Sous Vide Carnitas

These incredibly moist, melt-in-your-mouth carnitas are infused with warm spices and become the base for a variety of dishes. My favorite way to eat these is inside corn tortillas, topped with cilantro and onion, but it's also delicious in quesadillas, posole, nachos, or atop a salad! For added flavor, rub the seasonings on the pork the night before.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 mins
• Total Time: 16 mins
• Calories: 205 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or as needed
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon chicken soup base (such as Better than Bouillon®)
• 1 medium orange, sliced
• 3 large bay leaves
• 1 (4 pound) boneless pork butt

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Fill a large pot with water and place a sous vide immersion cooker into the water. Set temperature to 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) according to manufacturer's directions.

Step 2

Combine granulated garlic, cumin, salt, oregano, coriander, and black pepper in a small bowl.

Step 3

Cut pork butt into 2 chunks and rub with soup base. Sprinkle with spice mixture and rub until evenly distributed. Place pork into a large vacuum bag. Add orange slices and bay leaves throughout the bag. Seal using a vacuum sealer.

Step 4

Place bag into the water and set timer for 24 hours, turning bag over halfway through. When done, remove pork to a platter, reserving some or all of the juices.

Step 5

To crisp up carnitas, heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add shredded pork and fry until edges are browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle with reserved juices, if desired. Alternately, you may crisp under an oven broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.