• 3lb boneless pork butt (with a healthy layer of fat)
• Seasoning:
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. Dave’s Smoked Habanero Powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 onion, cut into big chunks
• 2 limes, halved
• 1 quart chicken stock (or more as needed)
• kosher salt

Begin by cutting your pork butt into big, 2″ chunks. Do NOT remove the beautiful layer of fat that surrounds your pork. Meat cooked in its own fat is the best thing you will ever eat. That is a fact, not an opinion. I’m serious.

Do not fear the fat! You can remove the pork from its fatty cooking liquid AFTER it is done cooking and hide the evidence, bury it in the yard, do what you have to do to sleep at night.  But this IS the MOST important element of creating juicy, tender carnitas instead of dry, stringy carnitas.

Completely coat all of your chunks with the seasoning; and if you have the time, let it sit, seasoned, in your fridge overnight. If you don’t have that kind of time, skip that step

Dutch Oven Method (my preferred method):

Coat the bottom of your dutch oven with canola oil and sear the pork chunks on all sides, turning often so the spices don’t burn, about 4-5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, limes and just enough stock to cover the pork by about 1″. Put a lid on it. Bake in a 275 degree oven for 3-4 hours. You should be able to pull pork chunks apart easily with two forks.

Crock-Pot Method:

Put seasoned pork, onion, garlic, and limes in crock pot. Add the stock-just enough to cover the pork by about 1″. Cook on low for 6 hours.You should be able to pull pork chunks apart easily with two forks.

For Both Methods:

Remove pork from its cooking liquid but reserve 1 cup of the liquid. Shred into bite size pieces with two forks. Drizzle pieces with a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid and sprinkle with a little bit of kosher salt. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the pork. Cook until it has lots of brown, crispy edges. Or spread pork evenly on a sheet pan and broil on low until it gets golden and crunchy bits throughout.  Serve with Tortillas, pico de gallo, lime wedges, and avocado slices.