Smoked Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Upgrade your favorite tacos, nachos and enchiladas with these tender smoked carnitas! Pork shoulder is cooked low and slow on the smoker and then finished in a citrusy braise until it transforms into melt-in-your-mouth shredded meat. These pork carnitas are perfect for serving a large crowd, and you will get so many uses out of this one recipe.

Carnitas translates to “little meats” in Spanish. Essentially, this is a Mexican pulled pork that braises in citrus, seasonings and lard until the meat becomes fork tender. 

With this smoked carnitas recipe, we take a slightly different approach. We first smoke the pork to infuse it with that wood flavor, and then we finish it in a lard-based braise like traditional carnitas. The end result is the most succulent, flavorful shredded pork you’ll want to use in all your favorite Mexican dishes — get ready for the best pork tacos of your life.

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Pork

Smoked Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Cooking Method: Roasting, Smoking Cuisine: Mexican Cuisine Catagory: Ethnic, Grilling / Smoking, Pork Recipe Keys: Behrmann Meats

Description

Upgrade your favorite tacos, nachos and enchiladas with these tender smoked carnitas! Pork shoulder is cooked low and slow on the smoker and then finished in a citrusy braise until it transforms into melt-in-your-mouth shredded meat. These pork carnitas are perfect for serving a large crowd, and you will get so many uses out of this one recipe.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 7 pound 7-8 pork shoulder specifically the butt cut
• 4 limes juiced
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup melted lard
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 yellow ▢ onion cut into wedges

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the spices to make the dry rub. Evenly rub the spices all over the pork, including the top, bottom and sides. You won't need the entire dry rub. Reserve what you don't use for step 3. If possible, cover the pork with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to dry brine for juicier, more flavorful meat.
2. Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before smoking and let it sit at room temperature. Meanwhile, bring the smoker to 225 degrees F. Place the pork directly on the grilled grates with a water pan and insert a leave-in thermometer into the thickest part of the pork without touching the bone. Close the lid and smoke the pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about five to six hours.
3. Increase the smoker temperature to 275 degrees F, remove the pork and let it rest for 30 minutes. Cut it into several evenly sized chunks. If the pork has a bone, simply cut around the bone. In a large aluminum pan, whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, melted lard and reserved dry rub. Add the bay leaves and onion quarters to the juices and place the pork chunks on top with the bark facing up.
4. Cover the pan with foil and pinch the edges to seal. Smoke again until it reaches an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees F or you can easily twist the pork with a fork, about three hours.
5. Remove the pork from the smoker and keep it in the aluminum pan but loosen the foil so that it's more tenting the meat rather than tightly covering it. Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes but preferably 60 minutes, allowing the juice to redistribute to the meat. After resting, move the pork to a cutting board and use two forks or meat claws to shred the meat. If you'd like to crisp up the pork bark, spread the pork on a baking sheet and broil for two to three minutes, though this step is optional. Enjoy!

Note

• Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for three to four days or freeze for up to three months for the best quality.
• When you add the lard to cold orange juice, it might solidify a bit, but it will melt again once it’s back in the smoker. 
• A proper braise should have the cooking liquid come about halfway up the meat. If you’re low, feel free to add more liquid or remove some if it’s too high and fully covers the meat.