Beer Braised Pork Smoked Carnitas Recipe
Smoked Carnitas - delicious and easy smoked carnitas that are beer braised and packed with flavor! Perfect for a crowd!
Ingredients
Pork Shoulder + Seasoning:
- 3-4 pound pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Braising Liquid:
- 12 ounces Mexican beer
- 1 sweet yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- zest of 1 orange
- juice of 1 orange
- zest of 1 lime
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ jalapeño diced (remove seeds and membrane)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For serving:
- salsa verde
- fresh lime wedges
- cotija cheese crumbled
- fresh cilantro chopped
- quick pickled onions
- fresh homemade guacamole
- tortillas of choice
Instructions
- Smoker: Ensure grill grates are clean and set smoker to 225℉.
- Prep Pork: Place 3-4 pound pork shoulder on a large plate or platter. Pat dry with clean paper towel. Rub 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce all over, ensuring it gets into every nook and cranny. Repeat with 2 tablespoons yellow mustard.
- Season Pork: In a small bowl, combine 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Mix well. Sprinkle seasoning all over pork shoulder ensuring it is fully coated.
- First Smoke: Place pork shoulder directly on the grill grates and close the smoker. Let it cook 4-5 hours.
- Prep Braising Liquid: Meanwhile, in a deep baking dish or aluminum pan, add 12 ounces Mexican beer, 1 sweet yellow onion (diced), 4 cloves garlic (minced), zest of 1 orange, juice of 1 orange, zest of 1 lime, juice of 1 lime, ½ jalapeño (diced), 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 bay leaf and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Stir to combine.
- Braise Pork: After 4-5 hours, remove pork shoulder from the smoker and place in the pan with the braising liquid. Cover with aluminum foil and return to the smoker. Let braise 3-4 hours or until the internal temperature of the pork shoulder reaches 200-203℉.
- Crisp: Remove from smoker and let rest 30 minutes. Shred with two forks. Reserve the braising liquid and transfer the shredded pork to a baking sheet. Pour some of the braising liquid over top and then broil until meat starts to crisp a bit - just 2-3 minutes.
- Serving: Serve with a tortilla of your choice along with some fresh cilantro, cotija cheese, guacamole, lime wedges, orange wedges, or whatever sounds good! Definitely keep the braising liquid and pour a little over top your tacos if you have any left or store your leftover pork in it!
Notes
- Pork Shoulder: feel free to use a pork shoulder or pork butt.
- Spice: if you are concerned about spice feel free to omit the cayenne - the jalapeno shouldn't add much spice if you remove the seeds and white membrane, but you can omit that to if you prefer.
- Cook Time: how long your pork shoulder ultimately takes to come up to temp depends on a variety of factors such as width, humidity, hot spots, etc. Use an internal meat thermometer or probe to track your temp for best results.
- Beer: I used a Modelo, but feel free to use the beer of your choice, although a light beer generally works best here, so I wouldn't go too heavy.
- Nutrition Info: this was calculated for the carnitas & braising liquid. It will vary depending on how much braising liquid is eaten and did not include the serving ingredients because those can vary.
Nutrition
Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 1077mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @thewoodenskillet on Instagram!
