Smoked Carnitas
Ingredients and Necessities
- 8–10 lb pork butt
- 1 Mexican Coca-Cola (IMPORTANT: Mexican Coke is crafted with cane sugar, the american stuff won't do)
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 orange
- 1 lime
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 5 bay leaves
- Oregano
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Papper
- 1 or 2 xtra large ziploc bags (dependant on pork butt size)
Step 1
Trim the fat cap and chop pork butt into 4 equal quarters.
Peel and separate orange slices.
Quarter lime.
Mince the garlic cloves.
Dice the onion.
Step 2
Place pork butt quarters, Mexican Coca-Cola, condensed milk, onion, garlic, and bay leaves into ziploc bags. Squeeze the orange and lime, and toss those in as well. Zip closed and seal.
Toss the bags around to mix, and place them in the refridgerator to marinade for at least 12 hours. Try not to let them marinade for longer than 16 hours as the condensed milk and sugars will begin to break down the meat.
Step 3
Remove pork from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Discard extra marinade.
Step 4
Create a seasoning mix of equal parts, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and chilli powder.
Season all sides of the pork butt quarters with your seasoning mix.
Step 5
Prepare smoker at 250°F.
Step 6
Place the pork butt quarters on the cooking grate.
Smoke for 3 to 4 hours, until you have reached an internal temp of 150° and a bark has formed on the pork.
Step 7
Wrap pork in at least 2 layers of tin foil. Place back in smoker to tenderize.
Continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 210°.
Step 8
Remove the pork butt from the grill and rest for at least 15 minutes before pulling.