How-To Guides

How To Make Carnitas

May 8, 2023

Juicy Mexican pulled pork is what you get with this carnitas recipe. My loved ones are begging me to cook this again and again. The pig is simmered in lime juice and spices, giving it a delightful, unique flavour, before being roasted until it is fork-tender.

Fresh, hot tortillas and salsa should be served alongside. Every time, this pork carnitas recipe results in succulent, delicious, and impossible-to-resist shredded pork.

So, What Exactly is Carnitas?

Mexicans love their carnitas. Tender pork is braised or cooked with seasonings and fat until it may be easily shredded. Once the meat has been shredded, it is roasted until it is brown and crispy.

Recipe for Carnitas

You’ll find a full list of ingredients and explicit directions in the recipe that follows, but first, here are the fundamentals:

Seasoning for Pork Carnitas

Kosher salt, chopped onion, fresh garlic, lime juice, chilli powder, dried oregano, and ground cumin give this pork shoulder dish a depth of flavour that would be hard to achieve otherwise.

Carnitas: The Basics of Preparation

To give you an idea of what to expect from this handmade carnitas dish, here’s a quick rundown:

Cook the pork shoulder in a Dutch oven until it is browned on all sides.
Bring the pot to a boil and add the other ingredients.
Cook at a low simmer until fork-tender.
Place the meat on a baking sheet, then season with salt and sprinkle with cooking liquid.
Brown the beef in the oven, basting it frequently with the cooking liquid.

Ingredients

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

Directions:

Collect everything you’ll need.
Over high heat, prepare vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven. Prepare the Dutch oven by arranging the salt-seasoned pork shoulder slices. Ten minutes of cooking time should be plenty to brown all sides.
Add spices like chilli powder, oregano, cumin, and lime juice. Chicken broth should be added and brought to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 1/2 hours, or until meat is very tender.
Set the temperature to 200 degrees C (400 F).
Reserving the cooking liquid, place the pork shoulder on a large baking sheet. Season pork with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of cooking liquid.
For about 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 450 degrees, cook pork until it is browned. Brown the pork in batches, basting with cooking liquid every 10 minutes and shredding with two forks.
Enjoy while hot.

How to Complement Carnitas:

Carnitas can be eaten on its own or used as a filler in other recipes such tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. Look through all of our Mexican side dishes to get some ideas. A sampling of the recipes is as follows: