Carnitas

I love carnitas and have my favorite places to get them back in San Diego.  But my Thai friends have never been too impressed with the dish.  So when I was up for Mexcian food the other night, I was not too sure what to offer.  I was planning carne asada, but since several people coming were not beef eaters, I decided to try carnitas once again as an additional dish.  I found the following recipe, which is somewhat different than what I usually try, but it turned out great, not just for me, but for each of my Thai guests.  I have two requests to make them for future parties.  So, since this went over so well with my Thai friends, I thought I would share it:

Ingredients

3 lbs pork butt or pork shoulder 

1 orange, quartered 

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 cup Pepsi, plus 

more Pepsi, as needed 

3/4 cup oil or shortening 

Fuego spice mix yields 1 cup use 1T

1/4 cup paprika 

2 teaspoons cayenne 

2 tablespoons salt 

2 teaspoons white pepper 

2 tablespoons ground black pepper 

2 tablespoons garlic granules 

2 tablespoons chili powder 

2 tablespoons oregano 

Agua Negra Marinade yields 3 1/4 cups use 1 cup

1 cup soy sauce 

2 cups pineapple juice 

2 tablespoons cumin 

2 teaspoons garlic, minced 

1/4 cup fresh lime juice 

Directions

1   Fuego spice mix (recipe# 66927): Combine all ingredients, mixing well.

2   Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

3   Agua Negra Marinade (recipe# 66927): combine all ingredients with a whisk.

4   Stores in the refrigerator for 2 days.

5   Carnitas: Trim away excess fat from pork and cut into 3 inch cubes.

6   Dust meat with Fuego spice mix and press to adhere well.

7   Squeeze juice from oranges into an airtight nonreactive container, add peels, garlic,pepper, pepsi and            Aqua Negra marinade- mix to combine well.

8   Add seasoned meat and refrigerate overnight.

9   Remove meat from the marinade (reserve marinade) the next day when you are ready to cook.

10  Heat oil/shortening in a large heavy skillet over high heat until fat is smoking; add pork and brown                completely on all sides- about 15 minutes.

11  Add reserved marinade and simmer for about 2 hours or until pork is tender and dark brown- add additional      Pepsi as needed while cooking to keep meat covered.

12  Remove meat and chop into 3/4 inch pieces.

I cut thsi recipe in half, and I did not have time to marinate it overnight, but it still worked out great.