Ahoy. I forgot that I did this thing a few years ago during lockdown and thought I might share some experience/cosmic intervention that've continued to create the best carnitas I've ever made.
Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/odxpjj/homemade_7_hour_smoked_carnitas/
Updates since I first tried this recipe:
-This cut was about 5 1/4 lbs after removing the bone.
-Save on time & fuel by cutting your swine slightly smaller than I did here, unless you have a rather expansive stock of oak/red oak.
-When shopping, go with fattier cuts.
-You need a good 2" of rendered fat to fry the pork in once it comes to temperature; save some trimmings and add them to the tray as needed. Also remember to flip the shoulder every so often to fry all sides.
-When covering the piggy after the first 4-5 hours, tent it loosely rather than cover.
-195F seems a lot. (I think my cheap-azz temp probe went south during this one.) Cook until a minimum 145F obviously, but make sure your oinkers spend enough time frying in their own fat & they develop a decent crust like shown.
-After resting & shredding, transfer the shreds to a separate container and baste generously with some of the remaining fat. This keeps the meat both moist and adds a ton of flavor. I've saved the remaining fat for making stuff like fried peppers, pork stew and a katsu which didn't really work out.
by dinkydeath