Recipe - Smoked Carnitas

6 pound Pork butt
1 lg Onion; minced
4 tablespoon Ground New Mexican chile
1 tablespoon Cumin seed; roasted and
ground
2 teaspoon Granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Dry oregano
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black pepper
To cover water

Smoke the pork butt with your favorite wood at a low temperature for about
three hours. You might even consider boning it and cutting it in two
pieces. The idea here is to get the smoke flavor and NOT to cook it till it
is tender. Once you think you have plenty of smoke on the butt, transfer it
to a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high
heat. Reduce the heat to a hard simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for
about 2 hours. When stirring, stir hard, trying to break the pork up. When
the water is gone, but there is still plenty of moisture, the pork is done.

NOTES : This is excellent meat for use in tacos. To make tacos, heat two
small corn tortillas on a hot plate. Fill hot tortilla with some of the
carnitas. Add a big spoonful of freshly made Pico De Gallo and your
favorite salsa or hot sauce. The tacos should be eaten on a double
tortilla. The inside tortilla soaks up all the juices, while the outside
tortilla stays dry so you can handle it without making a mess. The smoked
carnitas would also be great as a filling for taquitos.
Recipe by: Kurt Lucas

Posted to bbqdigest V5 #781 by Kurt Lucas kurtl@navicom.com on Dec 22,
1997