Carnitas

(from curiosity’s recipe box)

Carnitas is delicious braised, shredded pork, equally tasty served on its own or with salsa verde (green sauce of tomatillos) and salsa roja (a good red salsa) and Mexican tortillas.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 300 minutes
Serves 4 people

Categories: Mexican, not tried

Ingredients

  • 4 or 5 pound lean boneless pork loin roast, with excess fat removed
  • 1 cup salsa verde
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Seasoned salt
  • 2 tsp Pepper

Directions

  1. Place pork roast in 9 × 14 inch pan.

  2. Rub garlic into the roast.

  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  4. Cover with salsa verde and onions.

  5. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.

  6. Bake at 300 degrees for four and a half hours, or until the roast is tender when tested with a fork.

  7. Remove roast from oven. Cool until you can comfortably touch the meat. Remove from pan and place on cutting board. Skim fat from pan juices.

  8. Using two forks, shred the pork. Remove fat from meat. When all meat is shredded, return it to the pan and mix the pan juices thoroughly into the pork.

  9. Return to oven. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until pork is crispy on top.

  10. Remove from oven. Turn pork. Return to oven and cook another 20 minutes, until pork is again crispy on top and there is almost no liquid left in the pan. Serve as suggested above.

  11. TIP: Strange as it sounds, some Mexican cooks add a bit of Coca Cola to the pork roast after it’s been in the oven 40 minutes or so. The Coke adds a sweet flavor and a golden color.

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