RL Reeves Jr Recipe: Oven Roasted Carnitas

I knew that I had a established myself as a deadly serious Mexican cook when I rolled into the Rio Grande Valley roughly 30 years ago and blew the minds of a couple dozen natives with my carnitas recipe.

It was a family reunion, puro la raza, and I was the only gringo there. The tias and abuelitas were gathered in the kitchen making all the tortillas, rice and beans from scratch but I had been entrusted with the carnitas.

Here’s how I became, as they put it, an honorary Mexican

RL Reeves Jr Recipe: Oven Roasted Carnitas

Ingredients

1 bone-in pork shoulder (approximately 12 lbs)

.25 cup kosher salt

.25 cup black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the salt and pepper.

Evenly sprinkle the mixture over the entire pork shoulder.

Place the shoulder fat cap side down in a hotel pan.

Roast for 7 hours, flipping the shoulder once at the 4-hour mark.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes.

Using tongs, roughly pull the meat from the bone.

Reserve the bone for stock.

With a heavy spatula, scrape the hotel pan to collect the browned bits and rendered fat.

Pour the pan scrapings and fat over the pulled pork.

Cooking notes:

I used a gas-powered oven. If your oven is electric add an hour to your cooking time. If you’re feeling adventurous. These carnitas pair well with scratch tortillas, salsa fresca, guacamole, chile con queso…the list goes on. If you have access to a few Mexican aunties and grandmas you will be that much ahead of the game.