Carnitas is one of my family's favorite recipes, and an awesome way to add some distinctive flavors to pulled pork. Cooking it sous vide guarantees perfect results while eliminating the stress level of cooking it. Smoking it after adds a wonderful smokey flavor that everyone will love. It also is so versatile, as you can use it for so many different dishes.
Ingredients:
8-10 pound Pork Shoulder
1 Onion
1 Orange
2-3 Limes
Carnitas Seasonings:
2 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander
Mix together the Salt, Garlic Powder, Cumin, Oregano and Coriander in a bowl. Season all sides of the Pork with the mixture, making sure to save at least half of the Seasoning for later. Chop up the Onion and slice the Orange and Limes.
Carefully place the Pork in a vacuum sealer bag. If you don't have expansible bags you can also cut the pork into pieces. Add the Onion and Orange into to bag and vacuum seal.
Sous Vide cook the Pork at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 36-48 hours. Make sure the Pork stays below the water line, so get creative with objects to use to weigh it down. Also for such a long cook you need to cover the container, as the water will evaporate.
When the Pork is done remove from the sous vide bath. Shock Chill the Pork by removing the vacuum bag with the Pork, and placing it in a large enough container with some cold water and then top it with Ice. Place in your refrigerator for at least a few hours to several days if you wish.
Remove the Pork from the bag and make sure to save the liquid. Now re-season the Pork with the remaining seasoning, Now slowly smoke the Pork backup to the original sous vide temperature of 150 degrees. Use a light wood, like Apple or Cherry. Smoke at a low temperature, anywhere from 150-225 degrees. The goal is to allow enough time for the Pork to absorb some smoke. Remove when it reaches temperature.
Shred the Pork and add the saved liquid back into the meat for flavor and moisture. Now serve as you like in tacos, burritos or nachos. Any leftovers are easy to freeze for later. Enjoy!
Watch my video below where I show you how to make this recipe step by step.