I’ve done a fair amount of hunting for the perfect carnitas recipes throughout the years and found the base for this recipe in my trusty Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. The ingredients they used really weren’t all that different than the other recipes I’d tried, but as I picked a piece of flavorful, crispy meat off the pan, I knew I had found what I was looking for.
As I’ve made it again and again, I’ve tweaked a few things here and there (I added a little red wine vinegar to brighten it up a little and a few cloves of garlic) and it’s become one of our family’s favorite meals.
Ingredient Needed
- Pork – You’ll need 3 1/2 – 4 pounds of boneless pork butt roast (sometimes called boneless pork shoulder or boneless picnic roast).
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh lime juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Orange
- For serving – Small corn or flour tortillas, grated cheese (I like cotija), pico de gallo, mango pico de gallo, mint-pineapple pico de gallo, guacamole, sliced avocado, sliced white onion, sprigs of cilantro, fresh lime wedges, etc.
Instructions
- To start, place the oven rack in the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 300°F. Now, pork shoulder can be pretty fatty, and that fat’s going to come into play later. But I still like to trim the pork of excess fat (mostly the big globs on the outside) before I cut it into 2″ chunks.
- Place the pork in a heavy lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the pork and then add onion, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and the juice from the orange.
- After squeezing the juice from the orange, toss the rinds into the pork mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 2 hours or until the pork falls apart when poked with a fork.
- Use your fingers to pull apart the pork pieces, discarding any particularly fatty pieces (or removing the fat from them). Drizzle with the cooking liquid.
- Turn your oven broiler on high and place the pork in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the pork starts to brown and the edges become crispy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a spatula to flip the pork. Return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, broiling until the pork is browned and crispy (but not charred, unless that’s your thing). Mine got a little blacker than I planned on, but it was still delicious.
- Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings. Makes about 12 servings.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover meat in an airtight container and consume within 3-5 days for best results.
- This pork is fabulous served in tortillas, over rice, or on a salad. It pairs really well with Lime Cilantro Ranch Dressing Copycat Cafe Rio Dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Cook the pork one day, and make your sauce. Store separately and then combine and broil when ready to eat.
Can I make this a freezer meal?
While I have not personally frozen this pork, slow cooked meats tend to freeze pretty well. I would recommend cooking the carnitas all the way through as instructed and then freezing in food saver bags with as much air removed as possible.
Carnitas: Mexican Style Pulled Pork
A classic featuring tender pork shoulder, braised and broiled. Perfect for tacos, huevos rancheros or burritos.
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ½ – 4 pounds boneless pork butt roast sometimes called boneless pork shoulder or boneless picnic roast
- 2 cups water enough to cover the pork in the pot
- 1 onion (white or yellow) peeled and halved
- 4-6 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon oregano dry
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 orange
- For serving: Small corn or flour tortillas grated cheese (I like cotija cheese), pico de gallo, mango pico de gallo, mint-pineapple pico de gallo, guacamole, sliced avocado, sliced white onion, sprigs of cilantro, fresh lime wedges, etc.
Instructions
- Place the oven rack in the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 300℉.
- Trim the pork of excess fat and cut into 2" chunks. Place the pork in a heavy lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the pork and then add onion, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and the juice from the orange. After squeezing the juice from the orange, toss the rinds into the pork mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 2 hours or until the pork falls apart when poked with a fork. When the pork is fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven.
- Remove the orange rinds, onion, and bay leaves. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork from the liquid to the foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.
- Return the pot to the stovetop and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil for 8-15 minutes (longer or shorter if necessary) until the liquid is thickened and glaze-y and, when stirred, the spoon leaves a trail in the liquid (you should have about 1 cup of liquid).
- Use your fingers to pull apart the pork pieces, discarding any particularly fatty pieces (or removing the fat from them). Drizzle with the cooking liquid. Turn your oven broiler on high and place the pork on a baking sheet in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the pork starts to brown and the edges become crispy.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a spatula to flip the pork. Return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, broiling until the pork is browned and crispy (but not charred, unless that’s your thing). Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings.
Notes
- Tortillas and toppings not included in nutritional value.
- Store leftover meat in an airtight container and consume within 3-5 days for best results.
- This pork is fabulous served in tortillas, over rice, or on a salad. It pairs really well with Lime Cilantro Ranch Dressing Copycat Cafe Rio Dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 187kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.05g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 89mg, Potassium: 495mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 32IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 187kcal
Cost: $8
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Questions & Reviews
Am super excited to try this recipe….once fluked a pork dish with very similar flavours, but they’re not ones I use often, and when I tried to fluke it again, was an epic fail. Trust you guys, and love the ease and versatility of “pulled pork”, so looking forward to giving this one a go.
Might try it in the slow cooker, as others have mentioned 🙂
Thanks, this was Awesome! Added some extra o.j., a fat jalepeno and a pinch of allspice and clove to the cooking liquid. Also, a light sprinkling of ancho powder before broiling.
Made this last night, following your directions but without measuring (had to say that) … it was the epitome of DELiCIOUS (words fail me for the sauce). This a recipe to be treasured and tripled. Thank you.
I just made this and it was KILLER! So so good!
I made this today and it was wonderful. I found “country style boneless ribs” made from pork shoulder at Costco. I thought they would be faster to cut up. Put it all in the crockpot. When the meat was tender, I followed the rest of the instructions exactly. They were a hit!
For those of us who cannot find “boneless” pork shoulder, I bought a bone-in roast and cut it up as directed, until I got to the bone – almost impossible to get all that great meat next to the bone, so I tossed the bone in the pot too. I think cooking with the bone actually adds a little flavor and the meat fell off easily! GREAT recipe, I’ve been searching for the “right” Carnitas recipe for some time, now I have it!
Made this last night and it was delicious! I only used 2 1/2 lbs of meat with regular seasoning amounts, and I’d definitely do it the same next time, but I like my meat flavorful. Also just left it on the stove since I didn’t have a oven safe pan and lid.
We love carnitas and usually the recipe I make is all slow cooked on the crock-pot. I love that this takes the extra step to broil the meat to add a crispy finish to it. I must try this!
Kate, how big is your dutch oven? I want to purchase one in the near future and am tempted to get the biggest one they have. Any suggestions?
Juli, I have the 7 1/4 quart Le Creuset and then a smaller (much cheaper!) knock-off in the 5-quart range. They’re both actually very good, versatile sizes, but I pretty much use the 7 1/4 quart now for almost everything. 5 quarts is really too small for a decent-sized batch of soup, a big roast, etc. I love the 7 1/4 for pretty much everything!
I made these tonight and they were so delicious! Better than pork tacos at a certain restaurant that everyone raves about but I think are too sweet.
I didn’t have red wine vinegar so I used balsamic vinegar. Was that the right substitution??
Sure! And honestly…any vinegar would have been good! 🙂
Lindsay, I just finished mine. I too had no wine vinegar and used Balsamic. I don’t know if it’s better with the wine vinegar, but that’s hard to imagine 😉 This turned out wonderful. Took a while to pull together, but I think it will be well worth the effort. I’ll reheat the meat right before dinner. We are having it with refried beans, rice and “fixin’s” for our Cinco De Mayo dinner..oh and desert is a flan custard. YUMMY I can hardly wait.
Thanks so much Kate for posting this recipe. A little time consuming, but really, really worth the effort. Even hubby is impressed!
I’ve made this exact same recipe from Cook’s Illustrated from when it first came out. It’s an awesome recipe! We love it for nachos, too. Just stick that meat on a wire rack and broil until crispy.