Pork carnitas are a classic Mexican dish featuring pork that is slow cooked until fork tender and crispy on the outside. Flavorful and perfect for feeding a crowd!
Crispy Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Growing up in the 60’s, the only tacos I knew were the kind that came in a box. The corn tortillas were crispy, and it came with a seasoning mix that we added to the ground beef.
It wasn’t until I moved to Texas 20 years ago that I discovered REAL tacos and pork carnitas! I had NO idea what I’d been missing out on!!
What Are Carnitas?
Carnitas are a Mexican dish made from pork that is shredded or chopped and then slow-cooked until it is crispy on the outside, yet tender and juicy on the inside. The word “carnitas” literally means “little meats” in Spanish.
Carnitas are typically made with pork shoulder or pork belly, which are both high-fat cuts of meat. The pork is first braised in a mixture of water, spices, and citrus juices. After the pork is cooked through, it is shredded or chopped and then broiled, creating meat that is both tender and crispy around the edges.
Combined with your favorite toppings, pork carnitas makes an amazing filling for tacos! However, you can also enjoy them with rice and beans, inside quesadillas or burritos, as a sandwich or torta…carnitas taste amazing served any which way!
I found this recipe many years ago. It is my favorite because the flavors are perfectly balanced, and it is so easy. The meat is so tender, yet with a little bit of crisp on the outside…it literally melts in your mouth!
Pork carnitas makes a perfect meal to serve a crowd. You can prepare the meat ahead of time and then broil it right before serving. It’s fun to put out different kinds of tortillas and toppings and let everyone build their own tacos.
Ingredients
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- 4 pounds of boneless pork butt or shoulder (Trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 TB fresh lime juice
- 2 cups water
- Juice from 1 medium orange, + the juiced halves
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Instructions
To Prep: Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large Dutch oven pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat (uncovered).
- Once the liquid is simmering, cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat falls apart easily, or about 2-3 hours. (Mine took 2 hours and 45 minutes).
- When the meat is tender, remove the meat from the liquid and place on large pan or plate to cool. Remove the orange halves, onions, and bay leaves from the liquid.
- Simmer the remaining liquid over medium heat, until the liquid is reduced and thick (or about 15-20 minutes). Watch it so you don’t reduce it too much.
- While the liquid is simmering, use two forks to shred pork and pull apart the chunks of meat into about three pieces each.
- Once the liquid is reduced, add the meat back into the liquid and gently stir to coat.
- Preheat the oven broiler and spread the pork out evenly on a broiler-safe, foil-lined pan.
- Place the pan on the middle rack and broil until the top of the meat is well-browned and the edges are crispy, or about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until the meat is crispy and browned as well.
Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings.
Prep Tips
- Pre-Cut Pork: I found pork shoulder that was already cut into two-inch chunks which made the recipe so easy. If you can’t find it already cut up, you will have to cut it yourself or have your butcher to it.
- How Much To Trim: The recipe recommends removing the excess fat. I left it on because I didn’t feel like working with the raw meat. After removing the meat and solid ingredients from the liquid and reducing, I poured the liquid into a heat safe glass pitcher. The fat came to the top and I poured it away.
- Cooking Time: The recipe gave a cooking time of two hours in the oven. My meat needed an additional 45 minutes to be tender enough. Keep an eye on your meat, as oven temperatures (and therefore, cooking times) may vary.
- Tortillas: This tastes great with traditional corn or flour tortillas. However, these days there are so many other options that we enjoy. I enjoy grain-free tortillas made of almond, cassava, and chickpea flour.
- Low-Carb Option: You can also serve these on top of lettuce to make salads or tortilla-less burrito bowls for a delicious low-carb dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Best Cut of Meat for Pork Carnitas?
The best cut of meat for pork carnitas is pork shoulder because it is high in fat and usually fairly inexpensive. Pork butt is another cut that comes from the shoulder of the pig and is perfect for this recipe. The fat in pork shoulder helps to keep the meat moist and flavorful during cooking and also makes it difficult to overcook.
Other types of meat that may be used for pork carnitas include: pork belly, pork loin, and pork ribs. Whichever cut of meat you choose, you’ll want to trim away the excess fat or strain the liquid after cooking, like we did.
What Should You Serve With Carnitas?
Here are my favorite toppings: avocado or guacamole, cheese, especially crumbled Oaxaca or cotija cheese , pickled red onions, fresh lime wedges, chopped sweet onions, salsa, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, black beans, and cilantro.
Carnitas make the perfect taco topping (like we did here), burrito or quesadilla filling, or they as fantastic all on their own served with traditional rice and beans.
How Do You Cook Leftover Carnitas?
Carnitas are fabulous leftovers because they crispy up easily again. You can reheat by spreading the shredded meat out on a baking sheet and cooking in the oven on low heat until warmed through. You can also heat up the leftovers in a skillet until warm and crispy. The stovetop is actually my preferred method for reheating because it gets the meat just the right amount of crispy and it’s fast.
Leftover carnitas also freeze well and can stay good in a freezer bag for 2-3 months. You do not need to thaw the meat before cooking. Simply spread out the frozen meat on a baking sheet and roast at 350°F for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also put the frozen meat in a large skillet and reheat that way, stirring occasionally until heated (shown below).
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Pork Carnitas Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Pork Carnitas Recipe (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Equipment
- 1 Large Dutch Oven
- 1 broiler safe pan
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt (trimmed and chopped)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 onion peeled and halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 cups water
- 1 medium orange juiced - Add juice AND the halves to the mixture
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered.
- Once it simmers, cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until meat falls apart easily, 2 to 3 hours (mine took 2 ¾ hours).
- When the meat is tender, remove the meat from the liquid and place on large pan or plate to cool. Remove the orange halves, onions, and bay leaves from the liquid.
- Simmer the liquid over medium, until the liquid is reduced and thick. About 15-20 minutes. Watch it so you don’t reduce it too much.
- While the liquid is simmering, use two forks to pull the chunks of meat into about three pieces each.
- Once the liquid is reduced, add the meat back into the liquid and gently stir to coat.
- Preheat the oven broiler.
- Spread the pork out evenly on a broiler-safe, foil-lined pan.
- Place the pan on the middle rack and broil until the top of the meat is well-browned and the edges are crispy. About 5 minutes.
- Use a spatula to flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until the meat is crispy and browned as well.
- Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
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