Smoked Carnitas

Let's change it up a little bit and try something different. Smoked Carnitas- sounds like an oxymoron right? This recipe combines a traditional Carnitas dish with an untraditional technique and your Family and Friends will be asking for this meal every time they come over. The makings of great carnitas Ingredients: 4lbs of boneless pork shoulder (boston butt) 6oz of orange soda GMG sizzle rub Cumin 4 bay leafs 10oz of lard (shortening will also work) Directions: Step 1- Cut your pork into fist size chunks, and season liberally with GMG sizzle rub and cumin (set aside for 10 min). Heat lard in a large skillet for frying. Place pork carefully in pan giving enough room for each piece. Fry for 3 min on each side or until the outside of the pork is crisp and golden brown. Frying Carnitas Step 2- Place your fried pork in a tin tray or casserole pan and place uncovered into your smoker set at 240. Smoke for 1 hour. Just a kiss of smoke on the GMG Step 3- Remove your tray of pork carefully, add orange soda over the pork and  re-season the pork lightly with GMG sizzle rub. Add the bay leafs to the top of the pork and cover in foil. Return to smoker for 3 to 4 hours. Start checking after 3 and remove when pork is fork tender and starts to shred. Adding the final ingredients Step 4- Let the pork cool slightly.  Shred into large chunks, removing excess fat . Add 2 tablespoons of liquid from the pan to the shredded pork and Enjoy! This Carnitas is great over rice and is perfect for tacos and burritos. Note: I get a lot of questions about the kind of pellets you can use with a recipe. Keep in mind that a recipe is just an outline. Some you need to follow closely like when you are making bread, but most you can do anything you can dream, our favorite way to cook. Feel free to mix and match the pellets until you find a combination you really like. Also you are only smoking at temps less than 250 degrees, anything higher is cooking and there will not be much if any smoke so it does not matter what kind of pellet you are using. About Our Recipes The important thing to keep in mind is TIME & TEMPERATURE. You can even do some of them in the oven or crock pot, but, then you lose all the flavors you get from cooking outdoors. But sometimes it does rain. Remember that a recipe is simply an outline; it is not written in stone. Don’t be afraid to make changes to suit your taste. Take it and run with it…