Carnitas
intro
Melt-in-your-mouth tender slow-cooked pork with shatteringly crisp golden edges, a classic Michoacán dish perfect for tacos, burritos, or rice bowls.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and season pork
Pat 1500g of 5cm boneless pork shoulder chunks (with 1cm fat cap retained) completely dry with paper towels, then toss thoroughly with 1.5 tbsp (18g) kosher salt, 1 tbsp (6g) ground cumin, 2 tsp (2g) dried Mexican oregano, and 1 tsp (2g) cracked black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes to let seasoning adhere to the meat surface.
Sear pork in lard
Heat 120g lard in a 5L heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat (175°C/350°F) until fully melted and shimmering. Add pork chunks in a single layer, working in 2 equal batches to avoid overcrowding the pot (which causes steaming instead of searing), and sear 3-4 minutes per side until all surfaces are pale golden. Transfer seared pork to a clean plate between batches.
Add braising aromatics
Return all seared pork to the Dutch oven. Squeeze juice from 1 quartered navel orange (180g) evenly over the pork, then drop the squeezed orange peels into the pot, along with 1 quartered yellow onion (200g), 8 crushed unpeeled garlic cloves (25g), 3 dried bay leaves, and 500ml cool water. Stir once gently to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Slow cook until tender
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer (small bubbles breaking the surface every 2-3 seconds), then reduce heat to the lowest stovetop setting (90°C/195°F), cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 2 hours, stirring once gently at the 1-hour mark. The pork is done when it pulls apart easily with light pressure from a fork, with no tough resistance.
Crisp the cooked pork
Remove the pot lid, turn heat up to medium (160°C/320°F), and fish out and discard the orange peels, onion chunks, garlic skins, and bay leaves with a slotted spoon. Cook the pork uncovered for 18-22 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes, as the remaining braising liquid evaporates and the pork fries in the rendered lard, developing deep golden, crispy, caramelized edges. Drizzle with 2 tbsp (30ml) fresh lime juice during the final 2 minutes of cooking.
Drain and serve
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the finished carnitas to a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess lard for 2 minutes, then taste and add a pinch of extra kosher salt if needed. Serve warm with warmed corn tortillas, fresh salsa, chopped cilantro, and diced white onion as desired.
Tips
2.Never let the braising liquid come to a rolling boil during the slow cook step; high heat will make the pork tough and stringy instead of melt-in-your-mouth tender.
3.For a popular regional variation, add 60ml (1/4 cup) of Mexican cola to the braising liquid to add a subtle caramel sweetness that amplifies the pork's savoriness.
OMG, I’ve been chasing the carnitas flavor I remember from my abuela’s house in Michoacán for YEARS and this recipe nailed it!!! The crispy edges were *perfect*, not too greasy, and the hint of orange and cinnamon was exactly what I was missing from all the other recipes I’ve tried. Made this for our Sunday family dinner and everyone went back for seconds, even my super picky teen. 10/10, will be making this monthly for taco night from now on!!!
Game. Changer. I’ve made carnitas a dozen times in my smoker, in the crockpot, on the stove — you name it. Never got that shatteringly crisp texture you get from the legit taquerias until I tried this method. Pro tip from me: don’t stir the pork too often while it’s browning at the end, let those edges get good and crispy before you flip. Served these up on corn tortillas with pickled red onions and cilantro, and my roommates are already begging me to make them again next week.
SO good!!! I made a big batch of these on Sunday for meal prep, and they held up perfectly all week for tacos, burrito bowls, and even loaded nachos for my kid’s after school snack. The only heads up is it does take almost the full 2 hours 45 minutes, so don’t try to cram this in on a busy weeknight — save it for when you’ve got time to hang out in the kitchen a bit. Worth every single minute though.
Took these to a work potluck last week and people were literally coming up to me for the recipe before they even finished their first taco. I will say, I was nervous because I’ve never made carnitas before (medium difficulty had me a little stressed!) but the steps were super straightforward and easy to follow. I did add a little extra lime at the end because I love that tang, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Really great flavor, and the crispy bits were out of this world, but I knocked off one star because my pork took almost 45 minutes longer to get tender than the recipe said. Maybe my stove runs hotter? Or I cut my pork chunks a little too big? Either way, once I let it cook longer it turned out amazing, just wish I’d planned for the extra time so we didn’t eat dinner at 9pm lol. Still will make again, just will block off more time next go around.
My husband is from Michoacán and I was low-key nervous to make these for his birthday dinner because he’s so picky about carnitas. Y’all. He took one bite and asked where I ordered them from??? When I told him I made them from this recipe he didn’t believe me until I showed him the pot on the stove. Absolute win, I feel like I earned major spouse points with this one. Thank you!!
Why did I ever get fast food carnitas when I can make these at home that taste 100x better for half the price? I added a can of Coke like my tia used to, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T, and the crisp was unreal. My dog was camped out by the oven the whole cook time waiting for a bite, I can’t blame him the smell was insane.
Made these for my kid’s soccer team end of season cookout and every single parent asked for the recipe. I was worried 3 pounds of pork wouldn’t be enough but it fed 8 adults and 10 kids no problem, especially with all the taco toppings. The crispy edges were the fan favorite, people were picking the crunchy bits straight out of the pan before I even got the tortillas set out lol.
Y’all I messed this up so bad the first time I made it because I tried to make it “healthier” by draining all the fat before the crisping step. It was dry and sad and had zero crunch. Tried again two days later, followed the recipe exactly (no skipping the fat step!!!) and it was perfect. Don’t be like me, trust the process. Those crispy bits are worth every calorie.
I’ve had carnitas from so many spots around Denver and none of them hold a candle to this recipe. The flavor is so deep, the crunch is perfect, and it’s so versatile. I used the leftovers to make breakfast hash with eggs and potatoes the next morning and it might’ve been better than the tacos the night before. 10/10, no notes.
My grandma used to make carnitas exactly like this for every holiday, and I lost her recipe a few years ago when we moved. I cried a little when I took the first bite because it tasted exactly like her cooking. Thank you so much for sharing this authentic version, it means more than you know to be able to make this for my own kids now.
Made this last weekend for my birthday taco party, used vegetable shortening instead of lard because I keep kosher, and it still turned out insanely good! The crisp was perfect, all my guests were raving. I was worried the swap would ruin it, but it worked like a charm. 100% recommend if you can’t do lard!