Family-Size Pork Carnitas
Taco night just got more delicious and even more time friendly. Slow cooking a pork shoulder requires only a few minutes of hands-on effort and yields a huge batch of tender, flavorful meat. Prep a batch of this carnitas meat to serve a large crowd or stock your fridge to feed a family all week. Not only is this dish a great source of quality protein, but pork is rich in such essential nutrients as thiamine, vitamins B6 and B12, selenium and zinc.
Yields9 to 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (18 g) sea salt
- 1 tablespoon (2 g) dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon (4 g) ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 (5- to 6-lb [2.3- to 2.7-kg]) bone-in pork shoulder
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup (240 ml) fresh orange juice
- 1 cup (240 ml) bone broth
INSTRUCTIONS:
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Twenty-four to 48 hours before you will be cooking the meat, make the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, sea salt, oregano, cumin and smoked paprika. Massage the marinade into the pork shoulder and return it to the fridge to marinate for 24 to 48 hours.
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On the day of cooking, remove the meat from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
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This can be cooked in an oven or a pressure cooker. If you're baking it, preheat the oven to 275°F (140°C).
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In a large, oven-safe dish, combine the meat, onion, jalapeño, garlic, orange juice and bone broth. Bake for 4 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. Alternatively, cook the mixture in your slow cooker on the low setting for 8 hours or on the high setting for 6 hours.
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Once the pork is cooked through and fork-tender, use a fork to shred the meat, reserving the cooking juices. When you are ready to serve, on a baking sheet, combine the shredded meat with 1 cup (240 ml) of its cooking juices, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until crispy.
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You can store this in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F (180°C) oven until warmed through. Finish under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until crispy.
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