Orange Pork Carnitas Recipes

ORANGE AND MILK-BRAISED PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Season pork with pepper and salt.
• Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Working in batches, cook pork in the hot oil until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Return all cooked pork and accumulated juice to pot.
• Season pork with bay leaves, cumin, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper. Stir in fresh orange juice, orange zest, and milk. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is fork tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Remove pork from liquid. Skim some fat from the pot to grease a baking dish. Transfer the pieces of pork to the baking dish. Drizzle about 2 more tablespoons of the floating fat over the meat. Season with more salt, if needed.
• Bake in preheated oven until pork is browned, about 15 minutes. Stir pork.
• Turn on oven's broiler. Cook pork under broiler until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.

ORANGE PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Place 1/2 of the oranges wheels, onion, and garlic on the bottom of your crock pot.
• Then add all of your boneless pork shoulder to the crock pot.
• Sprinkle pork with fresh cracked pepper, Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up salt and the rest of your garlic.
• Add the rest of your oranges and onion, to the top of the pork.
• Cover crock pot and cook on high for 1 hour then turn crock pot to low and cook for about 5 to 6 hours or until the pork is falling apart. (Turn the crock pot back up to high the last hour of cooking.)
• Remove any pieces of orange peel you can find and discard.
• Useing 2 forks pull apart pork untill you get a shredded look.
• Serve over toasted corn tortillas with your favorite accouterments such as -- fresh made guacamole, cilantro, green onion, and green salsa Verde.
• Enjoy :).

SLOW-COOKER PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Add the chicken broth, orange juice, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, cloves, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt to a large slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaves and stir to combine. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves, onion, and garlic. Shred the pork into bite-size pieces with 2 forks, leaving some larger chunks, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the lard in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shredded pork and press down into an even layer with a spatula. Cook, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until crisped and browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons lard and shredded pork.
• Serve with tortillas, cilantro, jalapenos and pickled red onions.
• Put the sliced onions in a medium heatproof, nonreactive bowl. Put the vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, bay leaves, sugar, coriander and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the red onions and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or cover and refrigerate up to 4 days.

PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Salt and pepper liberally. Mix the oregano and the cumin with olive oil and rub all over pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add the two halves. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 hours.
• Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork. In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Press the carnitas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side. Serve.

CARNITAS ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, orange juice concentrate, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until onion is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove lid, increase heat to medium, and continue to cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer everything to a plate and allow to cool slightly. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Combine salsa verde and sour cream in a mixing bowl, stirring well. Spread about 1 cup of salsa verde mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking dish, reserving the rest.
• Add remaining cooking oil to the cleaned skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
• Gently warm each tortilla in the oil, about 2 minutes per side, making the tortillas flexible. Add more oil, if needed.
• Place a tortilla on a work surface and add 3 tablespoons of pork mixture and 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Roll the tortilla gently around the filling, and place seam side down in the prepared dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
• When all tortillas are rolled up and in the dish, pour the reserved salsa-sour cream mixture over the filled tortillas.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven; sprinkle on remaining cheese and allow to melt while the enchiladas cool, about 5 minutes.

CRISPY PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Remove fat from pork; cut pork meat into 2-inch cubes and roughly chop fat.
• Mix pork, garlic, olive oil, orange peel, orange juice, salt, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and 5-spice powder together in a bowl until pork is coated completely. Transfer mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and cover baking dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is fork-tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Transfer meat to a colander set over a bowl. Remove garlic, bay leaves, and orange peels from baking dish and pour accumulated juices from the baking dish over meat in colander into the bowl. Return meat to the baking dish and drizzle accumulated juices over each piece of meat.
• Cook meat under the preheated broiler for 3 minutes. Drizzle more accumulated juices over meat and continue broiling until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a serving plate and drizzle more accumulated juices over the top.

CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, combine pork, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the oregano, and toss to evenly coat the meat in the spices. Squeeze orange juice all over the pork and add the juiced orange quarters to the pot. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and toss until well incorporated, nestling everything in an even layer. Drizzle oil evenly over the meat. Cover and braise in oven until pork is tender, about 2 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through the cooking.
• Heat broiler to high, setting a rack 6 inches from the heat source. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and shred the meat. Strain juices from the pot through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on the solids; discard solids. Skim fat from top and reserve the juices.
• Broil pork until golden and crisp in spots, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer carnitas to serving plates and drizzle with some of the reserved juices. Serve warm with tortillas and toppings of choice.