Best 6 Authentic Pork Carnitas Recipes

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**Pork carnitas** is a classic Mexican dish made with tender, juicy pork that can be used in tacos, burritos, tortas, and more. This authentic pork carnitas recipe uses simple, whole ingredients to create a flavorful and versatile dish that is sure to please everyone at the table. The pork is first browned in a large pot or Dutch oven, then braised in a mixture of spices, citrus, and broth until fall-apart tender. Once the pork is cooked, it is shredded and served with your favorite toppings.

In this article, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to make authentic pork carnitas, as well as variations on the recipe that will allow you to customize the dish to your liking. We will also discuss the different ways to serve carnitas and provide you with some ideas for delicious side dishes.

Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!

PORK CARNITAS RECIPE



Pork Carnitas Recipe image

Pork Carnitas are pieces of pork meat slow-cooked in copper cauldrons on an open fire. Here I will show you two different and easy ways to make your carnitas at home. The result is a juicy and tender pieces of meat with golden and crispy outer skin carnitas. Perfect for carnitas tacos or in a torta.

Provided by Mely Martínez

Categories     Pork

Time 55m

Number Of Ingredients 5

2 Lbs. pork loin and pork butt in large cubes about 2 inches.
1/4 cup of Lard (vegetable oil is OK)
About 6-8 cups of water enough to cover the meat
1 Tablespoon of salt
Optional: 3 cloves of garlic

Steps:

  • In a large Dutch oven or Cast Iron Pot place the pork, lard, water, garlic, and salt. Cook covered on a medium heat to a boil. Reduce to simmer for about 45 minutes until pork is almost tender.
  • Uncover and turn the heat to medium high to reduce the liquid.The meat will start frying in its own fat and lard at this point. Carefully brown the meat at medium low heat stirring frequently until pork is evenly browned. About 15 to 20 minutes. At this point do not over cook or you will get very dry meat.
  • Serve with hot tortillas and green salsa.

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 4 oz, Calories 277 kcal, Protein 28 g, Fat 17 g, SaturatedFat 10 g, Cholesterol 90 mg, Sodium 1261 mg

EASY PORK CARNITAS



Easy Pork Carnitas image

This authentic Mexican pork carnitas recipe takes very little effort and uses only a handful of ingredients. Just the way we make it in Mexico: lots of flavor and no fuss. [Recipe originally submitted to Allrecipes.com.mx]

Provided by ladoña

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Latin American     Mexican

Time 1h25m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 3

1 (5 pound) boneless pork shoulder
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon safflower oil

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Trim excess fat from pork shoulder and cut pork into 2-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
  • Heat a cast iron braiser over medium-high heat. Pour oil into the pot and brown pork on all sides, about 10 minutes. Cover with the lid.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until pork is crispy on the outside and soft, but fully cooked, on the inside, about 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 278.4 calories, Cholesterol 106.9 mg, Fat 13.7 g, Protein 36.4 g, SaturatedFat 4.3 g, Sodium 92.7 mg

AUTHENTIC PORK CARNITAS - MEXICAN SLOW COOKED PULLED PORK



Authentic Pork Carnitas - Mexican Slow Cooked Pulled Pork image

Authentic Mexican pulled pork carnitas recipe are my most popular recipe for a reason! Because they are the best :)

Provided by Carole Jones

Categories     Dinner

Time 3h

Number Of Ingredients 10

4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tb fresh lime juice
2 C water
1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

Steps:

  • Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.
  • all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours. You can also complete this step in a crock pot set on high for 6-7 hours. You will have more liquid to reduce in the next step however.
  • Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.
  • and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid. Place pot over high heat on the stove and boil until it thickens and syrupy, about 20 - 30 minutes. You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.
  • While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces. Once the liquid has reduced, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot. Try not to break up the pork any further. Taste and add additional salt and pepper.
  • Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat. Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1/12th, Calories 365 calories, Sugar 1 g, Sodium 389 mg, Fat 27 g, SaturatedFat 10 g, UnsaturatedFat 15 g, TransFat 0 g, Carbohydrate 2 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 27 g, Cholesterol 0 g

PORK CARNITAS



Pork Carnitas image

Many find carnitas a little dry or flavorless. These have a great, distinctive flavor and are requested by friends and family over and over. Serve with warm, fresh tortillas and salsa.

