Carnitas

Homemade carnitas are totally worth the effort! 

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We ordered our first half pig this year from a local farm. Our pig lived on pasture in an old orchard and ate apples, pumpkins, whey, and acorns. Our pig is delicious. I even requested the lard from our pig and rendered some of it recently. Since we have both pork roasts and lard, I decided it was time to make one of my favorite things at home: carnitas. 

I loosely followed the instructions for carnitas from Homesick Texan. I wanted to keep them simple because the pork we have is so incredibly flavorful - I really wanted it to shine. It did. These turned out really wonderfully. If you've eaten carnitas out before, but never made them yourself, go ahead and give them a try. 

I served ours with the salsa verde I canned last fall and some quick pickled red onions. They were awesome! I'm pretty sure my husband was in pork heaven while eating these and I must say that I impressed myself!

My first batch of homemade lard.

Carnitas

about 3 lbs of pork roast, shoulder or butt, with plenty of fat

1 cup orange juice

juice of 1 lime

3 cups water

sea salt

2-3 tablespoons lard

for serving:

soft taco shells

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

salsa verde
sour cream

any other toppings you want, though simple is best

Cut your pork into about 1-inch by 3-inch strips, removing the bone if necessary. Do not trim off too much fat because that is what keeps the meat moist while cooking. You can always trim it later. Place the pork in a soup pot or Dutch oven and cover with orange juice, lime juice, water, and 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Turn the heat on medium and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Don't disturb and stir the meat very much.

After 2 hours, turn the heat up to medium-high and let the liquids boil. Let cook for about 45 minutes to one hour. The pork will be very tender. Carefully transfer to a cutting board and cut into chunks, removing any excess fat. Heat the lard in a cast iron or other heavy bottom skillet. Carefully transfer the pork to the skillet and fry on all sides until brown and crisp. Sprinkle with salt. Serve hot in taco shells with your toppings.