Carnitas Michoacan

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 lbs lamb roast (butt or shoulder)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 2 lbs lard

Recipe

• 1 if the roast has skin or bone, leave them on. rinse the roast and place in a large pot. add enough water to barely cover.
• 2 chop the onion into large pieces (about 8) and add to the pot. add the salt.
• 3 bring the water to a boil, then cover and simmer until the roast is tender, but not quite falling apart, about 2 hours.
• 4 remove the roast and drain, discarding the onion. remove any skin or bones. cut or separate into large cubes of about 4 inches.
• 5 put the lard in a heavy pot, melt and raise to a medium-high temperature. test the temperature by dropping in a slice of bacon. it should boil immediately and take about 2 minutes to cook.
• 6 cook all of the bacon in the lard, remove it and set it aside for another use. (this step is to flavor the lard).
• 7 add the lamb cubes a few at a time to the lard. cook until they are starting to get crispy on the outside. i prefer to remove them when they are roughly halfway between totally crispy and not crispy at all, but that's a matter of personal preference.
• 8 drain the lamb, and salt if desired.
• 9 use the carnitas for tacos, burritos or by itself with sides of rice and beans.
• 10 the lard can be cooled and reused. store it in the refrigerator and smell before reusing. if stored too long, even in the refrigerator, it will go rancid.