Smoked Carnitas
Smoking your pork for carnitas is super simple! Follow this recipe then serve up the the crsipy shreeded pork either on rice, salads on a taco, or even in sushi!
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- pellet grill
- Dutch Oven
- Meat thermometer or thermometer probe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Pork Shoulder boneless
- 2 Tablespoon Bacon Fat or Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
- Corn Tortillas
Toppings
- Cilantro chopped
- 1 Lime wedges
- Queso Fresco crumbled
Braising Liquid
- 3 Jalapeno Pepper minced
- 3 Oranges
- 1 Onion chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp Ground cumin
- 3 Bay leaves
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 cups Water
Marinade
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole limes
- 2 whole oranges
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
Marinade The Pork
- Place all the marinade ingredients in a large zip-top bag. Give it a good shake and let the pork marinate in the refrigerator for the night (for about 12 hours).
Smoke Your Pork for 4 Hours
- Take the pork out of the marinade and gently dry it. Drizzle the pork shoulder with 2 tablespoons of oil, ensuring even coverage, and then generously coat all sides of the pork with the dry rub.Preheat your pellet smoker to 225°F for a few minutes. Place the pork on the smoker and let smoke for 4-6 hours or until the internal temperature of the shoulder reads about 165°F.
Chop The Smoked Pork
- Once the pork reaches 165°F increase the temperature of the pellet grill to 350°F and take the pork out of the smoker and transfer to a cutting board. Slice the meat into 2-3 inch pieces and ensure they are uniform.
Place Pork in a Dutch Oven/ Pan with Braising Liquid
- Place the pork in the dutch oven or pan and add the ingredient for the braising liquid. Ensure you leave at least 2 inches at the top, then place the lid on top and cook for 3-4 hours or until the pork reaches 203°F
Heat The Cast Iron Skillet
- Then remove the dutch oven from the grill and increase it to its highest temperature. Then put your cast iron skillet on the grill or stove top and let it heat for 15-20 minutes.
Crisp The Pork in the Cast Iron Skillet
- Heat 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the skillet. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing it regularly and breaking it all up. Cook until it's browned and crispy. Then remove from heat. Allow it cool for a few minutes on a paper towel.
Serve The Pork Carnitas
- Serve as you like. But we like to assemble our pork carnitas in freshly made corn tortillas and top them with fresh lime, chopped cilantro, and red onion.