Carnitas Braised In Orange Juice 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.

CARNITAS BRAISED IN ORANGE JUICE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to low position; heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels, then sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in dutch oven until smoking. Add pork and cook until well browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer roast to plate. Add onions, brown sugar and salt to pan and sauté on high until soft and golden. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and browned in spots, about 4 minutes more. Add orange juice, chicken broth and bay leaves and bring mixture to a simmer. Return roast to pan, checking that liquid reaches half way up the sides of the meat. Roast uncovered for 3 or more hours, turning the roast with tongs every 60 to 90 minutes. Pour off 2 cups of liquid into fat separator and let rest. Drain off fat and reserve. Return pan to oven and increase heat to 300 degrees for two hours, turning roast after the first hour, until fall-apart tender and well carmelized. Transfer roast to plate, remove bone and tent with foil. Pour off and separate oil from remaining liquid. Return liquid and reserve to pot and simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Shred meat with a fork and combine with sauce.

SIMPLE CARNITAS

Steps:

• Place the pork shoulder, oranges, onion, garlic, kosher salt, cumin, black peppercorns, and bay leaves into a large Dutch oven. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Cover loosely, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Allow the pork to cool, covered, in the broth for 1 hour. Shred the meat with two forks.