Casper Carnitas
We put this confit-cooked pork shoulder on everything. Tacos, sure, but also pizza, pasta, breakfast hash, Cubans, grits... We're gonna need to pick up more lard.
Ingredients:
1 bone-in pork shoulder, about 5 pounds
1/2 of a 7oz can of Chipotle peppers in adobo
2 cups sweet (see below)
1 cup pork lard
2 citrus - juice and zest (see below)
8-10 cloves garlic
6-8 cloves black garlic
1/4 cup tomato (see below)
Pork Rub (see below)
Bay leaf
Sweet Options
Coca-Cola
Orange juice
Apple cider
Orange soda
Citrus Options
Orange
Lemon
Lime
Tomato Options
Tomato paste
Ketchup (Heinz Original Recipe - Smoky is the best)
Diced tomatoes
Pork Rub
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sugar (brown or white)
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp dill seed
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp garlic or roasted garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp coriander seed
1 hulled pod black cardamom
1/4 tsp vinegar powder
Method:
1. Get your crockpot out! This one is an all-day excursion.
2. Add all ingredients except the pork and pork rub to the pot and mix to combine.
3. Combine Pork Rub ingredients in mortar and pestle, and grind together til the full seeds are broken up.
4. Pat dry the pork shoulder, and coat it in Pork Rub.
5. Place pork in the crock pot on LOW for about 8 hours. (This is why you should go bone-in, takes a bit longer to cook and can handle you being gone at work all day.)
6. With tongs, pull pork in chunks into a deep oven-safe dish. Pour about a cup of the braising liquid in the dish, and broil until the carnitas begin to blacken, about 10 minutes.
7. Serve! Over rice, on a tortilla, in a sandwich, on pizza, on pasta, on a spoon. Leftovers will keep in the fridge about 5 days.