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Mexican

Carnitas

Non-vegetarian

Chunks of pork shoulder slowly braised with orange, garlic and oregano until meltingly tender, then crisped in their own fat — perfect for tacos.

Carnitas is a Mexican main course from Mexico, ready in about 3 hours 10 minutes and made with pork shoulder and orange juice. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Carnitas, a mexican dish
Photo: {{#if:26865339@N00|Mike McCune|{{#if:|[{} Mike McCune ]|Mike McCune}}}} {{#if:|from {}|}} / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
2 h 55 min
Total
3 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
611

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 160 °C. Toss the pork with the salt and put it in a Dutch oven with the lard (opens in a new tab), orange juice (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), bay leaves (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and water.

    • 10 min
    • 160°C

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw pork.

  2. Step 2

    Cover and braise in the oven (opens in a new tab) until the pork is fork-tender, about 2½ hours.

  3. Step 3

    Lift out the pork and break it into large shreds. Discard the bay, cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and onion (opens in a new tab). Skim the fat from the juices and reserve both.

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Spread the pork on a baking tray, drizzle with 3 tbsp of the fat and a few spoonfuls of juices, and roast at 230 °C (or fry in batches) until the edges are crisp and browned, 15–20 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Serve in warm tortillas (opens in a new tab) with cilantro (opens in a new tab) and lime (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Michoacán, Mexico · Well documentedAlso popular in United StatesMore food from Mexico
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Braised, Roasted
    Taste
    savoury, rich, citrusy, garlicky
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
    Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-styleWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Batch cooking · Festive & celebration
    Cook more with
    Pork shoulder · Orange juice · Garlic · Onion · Dried oregano · Cumin
    Techniques
    Roasting · Braising

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    611 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 328 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 29%
    • Carbohydrate 3%
    • Fat 68%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy611 kcal186 kcal
    Protein43.5 g13.3 g
    Carbohydrate4.7 g1.4 g
    Net carbohydrate4.3 g1.3 g
    Sugars2.2 g0.7 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre0.4 g0.1 g
    Fat45.1 g13.8 g
    Saturated fat15.6 g4.8 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol178 mg54 mg
    Sodium942 mg287 mg
    Salt equivalent2.4 g0.7 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    835 mg
    Calcium
    60 mg
    Iron
    3.1 mg
    Magnesium
    52 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    8 µg
    Vitamin C
    14 mg
    Vitamin D
    4.3 µg
    Vitamin B12
    1.9 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    21 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: lard, cinnamon, corn tortilla, coriander leaves, lime.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Keep the meat moist by spooning some of the braising juices over it before crisping.

    Common mistakes

    • Shredding the pork too finely before crisping — larger pieces give crunchy edges and juicy centres.

    Serve with

    • Serve with salsa verde, pickled onions and guacamole.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate with some juices up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.

    Reheating

    • Crisp in a hot frying pan with a little of the fat.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 5

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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