How To Make Carnitas
Me gusta carnitas! Anytime fork tender, fall off the bone, crispy skinned roasted pork is involved, I am in. Wrap this porky goodness in a corn or flour tortilla and I am really in. Carnitas – essentially Mexican style pulled pork – are delicious and surpisingly easy to make. The biggest obstacle is time. Typically, pulled pork is made from a pork shoulder or butt that needs longer, lower temperature cooking. The difference between a standard pulled pork and carnitas is really just the seasoning. We have roasted pork shoulder before (YUM!) and it is fantastic with a spicy barbecue sauce and slaw. But with Cinco de Mayo coming, we need some Mexican vibe to ring in the holiday.
Plus, since Cinco de Mayo is, more often then not, during the week, we need a way to put carnitas on the weekday menu. Do we need some new rocket science or fancy technology to do this? No, we need a slow cooker. There are pros and cons here – while it is a “set it and forget it” type of operation, if we want crispy skin we need to have a second step added to our cooking. This is not a big deal as we can use our broiler or a sauté pan. Not a big con, but one we should know about ahead of time. Indeed, if you have the time, you could certainly season then roast the pork in the oven and the skin will crisp as you go. Of course, you shouldn’t leave the oven unattended while you dash off to work. We could also braise the meat, but again, it takes more time than a weeknight meal may allow. Whichever technique you choose, pork shoulder or butt needs slow cooking to melt all the collagen and tenderize the meat.
Carnitas are often flavored with orange, oregano, marjoram, and garlic. I like to add a dash of cinnamon to the mix, too. This being said, all the flavor bells and whistles can be forgotten, too. Sometimes very simple is what I am in the mood for. I simply slow cook the pork with the meat seasoned with salt only. De-fat the juices that are released at the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the liquid back to the pulled meat and roast at 400F until caramelized and crispy.
Here is a simple way to make carnitas.
- 4 lb pork shoulder roast
- 1 medium sweet onion - like Vidalia
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp oregano (Mexican if you have it)
- ancho chilli powder
- cinnamon
- salt and pepper
- Pat the pork dry.
- Salt and pepper the whole piece of pork.
- Sprinkle the pork with ancho chilli powder.
- Sprinkle the pork with cinnamon.
- Dice the onion into large pieces.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- Place the onion, garlic, juice, and oregano in a slow cooker.
- Place the pork on top fat side up. Place the lid on the cooker and turn it on high.
- Cook about 6 hours until the meat is fork tender.
- When the meat is done, remove it from the slow cooker. Pull the meat apart with a fork.
- De-grease the liquid and discard the fat.
- If there is a large amount of liquid, place the liquid into a sauce pan and reduce it by 75 percent. A large amount of liquid won't reduce, thicken and caramelise enough in the hot oven.
- Place the meat in a roasting pan. Add the reserved, de-greased liquid.
- Roast at 425F until the liquid is reduced, the meat is caramelized and bits of the skin get crispy. This can also be done in a sauté pan on the stove.
- Serve the meat hot with corn tortillas, salsas and guacamole.
- For a simpler version, but one that is equally tasty - Simply slow cook the pork with the meat seasoned with salt only. De-fat the juices that are released at the bottom of the cooker. Add the liquid back to the pulled meat and roast until caramelized and cripsy.
What? You don’t know how to make corn tortillas? Here is a quick tutorial…
- 2 cups of blue corn masa harina (this nixtamalized corn flour)
- 2/3 cup of water
- 1/8 tsp of salt
- Place the masa harina in a large bowl.
- Add the water.
- Mix well with a fork. When the mix comes together to form a dough, work it with your hands to bring it together until smooth.
- Break the dough up into 16 even pieces and roll the pieces into balls the size of small golf balls.
- Push the ball into the shape of a disc.
- Place the disc on a sheet of parchment paper. Fold the parchment over the disc and roll the tortilla into a circle about 4-5 inches in diameter and about 1/8th inch thick.
- Open the parchment and peel it back to remove the tortilla.
- Place a large non-stick sauté pan on the stove and turn the heat on to medium-high and allow the pan to get hot. Add the tortillas. Cook about 30 seconds per side until the tortilla puffs slightly and starts to brown/char.
- Keep warm by wrapping in a clean dish towel.
- To help make the tortillas as round as possible, turn the parchment as you are rolling.
- Resist the urge to roll the dough too thin as it will be hard to remove from the parchment.
- These can be fried into tortilla chips. Cook the tortillas first then simply cut the tortillas into triangles and fry in a deep fryer at 350F.
Carnitas, fresh tortillas and all the fixings make a fantastic meal that will tame the strongest Mexican food craving! This is a perfect meal for Cinco de Mayo or any day of the week!
I hope you enjoy!
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