Mexican carnitas made with pork shoulder, braised with lime and spices for a delicious, distinctive flavor, then baked until fall-apart tender with crisp edges. I get requests from friends and family to make this pulled pork recipe repeatedly. Serve with warm, fresh tortillas and salsa.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil: 0.25 cup
- pork shoulder, cut into several large pieces: 4 pound
- kosher salt: 3 Tbsp
- onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- clove garlic: 1 piece (crushed)
- lime juice: 3 Tbsp
- chili powder: 1 Tbsp
- oregano: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- ground cumin: 0.5 tsp
- chicken broth: 4 cans (14.5 ounce cans)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Gather all ingredients. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season pork shoulder pieces with salt, then arrange in the Dutch oven. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Stir in onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Pour in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
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Transfer pork shoulder to a large baking sheet; reserve cooking liquid. Drizzle a small amount of cooking liquid over pork pieces and lightly season with salt.
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Bake pork in the preheated oven until browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle more cooking liquid every 10 minutes; use two forks to shred pork as it browns. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Serve hot and enjoy! DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
