Crispy Carnitas
As if slow-cooked, tender, succulent pork wasn’t tempting enough, carnitas takes it one step further by caramelizing the pork in its own fat until the outside is perfectly browned and crisp. The crispy, tender morsels of pork that come out of the oven are hard to resist; it’s not unusual to eat so much meat right out of the pan that you’re full before the carnitas make it to the table.
Cooking meat that is both tender and crispy might sound tricky but the only trick to making carnitas is getting out of the way so the meat can cook itself. The less you intervene, the better. Seasoned pork is braised in a pot of water until the meat is tender and the water is gone. Then the pork fat takes over, essentially frying the meat into a crispy, fatty, salty masterpiece.
Carnitas is a great dish to cook ahead of time for quick weeknight dinners or large parties. Served with avocado, salsa or sautéed peppers it’s a meal that satisfies every time.
Servings: 6
Time in the Kitchen: 20 minutes active cooking time, 3 to 4 hours in the oven
Ingredients:
- 3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder/butt cut into five pieces. You can trim off a little bit of the fat or leave it all on. (1.4 to 1.8 kg)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (7 ml)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (5 ml)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, chopped or thinly sliced
- Water, for braising
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (177 ºC).
Mix together the salt, cumin and chili powder and rub all over the meat.
Place the meat in a large, heavy pot with the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, garlic and onion. Ideally, the pot is large enough so that the meat is in a single layer. Add enough water to almost, but not entirely, cover the meat.
Put the pot in the oven, uncovered, and braise for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Stir the meat just a few times while it cooks. You’ll know the pork is done when it’s really tender, slightly browned and most of the liquid is gone.
Remove the pork from the oven. Put the meat on a cutting board and cut or shred it with your hands into thin strips.
Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf from the pot. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and return it to the oven.
Roast the meat, mixing occasionally, until the meat is as dark and crispy as you like it. (This process will go even faster if the meat is spread out on a roasting pan or baking sheet with any remaining liquid that was left in the pot. If time is tight, you can also put the meat under a broiler).
If you’re making carnitas ahead of time, cook the meat for 3 hours until tender. The final crisping up in the oven can be done right before serving the meat.
The entire cooking process for carnitas can also be done on a stovetop but the oven is a little easier. A slow cooker can also be used to cook the meat until tender (add only about 1/2 cup of water). The meat can then be transferred to the oven to brown.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
Just pulled my carnitas out of oven. Looks and tastes GREAT. Yes, you can smell the cinnamon. There is a faint hint of cinnamon, but in my opinion it is the perfect hint. The flavor of the meat is much more pronounced!! Thanks for posting this recipe.
Made this today and it was hard to stop picking at it. It’s everything I love about pork ribs without the bones.
I’ve never had carnitas, but this sounds pretty amazing!
Well I went for it tonight, it was great and even my two kids 10 and 13 ate it with no complaints. I loved that the onions disappeared so I didn’t have to apologize for their being there. I could go either way on the cinnamon, I used about 1/4 tsp. and might consider 1/8th tsp. next time, otherwise yum.
Has anyone made this with beef, say with chuck?
We used the same recipe last night but used grass fed chuck roast and round roast instead. Used the crock pot, and then pulled all the meat apart, spread out on baking sheet and broiled it to add the crispiness. Used the juice from the crockpot to pour over the meat before eating. It was stupid good.
How important is the cut of meat in this recipe? I have pork loin in my freezer, can I use that?
Thanks!
I wouldn’t use loin. It doesn’t have as much connective tissue or fat so doesn’t do as well slow-cooked.
I am using a crockpot and it is currently cooking away at home to be ready for dinner. I am also going to try and make Marks tortillas to go with it.
Looks great and easy to make. Can’t wait to try it.
I made carnitas this weekend, and would highly recommend it! I like to add a red cabbage slaw with it: shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots, cilantro, garlic, lime and a touch of white wine vinegar. It adds some wonderful crunch to the slow cooked pork.
Making this Saturday. My whole family is excited to try it.
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! Only lousy thing is I’ll be making a nightshade-free version…
Made this yesterday and it was super easy and yummy!!!!
How long would you cook the final crisping up part if it is on a baking sheet?
I cooked mine for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. That gave them a good amount of crisp with no drying of the meat.
These were AMAZING! I made them in the crockpot with 1/2 cup beef broth instead of water then cooked two hours on high, then about 3-4 hours on low. I removed the meat with a slotted spoon and used my kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment to shred the meat; added one cup of the liquid back into the meat and baked till crispy on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven. Served over mashed plantains.
I don’t eat much pork but this recipe looks great, Mark. Of course it’s even better if you can find humanely-raised, pasture fed pork. Support your local farmers people!
Nom nom! This looks delightful.
I have a major heart-on for this recipe. Can’t wait to try it out & fill my mouth with meat. Thanks for making me HORNGRY!
This would probably go so good with mashed green plantains…or as we dominicans call it..mangú! Yummm!
Loved it, really tasty, really satisfying and fulfilling. I’ve now learnt a new way to cook pork
I would like to try this recipe as it is completely different from the carnitas recipe that I’ve been taught by a Mexican friend.
If somebody wants to try it, I just write it down! Mexicans usually cook carnitas outside in huge pots over a fire so I cut pork meat in big chunks to avoid letting the meat to dry too much (meat from the shoulder, neck, belly and the fatty/juicy cuts). Right after adding the spices, you need to marinate with some drops of vinegar for one night (in my recipe there is no cinnamon and a lot of bay leaves).
Next take some rendered lard, melt it in a deep frypan and use it to fry the meat. Yo can add the meat all together if you have room for that to allow more lard to melt down and increase the frying effect.
When the meat is brown and crispy it can be taken out and eaten (time changes from chunk to chunk depending on size). Doing it this way you end up with a crispy and juicy pork fry.
Wow, this looks and sounds delicious! I know what I’ll be making next week. *drools*
Wow, is this good! I got lucky at our food co-op today; they had the perfect fatty pastured huge pork chop. I got to eat the carnitas and chew on the crispy bone too.
Thanks!
Also, it cooks well in a convection toaster oven.
Made this today, just tried it out and it came out really nice. I thought I had cinnamon sticks but couldn’t find them, so I ended up just adding some ground cinnamon to the rub and it works fine. Great recipe!
This is AMAZING – the cinnamon stick gives it just the right touch. I added some cloves to complement the cinnamon and add to the aroma. Topped with avocado and spicy salsa – nom nom!
I made the carnitas and they were super easy and incredibly tasty! I served them with guacamole & dry jack cheese in purple cabbage wraps & a side of roasted carrots. I’m making them again this weekend!
So, I made this last night. We ate it over romaine lettuce with guacamole as a topping. It was delicious!! However, it was pretty dang salty, using 1 1/2 tsp from the recipe. Next time, I’ll cut it to 1 tsp. Great recipe, can’t wait to make it again!
I agree about the salt comment and I love salt and typically use it liberally when I cook. I just made these carnitas for the second time and used less salt than called for. Can’t wait to pull it out of the oven in three hours.
I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe. Super easy and turned out amazing. I ended up adding more spices, especially salt, after shredding. I usually stick to quick, grilled meats but this will be added to the rotation. Thank you!
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING. The meat was flavorful and delicious. I did sub in 1/4 tsp cinnamon for the cinnamon stick due to what I had on hand. The flavor combo was simple and delicious. Will be making this again and again!