This past weekend we enjoyed having our Godson, Devin, visit us from the Midwest. He's a recent Navy graduate and his BFF, Jeff, joined him here--at our home-- for some well deserved fun in the sun.
Venice Beach, California April 19, 2010
I knew they'd be hungry, so I decided to make Pork Carnitas.
They're simple to prepare and on the off chance you manage to have any leftovers, those are fantastic as well. (We didn't)
If you don't want to spend the money to buy a bottle of brandy for this recipe, just stop at a liquor store and get the airline size bottle for a dollar, the flavor is really good. In a pinch, you can omit it altogether.
3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 Tablespoon oil
2 cups (or more) water
1 - 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¼ cup brandy
Fresh tortillas
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
In a Dutch oven, or deep skillet, brown pork shoulder on all sides in hot oil.
Add 2 cups water, orange juice, garlic, salt, and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until pork is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 45 minutes. (You will want the pot to simmer very gently, not boil rapidly, which will make the meat tough. )
Add more water ¼ cup at a time if necessary to keep the pork partially submerged in liquid.
When the pork is tender, uncover and then increase the heat and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the brandy and boil until liquid evaporates and meat browns and begins to get crisp, stirring often, about 15-20 minutes.
Cool the meat slightly and pile into fresh tortillas. Ole~!
