This Mexican-inspired dish features tender and juicy pulled pork on the inside, while deliciously crisp and golden on the edges.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 12 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- About 5 pounds (2.25 kilograms) pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into roughly 3-inch cubes
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry oregano, preferably Mexican
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 1/2 cups (375 milliliters) light flavored beer, such as lager
- 1 lime, halved
- 1 orange, halved
- 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Corn tortillas and/or Crispy Cheesy Shells, recipe follows
- Guacamole, recipe follows
- Pico de Gallo, recipe follows
- Cotija or feta, sour cream and cilantro
- 2 cups (230 grams) shredded Cheddar or jack cheese
- 6 to 8 corn or flour tortillas
- 3 ripe avocados
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 to 2 limes, juiced
- Kosher salt
- 3 to 4 tomatoes on the vine, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/3 to 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, finely diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, juiced
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place the pork in a large bowl, season with the 2 teaspoons salt as well as the cumin, sugar, oregano, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder and paprika and mix well to combine and evenly coat.
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add in 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sear the pork in batches, adding more oil between each batch if needed, until golden brown on all sides. Set the seared pork aside and add in the garlic cloves and onion. If the pan looks a bit too dark on the bottom at this point, add a splash of water now to release some of that delicious char into the veg. Season with salt and cook just until the vegetables pick up some color, 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the beer, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck-on bits, and add the pork back in. Squeeze in the juice from the lime and orange and add the juiced rinds into the pot along with the chipotle peppers, to taste.
- Bring to a boil then cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven until the pork is fork tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
- Discard the citrus and transfer the pork and onions to a sheet pan to cool slightly, reserving the braising liquid. Shred with two forks. Turn your broiler on to high and broil the carnitas until browned and slightly crisp on top, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a splash or two of the braising liquid and transfer to a serving dish.
- Serve the carnitas with corn tortillas or Crispy Cheesy Taco Shells, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo and your favorite taco toppings.
- Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Scatter in about 1/4 cup of the cheese and, once melted, top with a tortilla. Cook until the cheese is golden and a bit crisp, then flip and cook for a few seconds just to heat the other side of the tortilla. With the cheese on the outside, lightly fold the tortilla over to form a crispy taco shell and allow to firm up before serving.
- Cut the avocados in half and carefully remove the pits. Scoop the flesh into a bowl and add in the cilantro, onion, garlic and lime juice to taste. Mash to your desired consistency and season with salt and more lime juice if needed. If making ahead, squeeze some extra lime juice on top and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to avoid oxidation. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days, mixing well before serving.
- Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño or serrano to taste, cilantro and lime juice to a bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. If making ahead, cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reviews
This recipe was delicious! I mainly made the pork but it was tender and full of flavor !
Fantastic! Love Mary’s recipes
Love Mary, her personality makes it a pleasure to watch her in the kitchen…so it pains me to say this was bland. The sauce had no zip. Nothing noteworthy. I found another recipe by Katie Lee Beigel (The Kitchen). I almost didn’t make it out of fear of another letdown, but it was fabulous. Just sayin.
My family and I loved these carnitas. I halved the recipe and didn’t try the cheesy shells because of the comments. I did make the pico and the guacamole with rave reviews. Will definitely make this again.
These pork carnitas were fantastic. My husband instantly called them a “Top 5” favorite, so I will definitely make them again. The “Crispy Cheesy Shells” did not turn out crispy at all, so I don’t think I would make those again. I followed the recipe exactly, but the shells just got greasy from the shredded cheddar, so they never crisped. I don’t want to take away a star for this, though, as the carnitas really were spectacular. When I reheat tonight, I’ll just sprinkle the cheddar over the carnitas, so it melts nicely, and just warm the corn tortillas right before serving. I did not make the guacamole, as I had some very good store bought on hand. However, I DID make the pico, as when I halved the carnitas recipe (only two of us), I had plenty of lime and red onion left over. I used almost a whole Serrano pepper (also halved this recipe), as we like a little more heat. It was also very good and easy to make. I wouldn’t hesitate to make either of these again.
These Carnitas are great!!! Easy to make and taste great – I like spicy so I added a bit more spicy elements, perfect for my group. Can’t go wrong with this dish!
These carnitas are fantastic!!! Next time I will double the braising liquid because it cooked down to only about 1/2 cup and I would have liked more to add back to the finished product. The crispy cheese shells were a complete flop. Any suggestions? I used a nonstick skillet but the cheese still stuck to the pan and not the tortilla. HIGHLY recommend the carnitas, best I’ve ever had!!!
OHMYGOSH Mary…these pork carnitas were incredibly delicious! WOW! Thank you!
This was easy to make and absolutely delicious! Perfect flavor, the citrus was noticeable but not over powerful. Cooking it under the broiler after shredding the pork crisped the pork for great texture. Will definitely make this again.
The smell was fantastic in the oven. We loved the taste of the pork but found it very rich.