WILD BOAR CARNITAS

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This Wild Hog Carnitas recipe may just be the most popular shredded pork dish in my household, outside of smoked pulled pork, and for good reason. It’s fatty, crispy, rich, and just enough citrus twang to balance everything out. You’ll often find, depending on where you dine on this delicious swine, the flavors can vary from place to place. The cooking techniques and ingredients may change, but the final product yields crispy, golden brown pork with popping citrus notes. 

Some recipes call for cola, orange juice and even sweetened condensed milk, with their main purpose being to aid in the browning of the pork due to their sugar content. While I’ve found that these sweet liquids do add to the flavor profile, they aren’t necessary. One thing that I like to do with every batch is to add orange peels to the cooking mixture to add some brightness to the flavors. And at the end, I hit it with some fresh lime juice while it's crisping up in the pan for some extra acidity.

Cooks Tips:

• Slow Cooker Carnitas: You can use your crockpot for this recipe by cooking the pork shoulder on the low setting for around 8 to 10 hours with the lid on. Simply follow the cooking directions using your slow cooker until you reach step number 7, where you will be using a skillet to crispy the meat after it has been shredded.

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Servings: 3 to 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Oven Cook Time: 2 to 3 hours

Slow Cooker Cook Time: Around 8 hours on the low setting.

INGREDIENTS

For the Braised Pork

• One 3 to 4-pound wild hog shoulder, cut into 3 equal pieces

• ¼ cup orange juice

• ¼ cup lime juice

• ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk (optional)

• ½ cup lager beer

• 5 cloves

• 10 allspice berries

• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)

• 1 onion, chopped

• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled

• Salt and pepper 

For Finishing the Carnitas

• ¼ cup rendered pork for (or other high smoke point cooking oil)

• 1 onion, thinly sliced

• 1 to 2 Fresh limes

• Chopped fresh cilantro

• Salt and black pepper to taste
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Place the pork into a large baking dish or Dutch oven. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper.

3. Place the remaining braising ingredients into the vessel. (If you used fresh limes and oranges for the juice, add the rinds). If the liquid is not covering the meat up to the halfway mark, add enough water to do so.

4. Cover the cooking vessel with a lid or aluminum foil. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Check the pork for tenderness by poking with a fork. If the fork easily penetrates the pork, remove it from the oven. If it is still tough, cover and cook for another 45 minutes and check for tenderness. Repeat as needed.

5. When tender, remove the lid/foil and let the meat rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes in its cooking liquid. (At this point the pork can be placed in the refrigerator for up to 3 days).

6. Remove the pork from the cooking vessel and place into a large bowl or platter. Discard the cooking liquid and solids. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it apart into large pieces. 

7. Heat the fat/cooking in a large heavy heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once it starts to shimmer, carefully add the pork, followed by the onions.

8. Let the meat cook on one side until it crisps up to a nicely browned color (this can take between 1 to 3 minutes). 

9. Turn off the heat to the stove. Carefully flip the pork over to the other side. Add cilantro and lime juice to your liking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more lime juice and cilantro to your tastes.

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Looking for other wild boar recipes? These are a some of my favorites:

Wild Boar Maple Breakfast Sausage

Mexican Style Beer Braised Wild Boar Roast

Wild Boar Cured Lonza

Lastly, if you make this easy Wild Boar Carnitas Recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you've made.