Dirty Bird Carnitas

One of our favorite local BBQ enthusiasts, Jake Robinson, teamed up with us this month to create some mouthwatering Carnitas Tacos. Carnitas, literally meaning “little meats”, is a staple cooking method in Mexican cuisine. Traditionally, the meat is slow-cooked in lard over the course of several hours, until the meat is tender enough to be pulled apart by a fork. It’s then braised and served in dishes like tamales, tacos, and tortas.

Jake took the traditional recipe and added on a Lance’s Pit-Stop twist by grilling the meat instead of cooking it in lard. He also chose the delicious Kosmos Dirty Bird Dry Rub to add incredible flavor to the meat. Trust us when we say these carnitas could be eaten straight from the pan!

Ingredients

6 pounds boneless pork butt (aka pork shoulder)

1 cup Kosmos Dirty Bird Dry Rub

Wood for smoking (Pecan or Hickory, optional)

Preferred toppings for tacos

Preparation

1. The night before cooking, rub entire pork butt down with Kosmos Dirty Bird Dry Rub.

2. Let the pork butt sit in the refrigerator overnight.

3. The next day, start a fire and bring the temperature to 250 degrees.

4. Add the optional chunk of wood to fire.
   

Cooking

1. Place the pork butt on the grill in INDIRECT heat and allow to smoke under a closed hood for 4 hours.

2. After 4 hours, remove pork from fire and wrap the entire butt in butcher paper or aluminum foil. Place wrapped pork butt back on indirect heat and close hood for another 4 hours. Maintain a temperature of 250 degrees throughout the cooking process.

3. After 8 hours of total cooking time, remove the wrapped pork butt from the heat and wrap a large beach towel around it. Place the entire wrapped pork butt in a cooler and let sit unrefrigerated overnight.

4. The next day, take the pork butt out of the cooler and remove the towel and paper or foil. The pork butt should be slightly warm but not hot.

5. Shred the pork butt in an aluminum pan. Be sure to mix the fattier and the leaner parts of the meat to create a more even consistency. Add salt for desired taste.

6. Heat a large cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

7. Once the pan is hot, scoop enough pork butt into the skillet to cover the cooking surface with a shallow layer of pork butt. Flip the pulled pork periodically in the skillet, allowing it to crisp on all sides.

8. Once the pork is warm and crispy construct tacos using tortillas/toppings of your choice.

One of our favorite things at Norick’s is to talk to customers about our dry rubs and marinades.

With our curated selection of winning BBQ seasonings, some created by the top pitmasters in the country, we can help you create the perfect recipe for your barbeque success.

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