Carnitas/Mexican Braised and Fried Pork

Braised and oven-fried pork butt….a delicious treatment of a less expensive cut of meat which results in tender, flavourful bites of crispy pork.

Though it takes a while to cook, there’s not much hands-on time required apart from the initial prep and occasional stir. The cubed pork is first braised in water with a few added components for flavour, the most unusual of which is sweetened condensed milk. Once the liquid has cooked away, the pork is "fried” in the oven in its own fat.

Though I started with fatty pork shoulder, it wasn’t quite so fatty once cubed and trimmed and though my cubes were smaller than suggested, and I omitted the additional oil/lard that the recipe called for, the pork was still moist and tender and rendered enough fat to caramelize the pieces in the oven.

I served it initially with corn tortillas and salsa (and salad) and had plans for the remainder the next day, but it mysteriously disappeared overnight......I'd say it was a hit!