Looking for a Smoker (cooked in a smoker) Carnitas recipe.

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redwood carlos

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Mar 12, 2013
369
29
Redwood City, Ca
Hey all, I have been looking and looking for a recipe to make carnitas on a smoker. Does anyone have a good recipe to follow?

Here is what I am thinking:

I was thinking rub a butt and rest with cumin corriander garlic and onion powders. Then cooking in a foil pan, and adding warm orange juice and coke at the stall and foiling. Take to 190 IT Then rested. Pull out and chopped then fried up in the fat separated from the foiling juice. 

What do you all think? Any and all suggestions are welcomed.
 
I buy carnitas chunks at my local store (basically left over trimmings), put them in a pan, chop up 1 onion, 1 bellpepper, about 1/2 a C of chopped cillantro, toss in a few cloves of garlic, sprinkle with salt, then cover with a can of El Pato enchilada sauce. Get the smoker running around 250° with some mesquite and put the pan in. Stir it every two hours and cook till the meat shreds when poked with a fork (usually about 5-6 hrs). Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and veggies, reserve and de-fat the juices for serving.

Pile some meat and veggies into a corn tortilla, dribble a little of the juices on it, hit it with a squeeze of lime, pile on a few slices of pickled jalapeno, and enjoy!
 
The Duck enchilada sauce is what I use for my chile verde. I used to make my own sauce for making that but one day in the store I looked at the ingredient list on the El Pato, and it was almost identical to what I was spending hours making. Then I tried it and it tasted just like what I was making. Good Stuff!!

I am looking for a more authentic Carnita flavor and mouth feel though. Maybe topping with a green sauce on the final product, but not simmering in green sauce (which makes it chile verde).
 
If me I would start here. Not sure how authentic it is, but a start.......

Mak a rub with
Salt, pepper, garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, oregano and orange zest

Smoke till stall

Foil liquid
Orange juice and beer ( I use a lighter color beer like Miller Lite, less bitter tasting)

While the meat is smoking throw some jalapeños in at the same time. Make a chimichurri with them to toss the finished meat with when doing the final seasoning just before service.


Basically what you were thinking with a bit of ingredient change here and there.........

The last Throwdown I did basically the same thing and stuffed the meat in a grilled pablano, topped with Mexican melting cheese, broiled till golden brown and served a red mole on the side....
 
The last Throwdown I did basically the same thing and stuffed the meat in a grilled pablano, topped with Mexican melting cheese, broiled till golden brown and served a red mole on the side....
I saw that it looked awesome.

I am just thinking I could make pulled pork BBQ and Carnitas at the same time during the same smoke. You know the whole 2 birds one stone thing.

Beer huh? I know a bit about that subject...
 
I saw that it looked awesome.

I am just thinking I could make pulled pork BBQ and Carnitas at the same time during the same smoke. You know the whole 2 birds one stone thing.

Beer huh? I know a bit about that subject...


Thank you. I had fun doing it. Never made a mole from scratch before.

I am with you on killing multiple birds. I try to do as many things as I can at the same time when I fire up the smoke house. Figure it takes the same time to cook 1 shoulder as it does 7, just a little more prep time..... I would say you could do both and have no issues.

I love cooking with beer. Not a big drinker of it. I prefer tequila......
 
Has anyone seen the hot and fast Pork butt thread? I have the meat on now, butt (lol) I wanted to try a hot and fast method. Not sure who posted that. Links please. : )

Here she is waiting to go in. SPOG, cumin, whole dried oregano hand crumbled, orange zest, diced garlic on top and orange slices around the rim with a cup of coca cola in the pan.

 
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