My Carnitas Experiment

I watched the Taco Chronicles on Netflix and got all inspired. I also remember a post here about smoking beef cheeks and then finishing them in brisket fat - essentially using confit to finish the dish. 
My reasoning about carnitas is that the pork is usually fried in the beginning to start the cooking and add some color and flavoring, then heat is reduced and the pork is essentially cooked confit until fall apart tender. So the goal of this cook was to smoke the pork shoulder for a while to add color and flavor to the meat. Then I’ll move the pork to my copper pot and slow cook it in lard until it’s done. 
I plan to make a roasted tomatillo salsa in the wood oven. Later I’ll crisp the cooked pork in the oven before I make tacos. Somewhere in there I’ll make tortillas...
Saturday funday...

I cut the pork in different sizes on purpose. I wanted to see the difference in the flavor profile and how quickly they cooked.

Then I got the pork on the egg to let some goodness happen. 



I took some time to split a little firewood and get the wood oven cranked up before it got too hot outside. 

My carnitas pot is clean and standing by...

I really don’t know how long any of this will take. I have leftovers in the fridge, plenty of beer, and time though so it’s all good. 

I decided to make the salsa while the meat was still smoking. 


Just roasted all the veggies then added S&P, and lime until I liked the taste. I’ll add cilantro when it cools. 

I pulled the meat off the egg when it hit about 160-165 in most places.

I got the lard warming up while I cut the pork into smaller pieces. 

The seasonings are simple. 1/2 a can of sweetened condensed milk, two oranges (squeezed then add the rind), garlic, a Coke with cane sugar, and bay leaves. I added a bit of salt also. 

I threw all this in the pot and I’m trying to hold the temp of the oil at about 190-200 degrees. 

Ok y’all - this is to die for. The meat just melts in your mouth. My wife even gave me that rare look that told me she was pleasantly surprised by the taste. 

I let the meat rest and made tortillas.

I put some of the meat in a skillet and popped it in the wood oven to crisp up the edges a bit. 

And here’s the final product. 

This cook took all day but I had a blast. The results were worth the effort in my opinion. The biggest surprise was how easy it was to maintain the temperature of the simmering lard in the copper pot. I held the temp between 195 and 205 with little effort. I just checked on it about every 20 minutes or so. I’ve got plenty to vacuum seal and freeze for later. 
Thank y’all that stayed all the way through this pile of pics until the end. 

Edit: And I washed it down with a cold Lone Star beer...