Provided by Nette

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Latin American     Mexican

Time 3h45m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 10

¼ cup vegetable oil
4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into several large pieces
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

Steps:

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the pork shoulder with salt, then arrange the pork in the Dutch oven. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue to simmer until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  • Transfer the pork shoulder to a large baking sheet, reserving the cooking liquid. Drizzle with a small amount of the reserved cooking liquid and lightly season with salt.
  • Bake the pork in the preheated oven until browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle more of the cooking liquid on the meat every 10 minutes, and use two forks to shred the meat as it browns.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 249.8 calories, Carbohydrate 2.3 g, Cholesterol 62.5 mg, Fat 19.1 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 16.2 g, SaturatedFat 5.9 g, Sodium 2072.3 mg, Sugar 1.1 g

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN PORK CARNITAS RECIPE CARD



Authentic Mexican Pork Carnitas Recipe Card image

Slow cooker tender and delicious with a nice crispy finish! You will love these authentic Mexican pork carnitas! Super easy to make in the slow cooker and then crisp up in the oven.

Provided by Analida Braeger

Categories     Main dish

Time 6h10m

Number Of Ingredients 12

6 lb pork (shoulder or butt)
1 onion (medium, sliced)
3 garlic (cloves, minced)
2 tsp oregano (dried)
3 tsp cumin (ground)
1/2 tsp black pepper (ground)
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (ground)
2 limes sliced (sliced with rind removed)
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

Steps:

  • In a small bowl place oregano, cumin, black pepper, salt, chili powder,and cinnamon, then mix thoroughly.
  • Put the pork shoulder in the slow cooker and add the onion, garlic, limes, bay leaves, water and spice mixture.
  • Cover and cook for 6 hours on high. Flip over every couple hours in the slow cooker. Check after 5 hours or so and cook until it separates easily with a fork.
  • Heat oven on broiler.
  • Move meat to a large cutting board and using two forks begin the shred the meat.
  • Place the meat in a single layer on a baking tray, and broil for about 5 minutes.
  • Serve with flour or corn tortillas, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and hot sauce.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 301 kcal, Protein 19 g, Fat 24 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, Cholesterol 81 mg, Sodium 260 mg, ServingSize 1 serving

CARNITAS (AUTHENTIC)



Carnitas (Authentic) image

Carnitas is a very famous Mexican dish. It does involve a lot of cooking time, so I make it when I have time. Serve with fresh homemade corn tortillas, guacamole, cheese and pico de gallo with cilantro.....yum.

Provided by babygirl65

Categories     Stew

Time 5h15m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 6

4 lbs boneless pork shoulder
2 (16 ounce) cans chicken broth
5 -6 garlic cloves, grounded in a mortar
1 tablespoon cumin seed, ground in a mortar
2 onions, quartered
1/2 bunch cilantro

Steps:

  • Cut pork meat into chunks and discard the big pieces of fat. (I leave some fat as it adds flavor).
  • Add pork chunks, broth, garlic*, comino*, onion* and cilantro* to a dutch oven. If necessary, add water so that the meat is covered.
  • Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 -4 hours or until meat is very soft and pulls apart easily. (Be careful not to shred meat, needs to stay in chunks).
  • Remove the meat carefully from pot and place in a roasting pan. Discard onion and broth. Break the meat apart into smaller chunks (don't shred, it needs to stay in chunks).
  • Bake in the oven at 450°F for about 20 minutes or until the meat is brown and crispy.
  • Heat (or make homemade) corn tortillas, serve with desired toppings.
  • (You may have to adjust garlic, comino, onion and cilantro to your liking, everyone's taste is different. You can add salt and pepper if you like too, I use Nature's seasonings, personal preference).

Tips:

  • For the best carnitas, use a combination of pork shoulder and pork butt. The shoulder meat is flavorful, while the butt meat is fatty and helps to keep the carnitas moist.
  • Be sure to score the pork shoulder and pork butt before cooking. This will help the seasonings to penetrate the meat and give the carnitas a crispy exterior.
  • Sear the pork shoulder and pork butt in a hot skillet before braising. This will help to develop a nice crust on the meat and lock in the juices.
  • Use a Dutch oven or slow cooker to braise the pork shoulder and pork butt. This will help to keep the meat moist and tender.
  • Add plenty of seasonings to the braising liquid, such as garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano.
  • Cook the pork shoulder and pork butt until it is fall-apart tender. This will usually take about 2-3 hours in a Dutch oven or 6-8 hours in a slow cooker.
  • Once the pork is cooked, shred it with two forks. Then, fry it in a skillet until it is crispy.
  • Serve the carnitas with your favorite toppings, such as shredded cabbage, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

Conclusion:

Carnitas is a delicious and versatile Mexican dish that can be enjoyed in many different ways. Whether you serve it in tacos, burritos, or nachos, carnitas is sure to be a hit. With a little planning and effort, you can make authentic carnitas at home that your family and friends will love. So what are you waiting for? Get cooking!

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