Carnitas

Pork shoulder slow-cooked in lard with orange juice, milk (some recipes), bay leaf, cumin, oregano, and salt, until the meat falls into shreds and the surface fragments crisp at the edges. Served with tortillas, lime, salsa verde, chopped onion, and coriander. The Michoacán speciality. The signature is the contrast of the crisp-edged fried surface against the meltingly tender shredded interior, with the orange-citrus brightness lifting the long-cooked pork richness.