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
i havent really tried this recipe, and i think this is tasty. oh, i’ll make one!
Thank you, Kate I have been using your recipe for carnitas. My six year old daughter and I have made this about once a month since dec. 13. Kathleen has been making dishes on her own (with help cutting and the stove) using her own recipes. Some good some not so good, but she’s off and running. Thank you again, ACD
THANK YOU!
By not ruining it topping it with cheese.
THANK YOU
I tried this recipe tonight and followed it exact and my pork came out very dry. Almost inedible. I have tried other carnitas recipes and haven’t had a this problem. I love the orange in this, and would like I try it again. Any suggestions?
Thank you
A.
Are you sure you used pork shoulder? It’s so fatty that it’s almost impossible for it to come out dry. That’s my first thought–I’ll keep pondering. 🙂
Oh my goodness, this was SO stinkin’ good! I’ve never had carnitas, but I don’t care. This was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time. I went big and made pico, guac, black beans, cilantro-lime vinagrette (all from your cookbook), and spanish rice. Oh man, I was dying of deliciousness! I had our neighbor come over and try it–he is a major food snob, particularly a Mexican food snob, and he couldn’t get enough! My husband loved it, too! The only disappointment was that I had to kind of rush to eat it because I was trying to get out the door for a play. I thought I had planned better, but it took a bit to boil the liquid down. I knew better than to rush that step, though. So I didn’t have time to broil the meat as long as I should have, but it was still so completely awesome! Thanks for sharing! My mind has been on this all day and after eating it I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
We looove this pork! The crispy outside is just the BEST. We have frozen leftovers and reheated them in the oven and it’s great the second time around, too. Thanks for the recipe!
So i made these tonight and everyone loved them! thanks so much! 🙂 http://www.handmadeintheheartland.com/
This recipe for carnitas is fabulous! I’m from Southern California and currently live in Minnesota and crave authentic Mexican food. I’ve tried a number of recipes for carnitas (authentic ones) and this is, hands down, the best. I was worried that the meat was initially “boiled” but was drawn by the the crisping in the oven vs. starting by frying in lard (tasty but fattening). Wow!! These delivered. I used a 6 lb. bone-in Boston pork butt but used the same quantity of everything according to directions otherwise. The “sauce” did not cook down all the way (too much water for the larger cut of meat?) so I added a small amount of Wondra and also added three chiles in adobo sauce that I had in the fridge, just to try to thicken. These crisped up wonderfully in the oven! Soooo good! For condiments, I used queso fresco, red onion, cilantro, and Chuck and Don’s salsa from Sam’s Club with a squeeze of lime on corn tortillas that were warmed/slightly crisped in a cast iron skillet after half was dunked in water. I’m in heaven. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
These were awesome. Squeezed some fresh lime juice over the finished pork, on the warm soft shell, with cilantro sprigs, white onion, avocado and a bit of sour creme. My partner had 4! So good, and will make them again for sure.
Ever since I tried Carnitas at my local mexican restaurant, I have been hooked. I crave them. Often! I never wanted to make them myself because I imagined it would have to be a complicated, several day long process to get such wonderful flavor and texture from pork. I finally decided to try it this weekend and began searching the internet for recipes…why did I not come here first?? I know better, just a momentary lapse I am sure. Your recipe was about the 4th hit down on Google and when I saw it, I smacked my own forehead! I’m not usually recipe adventurous on the first attempt, but I needed something that I could set and forget this weekend so I combined this recipe with one of my favorites of yours (kalua pork) and did it in the crockpot and then broiled the meat after it was done. I used half the liquid since it was in the crockpot and I added in the liquid smoke from the Kalua Pork recipe (couldn’t help myself bc that recipe ROCKS!). I still had to boil the crockpot liquid for about 15min, but it turned out AMAZING!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This is going to make it into the regular rotation along side many of your other yummy recipes!