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Carnitas (Little Meats)

Carnitas recipe

Carnitas (Little Meats) is a traditional Mexican dish made from pork that is slow-cooked until tender and then shredded or chopped.

Ingredients

Units Scale
3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into several large pieces 1/4 cup vegetable oil (we use avocado oil) 3 tablespoons kosher salt 1 onion, chopped 6 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano 1 tablespoon ground cumin 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low for 2 1/2 hours.
  3. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  4. Transfer pork to baking sheet. Bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle with cooking liquid every 10 minutes. Use two forks to shred the meat as it browns.

Notes

You can use a slow cooker for the first cooking. After browning, add pork to a slow cooker with the remaining ingredients, and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours.

Photo credit: Gregg Tavares