Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas)

This recipe was updated on 13 Aug 2013. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

This recipe was adapted from the Mexican Pulled Pork recipe at America’s Test Kitchen. Their original premise was to develop a recipe that did involve lard or deep frying to produce the carnitas’ crispy outside. Their solution, after oven-braising the pork in a Dutch oven, was to use the broiler after coating the pork with a reduction of the remaining liquid and fat. The method works great and I’ve modified their technique to use the barbeque grill instead of the broiler to get a smokier flavor incorporated into the pork. I also use beer and tequila, instead of water, and adjusted the spices to braise the pork. Any leftovers can be used to make Mexican Pulled Pork Enchiladas.

The resulting carnitas are soft on the inside and a crispy brown on the outside, with that distinctive smoked flavor from the grill. Homemade salsa and pickled vegetables (in this case carrots and onions), and chopped cabbage are the accompaniments to this dish. This is an all-afternoon type recipe, but the results are worth it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4  lb.	2 kg.	Boneless pork butt or country-style spareribs with ⅛-inch (3 mm.) fat cap, cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Ground cumin
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Dried oregano
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Salt
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Ground black pepper
2	2	Bay leaves
1	1	Small onion, halved
1	1	Lime, halved, juiced, and the halves added to the Dutch oven
1	1	Lemon, halved, juiced, and the halves added to the Dutch oven
12 oz.	355 ml.	1 bottle beer or lager
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Tequila
		Water, as necessary to cover the pork
		Tortillas

 

Condiments

Shredded Cabbage

Homemade Salsa

Pickled Vegetables

 

Equipment

6 qt.	5.7 L.	Dutch oven
22.5 in.	57 cm.	Covered charcoal or gas grill (or larger)
		Large spatula

 

Pork Preparation and Braising Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F (175⁰C).
2. Cut the pork into 2-inch (5 cm.) chunks and put them into a Dutch oven. Don’t remove any of the fat, as this is an important component for the braising liquid. You want the pork pieces to be larger than smaller since the pieces will eventually be grilled on the barbeque.
3. Put the ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, ground pepper, and bay leaves into the Dutch oven. You want the leaves on top of the pork since you want to easily remove and discard them after cooking completes.
4. Cut the onion in half and add it to the Dutch oven.
5. Cut the lime and orange in half and juice the halves into the Dutch oven. Be sure to remove any seeds that might be in the lime and orange. Put the rinds into the Dutch oven.
6. Add one bottle of beer or lager and the tequila to the Dutch oven. You can substitute water in place of the beer and tequila. You want the liquid to cover the pork, so add more water if needed.
7. Put the Dutch oven over a medium-high heat source and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.
8. Cover the Dutch oven and place it into the oven for 2 hours or until the pork is fork tender.

Condiment Preparation Instructions

1. Now is a good time to prepare the homemade salsa and pickled vegetables.
2. Wash and cut the cabbage into thin strips, and set aside.

Grill Preparation Instructions

1. You want to time the grill’s readiness to coincide with the completion of the pork braising in the oven. You want to place the coals in one-half of the grill or use half the gas burners in order not to burn your hands since you need a cool area on the grill to move and manipulate the pork while it’s cooking.
2. Prepare the charcoal or gas grill for direct cooking following the manufacturer’s instructions. Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill accordingly. If smoking the pork, soak any wood chunks or chips (oak, hickory, mesquite…) for one hour before cooking if desired. I do not soak my wood and use it dry.
3. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the lighted coals to one-half of the kettle to leave enough room to move the pork to the half that has no coals. For a gas grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to which burners to leave on for direct cooking. Add the wood chunks or chips for smoking just before grilling the pork.

Pork Preparation and Grilling Instructions

1. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven (be careful since the pot is very hot). Remove and discard the onion, lime, and orange halves, and the bay leaves from the Dutch oven.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove and transfer the pork from the Dutch oven to a bowl, being careful to keep the pork pieces intact as possible. This can be harder than it sounds since the pork is very tender at this point.
3. Place the Dutch oven, with the remaining braising liquid, over high heat and reduce the liquid, stirring frequently, until it’s thick and syrupy. The reduced liquid serves as the flavoring agent for the pork. Do not remove the fat from the liquid since the fat helps to crisp the pork on the grill.
4. Pour the reduced liquid into the bowl with the pork. Mix the pork and reduced liquid to evenly coat the pork pieces. It’s all right if the pork pieces break up a little while mixing (increasing the pork piece’s surface area means more grilled crispiness), but not so small that they will fall through the grill grate.
5. Take the bowl with the pork to the barbeque grill and pour the entire contents evenly onto the hot side of the grill. Be careful of any flare-ups as you pour the pork onto the grill due to the remaining fat coating the pork. Spread the pork evenly on the hot side of the grill using a spatula. You can further break up (pull) the pork pieces as you spread them over the grill to maximize the surface area for crisping.
6. Cover the grill to allow the smoke to flavor the pork and to crisp it for about 5-10 minutes. Uncover the grill towards the end of the cooking time to maximize the heat in order to crisp the pork. You will get flames, so control any flare-ups so as not to excessively burn the pork.
7. Using a large spatula, flip the pork pieces over to smoke and crisp the other side of the pork for another 5-10 minutes covered. Be very careful of any flare-ups at this stage, since the fat will be dripping onto the hot coals. Uncover the grill towards the end of the cooking time to maximize the heat in order to crisp the pork. Control any flare-ups as not to excessively burn the pork.
8. Remove the smoked crispy pork from the grill and place in a bowl. Serve immediately with tortillas (which can be warmed on the grill), homemade salsa and pickled vegetables, and shredded cabbage.