Carnitas Burrito
intro
Juicy, crispy slow-braised pork carnitas wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with rice, beans, cheese, and fresh salsa for a hearty, satisfying handheld meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Braise the pork carnitas
Preheat your oven to 160°C (325°F). Toss the 900g cubed pork shoulder with 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1.5 tsp kosher salt, 0.5 tsp black pepper, 12g minced garlic, 120ml fresh orange juice, and 2 tbsp neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Cover the pot tightly with its lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes until the pork is fork-tender and pulls apart with light pressure.
Crisp the tender pork
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, and use two forks to shred the pork into 2-3cm bite-sized pieces directly in the rendered cooking liquid. Place the pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat (pan surface temp ~190°C/375°F), and cook the shredded pork uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the edges are crispy and deep golden brown, and most excess liquid has evaporated. Toss the crisped pork with 1 tbsp fresh lime juice to finish.
Warm tortillas and fillings
While the pork crisps, warm each of the 4 large flour tortillas one at a time in a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat (pan surface temp ~150°C/300°F) for 30 seconds per side until soft and pliable, then stack and wrap in a clean cotton tea towel to retain heat. Toss the 480g cooked white rice with the remaining 1 tbsp lime juice and 15g chopped cilantro, and warm the 420g rinsed black beans in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes until heated through.
Layer burrito fillings
Lay one warm tortilla flat on a clean wooden cutting board. Spread 20g (2 tbsp) sour cream in a 5cm wide vertical line down the center of the tortilla, leaving a 5cm (2-inch) clear border on all sides. Top the sour cream with 120g cilantro-lime rice, 105g warm black beans, 120g crisped carnitas, 30g shredded cheese, and 40g pico de gallo, keeping all fillings stacked neatly in the center line.
Fold burritos tightly
Fold the left and right short edges of the tortilla inward over the top and bottom ends of the filling line, then roll the bottom long edge of the tortilla up over the fillings, tucking the tortilla tightly against the fillings as you roll to form a sealed, compact cylinder with no gaps. Repeat the layering and folding process with the remaining 3 tortillas and fillings.
Toast assembled burritos
Place each folded burrito seam-side down in the same dry nonstick skillet used for tortillas, set to medium heat (150°C/300°F). Toast for 1-2 minutes per side, turning carefully with tongs, until the tortilla exterior is lightly golden and slightly crisp, and the cheese inside is fully melted. Serve immediately.
Tips
2.Avoid overstuffing your burritos; sticking to the measured filling amounts will prevent the tortilla from tearing or leaking fillings while folding and toasting, for a neat, easy-to-eat wrap.
3.For easy meal prep, wrap cooled, un-toasted burritos tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month; reheat in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 15-20 minutes (25-30 minutes if frozen) until heated through.
OMG these carnitas burritos were a total game changer for our Sunday family dinner! I was worried the medium difficulty would be too much for my weeknight skill level but the steps were so straightforward, even when I messed up the citrus marinade a little it still turned out SO good. My kids begged for seconds before they even finished their first bite!
Solid recipe, but I found the carnitas came out a little drier than I expected when I followed the cook time exactly. Maybe I had my stovetop too high?
Meal prepped 6 of these burritos for my work lunches this week and they reheat like an absolute dream! I added a little extra pickled red onion and some cotija crumble and wow, better than any takeout burrito I’ve gotten within 20 minutes of my apartment.
Made these for my son’s high school soccer team potluck last weekend and every single burrito was gone in 10 minutes flat! Multiple parents asked me for the recipe, I felt like a celebrity lmao. Only tweak I made was adding a dollop of sour cream and a scoop of guac to each before wrapping, chef’s kiss.
Took these camping last weekend, cooked the carnitas ahead of time at home and warmed them up over the camp stove to assemble the burritos on site. Absolute hit with my trail crew, way better than the sad dehydrated meals we usually bring. Will be making this for every car camping trip from now on!
Wait full transparency I swapped the carnitas for jackfruit for my vegetarian roommate and even she said the flavor profile slapped? The seasoning mix for the meat is so versatile I’m gonna use it on roasted veggies from now on tbh.
Grew up eating carnitas burritos from the little taqueria down the street from my abuela’s house and this recipe is dead on for that flavor. I was skeptical a home recipe could get that crispy, tender carnitas texture but nailing the final crisp in the pan after braising? *Chef’s kiss* 10/10.
Okay I’m not gonna lie, the 1 hour 50 minute cook time made me put off trying this for weeks, but I had a random free Saturday and gave it a go. Worth every single minute. My picky 7 year old who only eats chicken nuggets ate two whole burritos. Only con? My husband ate half the leftover carnitas straight out of the pan before I could assemble burritos for the next day lmao.
Made this in my tiny dorm kitchen with a $20 thrifted dutch oven and it still went hard. Spent like $12 total on ingredients and got 5 huge burritos out of it, way cheaper than ordering Chipotle every night. 10/10 would make again when I don’t have a midterm the next day.
Added an extra chopped chipotle in adobo to the braising liquid for a little extra smoky heat and oh my GOD that was the best call I’ve made all month. If you love a little kick, don’t sleep on that addition. The burritos were perfectly balanced with the rice, beans, and a little lime crema I whipped up.
Uh, full disclosure this is like the third real meal I’ve ever made from scratch and I only messed up twice! I forgot to warm the tortillas before wrapping so the first couple split, but once I figured that out they turned out amazing. My roommate thought I ordered takeout lmao.
Great macro count if you load it up with extra carnitas, use a whole wheat tortilla, and skip the sour cream. I’ve been eating these post-workout all week and they keep me full for hours, way better than the boring protein shakes I used to choke down.
I’ve been making my own carnitas for 40 years and this recipe’s orange juice and cumin ratio is spot on. I brought a batch over to my bridge club last week and all the ladies asked for the recipe, even Mabel who swears her carnitas are the best in the county. High praise!
Wait who else has made these for breakfast burritos with a little scrambled egg thrown in? I had leftover carnitas Sunday morning and tossed some eggs, cheese, and hashbrowns in a tortilla with the meat and it was the best brunch I’ve made all year. No notes.