Delicious!!!!

Prissy, my oldest daughter, loves to cook and this past weekend she made Carnitas from a recipe she found on one of the blogs I recommended.  She says this recipe is delicious...so I wanted to share it with you today!!  Enjoy!!

Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas)                                                     
recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated June 20081    

Ingredients:
4-pound boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
juice of 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange, halved and juice (seeds removed)

Preparation:
Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Add all the ingredients in a Dutch oven and heat the ingredients until they begin to simmer, stirring to combine the spices and meat. Cover the pot and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour, take a peek and give the pot a stir to turn the meat. Put the lid back on and let it continue to bake in the oven for another hour. A bit of patience is needed, but you'll definitely be rewarded!

After 2 hours of baking time, remove the pot from oven. Remove the bay leasves, onion and orange rinds from the pot and discard. Place the pork in a bowl and set aside. Place the pot on the stovetop and let the remaining liquid come to a boil. Let it boil until it thickens up and is reduced to about 1 cup.

Turn oven to broil and lower racks to near the bottom of the oven. In the bowl, pull each piece of pork in half using two forks. Pour the reduced liquid over the pork and add salt and pepper to taste. Place the coated pieces of pork on a wireor cooling rack set on a baking sheet. Broil the meat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side until well browned. You can pull the pork further if you want and then serve immediately in warm tortillas. Garnish with salsa, cheese, etc as you'd like.

To make ahead/freezer meal - Place all ingredients in a gallon sized freezer bag, seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost and follow the directions as written above.

Prissy also made fresh Pico de Gallo to top off the Carnitas!!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:                                                                                             

• 1 1/2 cups seeded, diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon diced jalapenos
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Refrigerate.