Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas)

Ingredients

• 1 (5–6 lb [142–170 g]) pork shoulder roast (Boston butt)
• 2 tsp (5 g) ground cumin
• 2 tsp (1 g) dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 oranges, halved
• 1 lime, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 white onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz [340 ml]) can Mexican beer
• 4 cups (960 ml) cold water
• 2 tsp (10 g) salt

Instructions

1. 1Wash the pork shoulder under cold water and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and slice it into 2-inch pieces.
2. 2Keep the pork chunks as uniform in size as possible so they cook at the same rate.
3. 3Leave the fat on the meat. It melts down during the simmer and helps crisp the pork later in the oven.
4. 4Put the cubed pork into a large Dutch oven or heavy stockpot, then toss the meat with the ground cumin and dried oregano.
5. 5Place the crushed garlic, two orange halves, lime halves, bay leaves, quartered onion, and sweetened condensed milk into the pot. Pour the Mexican beer over the ingredients.
6. 6Pour in the cold water to submerge the mixture. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat without a lid.
7. 7Lower the heat to medium once boiling. Simmer the pork uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender and the liquid cooks away completely.
8. 8Stir the pot more frequently as the liquid gets lower to prevent the pork from burning or sticking to the bottom.
9. 9Heat your oven to 425°F (218°C).
10. 10Move the pork to a roasting pan if your current pot is not oven-safe. Throw away the spent bay leaves, onion pieces, and citrus halves.
11. 11Season the meat with the salt and scrape any leftover pan drippings over the pork. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and crispy.
12. 12Take the pan out of the oven and squeeze the fresh juice from the remaining two orange halves over the hot meat.

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