Pork Shank Carnitas

Pork Shank Carnitas 

A festive dish for Cinco De Mayo or any time, really!  Impress your friends and level up your taco game.  Slow and steady wins the race, so allow yourself plenty of time to slow-cook these to perfection.

Ingredients:

• 1 Smokin' Oaks Organic Farms pork shank (approx. 1.25 lb) 
• 1 white onion
• 2 jalapenos 
• 2 ¾ c orange juice
• 1 can of beer (We used gluten-free. Cheap beer is better than the fancy stuff!)
• 1 bunch cilantro 
• Salt
• Pepper

Pat shank dry with paper towel and generously apply salt and pepper to all sides. Allow to sit at room temperature for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 275 F and place rack in middle of oven.

Place pork shank in center of dutch oven or deep casserole dish (the tighter the fit the better, you want the liquid to cover the top of the meat if possible). Cut onion into quarters and jalapenos lengthwise, place close to shank. Cover shank with O.J. and beer. Place cilantro on top.

Cover with aluminum foil (heavy duty is best) and place in middle rack for 3.5 - 5 hours checking at the 1.5 hour mark and then every hour to make sure cooking is even and shank is not drying out. Once shank is done remove from oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes before pulling meat off bone. 

Yields: ~1.5 lbs of pork carnitas 

Want to make tacos?  Here are some serving suggestions for carnita pork tacos.  Simply assemble and enjoy! 

• Smokin' Oaks Organic Farms pork carnitas 
• Small corn tortillas
• Cilantro, fresh 
• Radish, sliced thin
• Lime, sliced into small wedges