Carnitas: A Flavorful and Versatile Mexican Dish
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
- 4 bay leaves
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro sprigs
- 1 teaspoon orange peel
- pico de gallo
- avocado
- Carbohydrate 4.63588998603248 g
- Cholesterol 145.1495584 mg
- Fat 16.8334844641747 g
- Fiber 1.37874605279191 g
- Protein 50.4754426335709 g
- Saturated Fat 5.20264724665829 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (488g)
- Sodium 1607.4619112669 mg
- Sugar 3.25714393324058 g
- Trans Fat 3.12643895721167 g
- Calories 379 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix together Kosher salt, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Coat pork with the spice mixture and the minced garlic.
- Place the bay leaves and cilantro in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Add orange peel.
- Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.
- Cover and cook on "LOW" until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 6-8 hours.
- Turn the meat after it has cooked for 4 hours.
- When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks.
- Return the shredded pork to the crock pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.
- Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.
- To make these more authentic, after shredding the meat into smaller chunks, spread it out in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and baked it in a 400 degree oven about 20 minutes, just long enough to crisp the exterior of the meat.
Coriander, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon do more than just perfume the meat; fat-soluble compounds in these spices bond directly with the lipids in the four-pound pork shoulder during the long cook. Pouring the two cups of chicken broth strictly around the sides protects this spice crust from washing off prematurely, ensuring the aromatics concentrate rather than dilute into the liquid. Collagen breaks down slowly into gelatin over six to eight hours on low heat, coating the muscle fibers and creating natural succulence without added fats. Turning the cut at the four-hour mark compensates for uneven slow cooker heating zones. Returning the shredded meat to the crock pot for thirty minutes lets the pork reabsorb released cooking juices, concentrating savory umami compounds. Spreading the shredded chunks onto a cookie sheet for a final twenty-minute blast in a 400 degree oven drives off surface moisture through evaporation, triggering Maillard browning on the edges for textural contrast. Cooked carnitas store safely in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to four days or freeze indefinitely when packed flat with excess cooking liquid to prevent freezer burn.
