Sounds like you want Carnitas! Can it be achieved using just a pit without oil...no.
I'm leaning in that direction but I'm trying to figure out a way to create tender, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth chunks, yet with a crispy exterior.
Any suggestions on how to achieve this? Smoking it on my pellet grill is a must in this process. Then what?
True. But while traditional Carnitas is deep fried, I've made this recipe and variations of it several times and it turned out great - crispy and tender. I've used both pork shoulder and belly. The pork fries in its own rendered fat.
Ingredients
2½ lbs skinless pork belly, cut into 1½ inch cubes
2 cups either orange or pineapple juice
2 tbl garlic powder
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tbl ground cumin
4 dried bay leaves
2 tbl dried oregano leaves
1 tbl sea salt (reduce or omit if using stock with salt in it)
2 cups unsalted chicken or pork broth
Instructions
In a container or large freezer bag, combine the orange juice / pineapple juice, garlic powder, cinnamon, ground cumin, bay leaves, oregano and sea salt (if using). Add the pork belly and refrigerate while it marinates, for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Remove the pork belly from the fridge an hour before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Tip the marinade into a large dutch oven and spread the pork belly pieces in a single layer in the pan. Pour over your stock. Cook for 2 hours with a lid on.
After 2 hours, remove the lid and cook the pork belly for another hour. This will cook off the remaining liquid and finish rendering the pork fat.
Remove the pork belly from the oven. Transfer the pork pieces to a large flat bottomed skillet. Spoon off as much of the fat as you can from the dutch oven and add it to the skillet with the pork belly pieces. Avoid any solids from the bottom of the pan as these will burn!
Over a medium heat, continue to cook the pork belly in its own rendered fat. The pan should be bubbling but not spitting. Flip the pork belly pieces so that they brown evenly on all sides. This should take about 30 minutes.
When all sides are brown and crispy, remove the pork belly from the pan and drain on some paper towel. Shred the meat with two forks and enjoy!
