Beer-Braised Carnitas
Tender pork shoulder braised in lager beer with dried chiles and garlic, slowly cooked until the meat is fall-apart tender and beautifully browned. This Mexican-style pulled pork is perfect for tacos, burritos, or any Mexican dish.
Ingredients
- •2 whole dried New Mexico or guajillo chiles
- •4 pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 2" pieces
- •12 ounce lager (such as Modelo Especial or Budweiser)
- •4 cloves garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- •4 teaspoons kosher salt
Cooking 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.
5 min
- 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.
80 min
- 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.
40 min
- 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.
5 min
