Slow roast this tender Mexican pulled pork carnitas recipe and then shred the meat for the most delicious street tacos you've ever had. This large roast makes a generous amount of meat that you can serve for a party or freeze in smaller portions for easy family dinners.
PREP TIME 10 minutesminutes
RESTING TIME 12 hourshours
COOK TIME 8 hourshours
YIELD 15servings
Ingredients
1(10 - 12 pound) bone-in pork butt or pork shoulder
1cupsugar
1/2cupkosher salt
1tbspchili powder
1 1/2tsp cumin
1/2tspgarlic salt
1/2tspcrushed red pepper flakes
1/2tspdried oregano
1/2tsppaprika
1/2tspfreshly cracked black pepper
2limesjuiced
1/4cuporange juice
Instructions
The Night Before:
Gently rinse the pork in cold water in the kitchen sink. Pat it completely dry with paper towels and place it in a large bowl.
Combine the sugar and the salt in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle it and rub it over the entire pork. Cover the pork bowl with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge overnight. (A minimum of 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours before you plan to cook it.)
Cook the Pork:
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Set out a large roasting pan for the pork.
Remove the pork from the fridge and use a pastry brush to brush away as much of the salt and sugar coating from the pork as you can. Place the pork fat side up in the roasting pan. Use a sharp knife to score the fat in a cross hatch pattern.
Roast the pork butt for 7 hours, basting it every hour with the juices starting one hour after it has been in the oven.
Season the Pork:
Combine the chili powder, ground cumin, garlic salt, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, paprika, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl.
Remove the pork from the oven and sprinkle it with the spice blend. Return it to the oven and bake for 1 hour. Do not let the spices burn, if they start to darken too quickly, tent the pork loosely with aluminum foil.
The pork is ready when it is fork tender and falls apart easily when you prod it.
Glaze the Pork:
To create the final, stunning glazed top, remove the pork from the oven. Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Juice the limes and combine the fresh lime juice with the orange juice. Brush it over the top of the pork. Return the pork to the oven and roast for 10 - 15 minutes or until the juices form a deep caramel color.