Two words: pressure cooker! Braising for the impatient! This is a pressure cooker recipe, but it would work just fine in the regular oven (350ºF for 1 hour per pound should do it). Also note that this recipe does NOT cook the meat in lard, which is traditional carnitas. I find the flavour to be just as good and of course, not NEARLY as fatty. This recipe is NOT written for lard! No substitutions!
2-3# Pork roast (tenderloin is good or shoulder if you can find one small enough)
Dry Rub (Garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, ancho powder, cumin, coriander and hot paprika is mine. Equal parts.)
1 large onion, 1″ pcs
1 HEAD garlic (10-12 cloves), cracked, not cut up
1 can pineapple chunks IN JUICE not syrup
1 can mandarin oranges IN JUICE not syrup
1 small can ranchera sauce **use half if you are sensitive to spice! (Herdez makes one – look in International aisle.)
2/3 bottle of beer
salt and pepper
Rinse and DRY the pork. Cut into large chunks. Put on rub and let stand while you do the veg prep.
For Pressure cooker: Cover the bottom of the pressure cooker with olive oil and brown the chunks on all sides. Remove pork and put in the insert for meats (or use a metal steamer if your cooker does not have an insert). Put the roast back in and add the veg, fruits with juice, beer and just a little salt and pepper. Close the cooker and bring to pressure on HI. When pressure is reached, set your timer for 40 minutes. Let the cooker depressurize naturally.
For oven: Preheat oven to 350F. Brown meat in oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven. Add veg, fruit w/ juice, beer and a little S/P. Cook covered at 350 for one hour per each pound of meat. 3# = 3 hours. Remove the cover for the last 45 mins of baking time.
When done, remove roast, let cool and pull apart. Strain liquid from the veg/fruit sauce and put over pulled pork. Use the soft veg/fruit sauce on the pork when you serve it.
I served the lovely carnitas with yellow rice and black beans. Fetzer Gurwerztraminer was awesome with this.