Beer-Braised Carnitas

From the kitchen of Carly

Pork shoulder melts into shreds in a pot of lager and toasted chiles, then crisps up as the braising liquid evaporates. Deep, savory, and beer-soaked, these carnitas have serious flavor without the traditional lard.

Prep
n/a
Cook
n/a
Total
n/a
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 12 dried New Mexico or guajillo chiles
  • 14 pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 2" pieces
  • 112 ounce lager (such as Modelo Especial or Budweiser)
  • 14 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 14 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Toast chiles in a dry large heavy pot over medium heat until slightly puffed and lightly darkened on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from pot; let cool. Stem chiles and halve lengthwise; discard seeds.

  2. Bring chiles, pork, beer, garlic, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in same pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pork is fork-tender, 60-80 minutes.

  3. Uncover pork; simmer until liquid evaporates and pork begins to brown, 20-25 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot, until pork is shredded and browned, 10-15 minutes.

  4. Add 1 cup water to pork; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, for about 1 minute. DO AHEAD: Carnitas can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill. Reheat with 1/2 cup water in a covered pot, adding more water if needed to keep pork moist.