Beer Braised Carnitas
A wonderfully flavorful carnitas recipe transforming a humble pork shoulder into a sweet, citrusy, caramelized main course that everyone will love.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder
- salt and black pepper
- neutral oil
- 1 large bulb of garlic, cloves removed and peeled
- 2 large yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest
- 1/3 cup of fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lime zest
- 15 ounces of Guinness or a similar stout or porter beer
Instructions
- Thirty minutes prior to cooking, allow the pork to come to room temperature
- Preheat your oven to 325°
- Season your pork shoulder generously with salt and black pepper
- Place a large braiser or Dutch oven over medium to medium high heat and add a few tablespoons of neutral oil
- Sear the seasoned pork shoulder on all sides until deeply golden brown
- Place the quartered onions and garlic cloves around the seared pork shoulder
- Add 1 tablespoon of cumin, 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 bay leaves, 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest, 1/3 cup of fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime zest and 15 ounces of Guinness
- Cover the pot and braise in a 325° oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours
- Once very tender, shred the pork
- If desired, spread the shredded pork over a baking sheet and broil until the pork has crispy edges
- Serve warm with rice, over greens or in tortillas