WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Spanish for “little meats,” carnitas— Mexico’s version of pulled pork—offers fall-apart-tender hunks of pork with lightly crisped, caramelized exteriors. Traditionally, the flavor of the pork takes
center stage, subtly accented by earthy oregano and sour orange. The chunks of meat are often deep-fried in lard or oil, but this method is impractical and messy at home. We were able to replicate deep-fried taste and texture by braising the pork in a small amount of liquid, then reducing the liquid into a syrupy glaze and incorporating it back into the meat. Broiling the glazed pork pieces on a rack not only crisped the exterior, but also allowed the excess fat to drip off, preventing a greasy final dish. For the finishing touch, we refined our cooking liquid’s flavors with a mixture of lime and orange juices (which emulated the flavor of sour oranges), along with bay leaves, cumin, and oregano. Adding the spent orange halves to the braising liquid deepened the orange flavor and offered subtle floral
notes. This pork also tastes great as a topping for Tostadas, Sopes, Gorditas, and Panuchos or as a filling for Tamales. Boneless pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Serve with chopped onion, diced avocado, and thinly sliced radish.

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (3½-to 4-pound) boneless pork butt roast, fat cap trimmed to ⅛ inch thick and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 cups water
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup fresh orange juice, spent orange halves reserved
• 18–24 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine pork, water, onion, lime juice, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Add orange juice and spent orange halves to pot.
3. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
5. Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil.
6. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; discard orange halves, onion, and bay leaves (do not skim fat from liquid).
7. Being careful of hot pot handles, place pot over high heat and simmer braising liquid, stirring often, until thick and syrupy, 8 to 12 minutes; you should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
8. Transfer pork to cutting board and pull each piece in half using 2 forks.
9. Return pork to bowl, fold in reduced liquid, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.
11. Broil pork until well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp on both sides, 10 to 16 minutes, flipping meat halfway through broiling.
12. Serve with warm tort