Homemade Chipotle-Style Carnitas

Name: Homemade Chipotle-Style Carnitas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 4 lb pork shoulder, cubed; 2 tbsp oil; 6 garlic cloves, smashed; 3 bay leaves; 1 tbsp thyme; 1 tsp juniper berries (optional); 2 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp salt; Juice of 2 limes; 2 cups water

Prep 20 min Cook 3 hrCopycat favoritesMediumServes 8

Braised pork with bay, thyme and juniper — the clean, savory carnitas you know from the burrito line.

Ingredients

4 lb pork shoulder, cubed
2 tbsp oil
6 garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp juniper berries (optional)
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
Juice of 2 limes
2 cups water

Instructions

1
Season pork with salt and pepper and sear in oil until browned in batches.
2
Add garlic, bay leaves, thyme, juniper and water to the pot.
3
Cover and braise at 300F for 3 hours, until the pork is fully tender.
4
Shred the pork coarsely and remove the bay leaves.
5
Reduce the braising liquid, then toss it back through the meat with lime juice.
6
Crisp under the broiler for a few minutes if you like browned edges.