Canitas Recipe

We just got back from a week of Mexican food and Carnitas at every available opportunity - what do I do?  We not only head to Chipotle, which just opened in Vancouver, I crave it so much that I cook up a batch of Carnitas :)  Mexican is my new favourite food.  It's tasty, healthy and easy to cook.  We lost weight eating Mexican on our trip and it definitely wasn't from eating light - never before.! You see why I'm sooo enamoured with Mexican food?

Carnitas

3- 4 lbs pork shoulder collar butt (I used the Sakura Pork cuts from TnT, about 3 pieces)
1 Tbsp oil
3/4 Tbsp salt
1 tsp mexican chilli powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp cumin
3 cloves garlic smashed
2 cups chicken broth (canned chicken stock is also fine)

1. Salt pork a day a head of time if possible, if not just before searing is fine too.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in dutch oven(I used a 3 1/2 qt).  Sear each side of pork till nicely brown, about 2 min each side.
3. Pour chicken stock till pork is 3/4 covered.  Simmer on stove top.  Once it is simmering, cover with tin foil and cover with lid.
4. Heat oven to 300F.   Put the pot on the middle shelf for 2 1/2 - 3 hours till fork tender. 
5. Drain remaining liquid and shred pork.  
6. Serve with chilli lime rice, burrito, beans, salsa or do a carnitas hash with a sunny side egg to top it off.  

Keep watching this space for recipes for salsa, corn salsa and cilantro lime rice ala Chipotle.

By the way, this is definitely not an  authentic way of cooking carnitas but it is a much, much healthier way.