Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas)
By Charles KelseyPublished on September 5, 2013
Time
3 hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Pork
4 pound boneless pork butt, fat cap trimmed to ⅛ inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunksSalt and ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 small onion, peeled and halved2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime2 cups water 1 medium orange, halvedTortillas and Garnishes
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmedLime wedge (optional)Minced white or red onion (optional)Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)Thinly sliced radishes (optional)Sour cream (optional)Before You Begin
We like serving carnitas spooned into tacos, but you can also use it as a filling for tamales, enchiladas, and burritos.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
- Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heatsafe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
- Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm tortillas and garnishes.
Time
3 hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Pork
4 pound boneless pork butt, fat cap trimmed to ⅛ inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange, halved
Tortillas and Garnishes
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Lime wedge (optional)
Minced white or red onion (optional)
Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Thinly sliced radishes (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pork
4 pound boneless pork butt, fat cap trimmed to ⅛ inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange, halved
Tortillas and Garnishes
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Lime wedge (optional)
Minced white or red onion (optional)
Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Thinly sliced radishes (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pork
4 pound boneless pork butt, fat cap trimmed to ⅛ inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange, halved
Tortillas and Garnishes
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Lime wedge (optional)
Minced white or red onion (optional)
Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Thinly sliced radishes (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Unlike Southern-style barbecued pulled pork, carnitas, Mexican shredded pork, can be cooked indoors. Spanish for “little meats,” this staple is used as a filling in tacos and burritos and boasts tender chunks of pork with a lightly crisped, caramelized exterior. Carnitas are often prepared by gently frying well-marbled chunks of pork in large volumes of lard or oil. For our version, we opted to simmer the meat in a cooking liquid with lime and orange juices, bay leaves, and oregano. We reduced the liquid until it became a syrupy glaze, which gave our carnitas great pork flavor. We then glazed the meat and broiled it on a rack to allow the excess fat to drip off, cutting back on the greasiness but not the flavor.
Before You Begin
We like serving carnitas spooned into tacos, but you can also use it as a filling for tamales, enchiladas, and burritos.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
- Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heatsafe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
- Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm tortillas and garnishes.
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