I love carnitas, and order them wherever I go…but have yet to make them at home.
Does anyone have a favorite recipe they could share? Any critical tips?
Thanks in advance.
Feliz Navidad…I am going to have Mexican holiday dinner. Mmmmm, Carnitas.
Braise, then crisp up the meat in a hot oven or even the grill.
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I like using a blazing hot cast iron pan on the grill. Extra crispiness
Should the braise be done in lard? Thought that was part of the magic.
I believe so but that isn’t the only way to make it. An untrimmed appropriately rubbed pork butt wrapped in foil in the egg would braise up nicely in its own fat and juices. That’s what I’d do. Then one could take several different steps from there. You could do the meat in advance and chill- then pull it apart roughly before reheating, which would be the crisping phase. This can be done in the fryer, on a grill, in a pan or the oven.
I’ve had some mediocre carnitas obviously done in the oven and not crispy at all and some that were beef! Chopped carne asada passed off as carnitas- which is very common in my area.
A properly prepared pork butt can feed a lot of people if made into carnitas. Better bring your rolaids along though… 
Love some carnitas. I agree that crisping up the exterior is key. Gonna have to make some soon !
Bone in butts are $1.48 now it being christmas season and all. Was $1 last year…
Anyway- why don’t I take my own suggestion? I’m feeling carnivorous.
Man, this is giving me an itch to cook. I’m going to need to figure out a “light” version, though since I’m trying desperately to lose the extra weight I’ve put on this year (and then some). I’ll probably start with a pork tenderloin braised in Mojo with a little olive oil. Then I’ll cut it into some large chunks, pan sear, maybe throw it back into the oven in the skillet for a bit, then shred it up. The key is going to be figuring out how to keep it moist without adding too much fat back in. Hopefully the acid in the Mojo will help a bit.
mmm. The house smells good this morning. Decided to braise in the crock pot…turned it on at midnight.
I put in some chipotle/adobo.
I am going to crisp on the grill with cast iron…thanks Kyle.
Tacos for the game. Yum.
Someone told me to throw in some Fanta…the Mexican orange crush. Maybe they make it in diet? ;D
I routinely smoke a pork butt, pull/shred it, and give it a quick crisp in some grease for tacos. Not technically carnitas, but no self respecting Mexican would turn it down, either.
From a thread earlier this year. I posted the ATK recipe on there of which I have made a few times.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=16560.msg209223#msg209223
The Mojo is a great source for that light citrus orange flavor. After braising the cubed meat, (don’t trim the fat) shred it to your desired size. Reduce the braising liquid until thick, toss with the pork and then crisp it under the broiler on a wire rack cooling tray over a rimmed baking sheet. Much of the grease drips away this way, but enough is present to aide in crisping.
Thanks Michigan!! I thought I did a search but must have missed that.
I bought another butt yesterday, bc as Euge mentioned…they are dirt cheap.
mmm, carnitas. I could eat that food for breakfast.
I like to do them Yucatan style. Recipe adapted from a brewrat named Nathi.
4# boston butt pork roast
Marinade:
6 garlic cloves, crushed (or more!)
1 cup sour orange juice (can buy bottled at hispanic grocery, called Naranja Agria in spanish, or you can use 50/50 lime and orange juice)
2 tbsp achiote paste (pure achiote, not the spice mix. Find at hispanic grocery)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
about 20 fresh ground peppercorns
2 tsp Mexican oregano
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp allspice
about 1/4 a med yellow onion, minced, or just use onion powder
Optional Marinade Ingredients:
Some nice strong and fruity olive oil
A little cream sherry
1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, toasted and then ground in a spice grinder
1 or 2 finely diced habs…or just serve with a nice hab salsa…which I think is a better idea
Serve with:
2 med yellow onions
1 Poblano pepper
2 Roma Tomatoes
Tortillas
- Stab the roast many times to let marinade soak into thicker areas, add marinade and rub well
- Marinade at least over night
- Remove roast, save marinade. Smoke roast with your favorite wood (I like red oak for this) for 4 hours at 200°-225°F.
- Remover roast from smoker and place into a crock pot (or a dutch oven or whatever) on low with the reserved marinade. Cook for another 4 hours until the meat is falling apart.
- Just before serving, slice the onions and peppers, cook in skillet with olive oil (or lard) until the onions are caramelized and slightly browned. Remove. Add tomatoes cut into small wedges and a little of the juice from the crock put (just a few Tbsp) to skillet while still hot and deglaze the skillet, remove after about 1 minute.
- Serve Pork on top of the vegetables with tortillas on the side and some hot hab salsa
Holy crap. Sometimes I forget what amazing chefs brewers are. Especially when it comes to meat.
Nice to have the chumley around again; you have me looking for a hispanic grocery.
Interesting for me all the different styles…but why not…Mexico is a big country with lots of regional variation.
Seriously…nothing makes my mouth water like the thought of crispy carnitas. Thanks.
I saw a Colorado chef on Travel channel show (Meat) today make them with country-style ribs. Looked dead simple. She did it in a dutch-oven stove-top
+10. I love carnitas. I make tacos with mine, with cilantro, chopped onion and this fire roasted salsa :
Puree:
8 fire (or oven) roasted tomatillos
4 " roasted serrano peppers (or amount for desired heat)
1 medium roasted onion
Roasted garlic
1 -2 Dried Ancho peppers (seeded,soaked in hot water for 1 hour, then pureed
with other ingredients)
Pinch of cumin and Mexican oregano
Salt and pepper
I use corn tortillas of course. Pretty much perfect tacos in my book !! Damn…hungry now.
not to encourage blatant carnivory, but eating some rich fatty meat is a good way to fill your belly on calories that won’t… well fill your belly
As long as your heart is in good shape that is. That’s why the atkins thing works. the body is crap at converting fat and protein into body fat and a champ at converting carbs into body fat.
A Honduran girl I know makes them with country style ribs. They are awesome! Marinated with some sort of sour oranges too.
In the day, this was one of my pickup lines. It must be a “Jim” thing.