Orange and Milk-Braised Pork Carnitas

Ingredients

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into large pieces

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2bay leaves

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1orange, juiced and zested

2 cups whole milk

Directions

Step 1

Season pork with pepper and salt.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 5

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.

Step 6

Bake in preheated oven until pork is browned, about 15 minutes. Stir pork.

Step 7

Turn on oven’s broiler. Cook pork under broiler until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.

Chef's Note:

You can strain and reduce the cooking liquid if you want, and do “wet” tacos by adding some of the juice to chopped meat.

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