Carnitas is a shredded pork common in Mexican cuisine. The pork is slow cooked for a long time with garlic and herbs. It's similar to pulled pork, but the flavors are a lot lighter and more aromatic than the typically heavy and sweet barbecue sauce that accompanies American pulled pork. You might be most familiar with this as an option at Chipotle.

I usually start with this recipe, which is pretty decent. However, the original recipe doesn't sear the meat at all. Searing is the best way to get great flavors from a piece of meat, so I added those steps.

Ingredients

• 3 lb boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 sprigs rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)

Directions

1. Using a fork, poke holes all over the pork shoulder. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. In a pan on medium-high, sear the pork for 2-3 minutes undisturbed on each side. If the cut of pork has a fat cap, sear that side first to render the fat for use with the other sides. If not, you can add a small amount of cooking oil.
3. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium-low. You should have a decent amount of browned bits (sucs) on the pan.
4. Pour a small amount of the chicken broth (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup) in the pan to deglaze. Using a spatula, scrape off all the browned bits so they dissolve into the broth (makes a fond). Turn off the heat.
5. Rub the garlic on the seared pork.
6. Place the pork in a slow cooker. Add the chicken broth fond from the pan, the remaining chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, lemon juice, and rosemary on top.
7. Cook on low all day.
8. Shred the pork with two forks. I like to shred and keep it in the liquid so it doesn't dry out.
9. Serve on tortillas, tacos, nachos, a burrito, or even just rice.