Home-cooked carnitas - carnitas caseras

6 servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
Jim Vorheis
4tablespoonsLard
3poundsPork, cut into 2-inch cubes
½mediumWhite onion, roughly sliced
4Fresh marjoram sprigs, or scant 1/4 tsp dried
4Fresh thyme sprigs, or scant 1/4 tsp dried
3California bay leaves, broken up
10Peppercorns, crushed
1Orange, cut into eighths
1cupMilk
Sea salt to taste

Directions

Heat the lard in a heavy pan, add the meat, and fry, stirring and turning it over from time to time, until lightly golden - about 8 minutes. Add the onion and stir well. Cook for 8 minutes longer or until the meat is well browned (remove onion only if it has burned).

Add the remaining ingredients, cover the pan, and cook over low heat until the meat is just tender, not falling apart - about 20 minutes, depending on the quality of the meat. There should be plenty of pan juices. Remove the lid, increase the heat, and fry, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the juices have been absorbed - about 10 minutes. Drain off the extra fat and serve.

The Art of Mexican Cooking From the collection of Jim Vorheis