It must have been the subliminal beer and liquor advertising that got me, because I wasn't even thinking about Cinco de Mayo when I decided to make this milk-braised pork carnitas recipe. The milk braising beforehand seems to give the meat a little extra succulence. The subtle sweetness from the orange is also very nice.
Ingredients
- ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into large pieces: 3 piece
- black pepper: 1 Tbsp (freshly ground)
- kosher salt: 1 Tbsp (to taste)
- vegetable oil: 2 Tbsp
- bay leaves: 2 piece
- ground cumin: 2 tsp
- oregano: 1 tsp (dried)
- cayenne pepper: 0.25 tsp
- orange, juiced and zested: 1 piece
- whole milk: 2 cups
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Season pork with pepper and salt.
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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.
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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.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
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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.
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Bake in preheated oven until pork is browned, about 15 minutes. Stir pork.
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Turn on oven's broiler. Cook pork under broiler until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
