQ sauce), or you fill any burrito, taco, quesadilla, or use them as a topping for Nachos. They are also great on salads. Below is the recipe for the carnitas only. 

Ingredients

4 pounds boneless pork butt roast,

  (Note: pork butt is often labeled Boston butt)
Salt
2 pounds lard, cut into 8 pieces

  (or substitute vegetable or peanut oil)

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300F degrees. Do not use convection setting.

Cut pork into 2-inch pieces. Sprinkle pork with 1-2 tablespoons salt. Melt lard in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add pork, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until bubbling vigorously all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, until pork is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Check periodically to make sure the pork is not getting to crisp and brown. If so, cover for remaining cooking time. 

Remove pot from oven and let stand for 30 minutes. Using skimmer or tongs, transfer pork to carving board; chop into bite-size pieces. Transfer pork to bowl and season with salt to taste. If serving pork on its own, provide diners a little BBQ sauce or lightly apply sauce to pork platter before serving, as shown here.