I know traditional carnitas are cooked in lard then braised, but this is terrible for a person’s diet, and in the summer I don’t want to heat the oven or braising pot for hours just a common sense thing. This grill prepared recipe has to be better for you, and keeps the heat out of the house.
This recipe is all about complex and intense flavor because, most of the time, that is what I like. You can dial back the number of flavor ingredients easily for your own palate and your own refrigerator! I just happened to have all of these ingredients on hand and I tend to go a little overboard. Carnitas are so wholesome, home-style tasting, and well just fantastic.
HOW TO | Make Pork Shoulder Carnitas on the Grill
CARNITAS ON THE GRILL 🔗
The main reason I posted this is that I found virtually no recipes for using the grill to make carnitas. I know traditional carnitas are cooked in lard then braised, but this is terrible for a persons diet. Also, in the summer I dont want to heat the oven or braising pot for hours just a common sense thing. This grill prepared recipe has to be better for you, and keeps the heat out of the house.
Carnitas are so wholesome, home-style tasting and well just fantastic. This recipe is all about complex and intense flavor because most of the time that is what I like. You can dial back the number of flavor ingredients easily for your own palette and your own refrigerator! I just happened to have all of these ingredients on hand and I tend to go a little overboard.
Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 to 3-lb round rump roast or other roasting beef
- Cut in to 2″ chunks, tenderize with spiked mallet, then tenderize with needler.
- (Could use pork butt or other roast. If so you wont need as much tenderizing and probably less cooking time. Omit lemon juice and vinegar from marinade).
- Marinade:
- 2-tbls brown sugar
- ¼ cup tequila
- ¼ cup Marsala or sherry
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup franks hot sauce
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon juice from concentrate
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1-tbl coarse black pepper
- 1-tbl dried minced onion
- 1-tbl dried cilantro
- 1-tsp granulated garlic
- *Mix all ingredients thoroughly
- Braising liquid:
- 1-large onion sliced and rough chopped
- ½ cup hot peppers (jalapeños, Serrano, etc.) diced
- 2-stalks celery finely chopped
- 2-Tbl minced garlic or to taste
- 1-tbl double-concentrated tomato paste
- Juice of ¼ lime or more if you like
- 1-14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes
- 1-tbl paprika
- 1-tsp dried oregano
- Dash cumin
- 1-Tbl chili powder
- 1-tsp dried cilantro or fresh
- 1tbl Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
Instruction:
Preparation
Place meat in plastic bag, pour marinade over meat, squeeze out most air, squish around to be sure marinade reaches all meat and seal, place in fridge, marinate 4 hours disturbing and squeezing bag once in a while to circulate marinade. Pre-heat grill. Remove meat from marinade and place on hot grill. Discard marinade. Grill meat chunks to sear, caramelize and create grill marks and place in ½ size food service foil pan, grill safe baking dish of appropriate size, or as a last resort a foil pouch well made from heavy duty foil (be careful, there’s a lot of liquid). For braising liquid; in skillet on stove or on side burner sauté onion, celery, peppers and garlic adding garlic last so not to burn. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and ladle/pour brazing liquid over grilled meat in pan. Cover with foil and Place on grill. Cook with indirect heat at low (225 F) temperature for 2-1/2 to 4 hours until meat is to desired tenderness. Check progress after an hour or so, then every ½ hour and turn meat once ½-2/3 through cooking. Meat should fall apart with just a light poke of a fork. Remove foil cover a half-hour or so before removing from grill to thicken braising sauce. Serve meat in tortillas or with Spanish rice, or any way you want! I like to serve in a way that allows me to use the braising liquid, which is very good. Chilled gazpacho serves very well with carnitas as a side dish.
FAQ
Why do you add milk to carnitas?
The beer gives the pork another layer of flavor, and the cinnamon, which goes so well with pork, adds warm, earthy tones. The milk acts as a tenderizer, a secret I learned while growing up watching dad make his carnitas, which, by the way, were always exceptionally tender.
What is the best meat to use for carnitas?
If using a rub, you’ll need to apply the rub the night before and refrigerate it. A general rule for barbecued pork is to cook it at approximately 215°F to 225°F for 90 minutes per pound.
How long does it take to grill pulled pork?
Due to the higher fat content of pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), which helps the meat stay extremely tender and juicy while it cooks, carnitas, the Mexican version of pulled pork, are typically made with this cut of meat.