Carnitas….I’m not sure why, but I’ve always felt like it’s such a fun thing to say! As in, I’ll have some Carrrrrrneetas please! Seems way more fun than saying I’ll have some Mexican shredded pork. But, however you say it, Carnitas are DELICIOUS, super easy to make and perfect for your next Mexican Fiesta because you can feed a crowd AND get all your cooking done in advance. Thank you slow cooker!
Carnitas are generally made with a cut of meat called Pork Butt (also known as Boston Butt) which isn’t part of the hiney at all, but part of the shoulder….not to be confused with a different cut of meat called Pork Shoulder which is also referred to as Picnic Shoulder or Picnic Roast. Confused yet?! I know it has taken me awhile to sort all of this out, but here’s what you need to know. Pork Butt is your first choice for carnitas because it is fatty and well marbled which is what you want for flavorful melt in your mouth carnitas. If you can’t find that, Pork Shoulder is your second choice. What you don’t want to do is mistakenly purchase a Pork Roast. Got it? Good!
To create your carnitas you simply place your pork in a slow cooker and smother it with the garlicky, herby, oily rub of sorts. Then add in your chopped onion and jalapeno (no fancy chopping, just cut into large chunks), juices and bay leaves. Cover and walk away….for about a day! This nice slow 9 or so hour cooking will transform your tough piece of meat into tender chunks of yum!
Once your meat is cooked and completely tender it’s time for the shredding, basically using a couple of forks to tear it apart into somewhat bite sized pieces.
Finally, crisping it up really takes it to the next level. Allowing it to brown (caramelize!) brings out a richness in flavor as well as adding some textural interest. I like to do this in a nonstick pan or cast iron skillet. Basically you put a little oil in the pan, along with just a bit of the cooking juices, then cover the bottom of pan with a layer of the shredded pork allowing it to brown/caramelize in places. Flip the meat pieces over and lightly brown on the other side. This usually takes about 4 batches for this size recipe. Alternatively, you can do this in one fell swoop by broiling the pork, I’ve given you instructions below.
And now you’re ready to make tacos! (or burritos, or enchiladas or quesadillas or however you’d like to use your carnitas). I love simple carnitas tacos with avocados, cilantro, pickled red onion, Cotija cheese if you have some and salsa verde.
Helpful Hints From Mom
1-I always like to make a big batch of carnitas even if I’m not serving a lot of people because they save and freeze really well! Your biggest limiter may well be the size of your slow cooker.
2-Knowing how many servings you will get from a roast…pork butt/shoulder will shrink by nearly 50% through the cooking process (yikes!), this net size is known as your yield. You can plan on 3-4 servings per pound. So, a 5 pound roast will yield approximately 2 1/2 pounds of cooked pork and therefore 8-10 servings.
3-When I freeze carnitas I typically freeze the shredded pork (delaying the browning/crisping step until serving time) in a container or plastic bag, and I include in that container a small baggie of the preserved juice/broth. This will help keep the pork from drying out when you reheat it.
Carnitas
Ingredients
- 4 1/2-5 pound pork butt/pork shoulder, boneless trim fat as needed
- 1 onion, rough chopped
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded/stemmed and rough chopped
- 3/4 cup orange juice, about 2 large oranges
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 bay leaves
Rub
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all the rub ingredients together to form a thick slurry.
- Place pork butt in the crockpot and smother with the spice slurry.
- Sprinkle the rough chopped onion, jalapeno and bay leaves over and around the pork. Pour the orange and lime juices into the crockpot, trying not to wash the spice rub off of the pork! Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours. If you don't have quite that much time you can cook on hi for 6-7 hours.
- Once the pork is super tender (you should be able stick a fork into the meat very easily, hence the term fork tender!) carefully lift it out of the crockpot and onto a large cutting board, preferably one with a drip ring around it to catch the juices. Using two forks, shred or pull apart all of the meat, separating out any of the remaining fat.
Finishing Pork-2 Options
- Option 1 (and my preferred method) Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable cooking oil in a large nonstick or well seasoned skillet over medium high heat. Place enough of the shredded pork in the skillet to cover the bottom along with a bit of the cooking juices (1/4-1/2 cup). Allow juices/broth to evaporate and meat to brown/crisp. Turn meat pieces over and gently brown on the other side. Remove meat from skillet and continue cooking remaining pork in batches (it usually takes me about 4 batches), just before serving pour a bit more heated pork broth over the now crisped meat.
- Option 2 Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread your shredded pork mixed with about 1 cup of the cooking juices, broil for 3-5 minutes until meat has browned nicely. You may need to add more liquid so meat doesn't become too dry.