Cast Iron Carnitas

Leftover carnitas freeze well and are great in breakfast hashes, burritos, grain bowls, and more.

If you want to make a smaller batch of carnitas, halve the recipe, using 3 pounds of pork belly.

If you can’t find skin-on pork shoulder or belly, your carnitas will still be delicious, but the skin adds lots of collagen and body to the finished product, giving you that slightly stick, cling-to-your-lips texture.

Dry the pork shoulder and season all over with salt. Melt the lard in a large saucepan, Dutch oven, or 6-quart pressure cooker. Add the pork belly, lard, onion, orange, Coca-Cola, chiles, cumin, and 3 tablespoons salt. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 4 hours, or until very tender and easily shredded with a fork (if using a pressure cooker, cook on high for 90 minutes). Let cool, then pour off the fat, reserving 1 cup of lard for crisping the pork (by all means, save the leftover lard for another use). Discard the pork skin, bone, and aromatics.

Add the reserved lard to a No.8 (10 ¼) cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Transfer the pork to the pan. Using a metal spatula, separate the pork into large chunks across the grain, flattening the meat to ensure good contact with the skillet for a crispy sear. Season with salt. Cook the pork, using the spatula to cut the larger pieces into smaller ones until you end up with small chunks of shredded, crispy pork, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve the carnitas with tortillas and your desired toppings.