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Carnitas is a classic Mexican dish that consists of slow-cooked meat and subtle seasonings. This is the best Pork Carnitas recipe that I’ve found. It’s perfect every time and guaranteed not to disappoint.
Literally translated as “little meats,” these Carnitas cook in their own fat on a low temperature for a few hours (ie. “low and slow”) making them incredibly tender and allowing time for the spices to penetrate the meat.
Let’s Get Started
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab an appropriately sized pan that will allow enough room for all the chunks of meat to be in the same layer (not stacked on top of each other). If the roast is larger (6lbs or so), I use a lasagna pan but I prefer my Braising pan if all the meat will fit on the bottom.
Cut the pork roast into cubes roughly 2″ each. You’ll want the chunks to be similar in size so they cook evenly. Do NOT remove the fat from the meat. The fat will liquify, help tenderize the meat, and impart loads of flavor.
A note on the roast: my favorite cut for this recipe is a Boston Butt. Don’t use a pork loin as it will be too lean. The beauty of this recipe is that the meat cooks in its own fat, making it tender, juicy, and delicious. I source all my meat from local farms and encourage you to do that if feasible, you’ll notice the remarkable difference in quality.
Discard the bone if there is one. (Freeze the bone to make pork stock. I discuss how to make chicken stock in this article, it’s the same process.) Place the meat into your selected oven safe pan.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly with your *clean* hands. I like to mix in all the seasonings (salt, cumin, pepper, cinnamon) and then the orange juice, garlic, bay leaves, and olive oil. All the ingredient measurements are listed in the recipe below.
Cover the pan tightly with heavy aluminum foil (I use foil and a lid if I have one that fits). Carefully place the pan in your preheated oven and cook for 3 hours.
Check it after three hours, the meat should be tender and falling apart. If it’s not, cook it for another hour. Once it’s tender, remove the meat from the pan and place it on a cookie sheet (I use tongs). Shred the meat. (Watch the below video for other tips, like setting aside some meat for later if you don’t need all of it at once.)
Drain the liquid from the pan through a mesh sieve. Discard the chunks of garlic, etc. and save the lovely liquified fat. Pour roughly ¼ – ½ cup of the liquid over meat (you want enough to keep it moist). Turn the oven to Hi broil and place the shredded meat in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until it browns. Remove the meat from the heat and serve it warm.
Carnitas meat is great on corn tortillas as tacos with fresh cilantro, red onion, and queso fresco. You can also serve them along side red rice and refried beans.
Leave a comment below letting me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! What’s your favorite way to eat Carnitas?
The Best Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 4-6 lb Boston Butt
- 1-1½ tbsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Orange, juiced
- 1 Whole head of Garlic, chopped
- 2 Bay Leaves, crushed
- ¼ cup Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Cut the Boston Butt pork roast into cubes roughly 2" each. Do not remove the fat! Discard the bone if there is one.*4-6 lb Boston Butt
- Place meat into a large oven safe pan. (I use a lasagna dish for larger roasts or a Braising pan for smaller ones – you want the meat to be in one layer in the pan.)
- Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly with your *clean* hands.1-1½ tbsp Salt, 1 tsp Cumin, 1 tsp Black Pepper, ½ tsp Cinnamon, 1 Orange, juiced, 1 Whole head of Garlic, chopped, 2 Bay Leaves, crushed, ¼ cup Olive oil
- Cover tightly with heavy aluminum foil (I use foil and a lid if I have one that fits). Carefully place in preheated oven and cook for 3 hours.
- Check after three hours, meat should be tender and falling apart. Using tongs, remove meat from pan and place on a cookie sheet. Shred meat.
- Drain the liquid from the pan through a mesh sieve. Pour ¼ – ½ cups of liquid (just enough to get it moist) over meat. Turn oven to Hi broil and place shredded meat in oven for about 5 minutes, or until it browns. Remove from heat and serve.
- Carnitas meat is great on corn tortillas as tacos with fresh cilantro, red onion, and queso fresco. You can also serve them along side red rice and refried beans.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
