Pork is simmered in a citrusy mix of thyme, garlic and bay leaves until tender then piled onto tortillas along with pickled red onions to make mouthwatering tacos. While it’s an extra step, crisping up the meat after simmering adds extra flavor and creates the crunchy bits that are typical of this Mexican dish.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 3 hr |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 3 pounds boneless pork butt (fat cap intact), cut into 2-inch chunks
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Juice of 2 limes
- Juice of 1 orange
- Kosher salt
- Corn tortillas, warmed, and assorted toppings, for serving
Instructions
- Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine; combine the pork, garlic, bay leaves and thyme bundle in a large Dutch oven. Add the vegetable oil, lime juice, orange juice, 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low; cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
- Uncover the pot and continue simmering, stirring once or twice, until the pork is tender, about another 1 hour, 15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 35 more minutes. Discard the thyme bundle and bay leaves, then increase the heat to medium high so the pork starts to fry. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the pork is golden brown and crisp in spots, about 10 more minutes. Serve in tortillas with assorted toppings.
- Combine 1 thinly sliced red onion, 1 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon each coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a small saucepan. Boil 2 minutes; let cool.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 619 |
| Total Fat | 47 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 141 mg |
| Sodium | 695 mg |
Reviews
This is by far my favorite carnitas recipe I’ve tried! It’s a crowd pleaser. In addition to the pickled red onions, I served mine with a cilantro and lime crema.
Really tasty and easy to make. I did add some cumin to the pot. The only thing different that I would do for the next time is cut the oil back to 1/4 cup as opposed to half. After the liquid was gone, there was too much oil left in the pan. I poured most off to brown the meat at the end. It could have been the fat content in the meat as it was marbled very well. Will definitely make again.
Excellent! Muy autentico. I didn’t have thyme on hand, so I used oregano and cumin instead. Made a pint of salsa casera and some guacamole taquero with tomatillo and lime. Huge success. My husband loved it and he’s from Texas.
Real good! I added a small can of diced chiles and some cumin to bring home that Mexican flavor. Definitely a great recipe to use when you have leftover pork roast, like I did. Even though my pork loin was already cooked, I threw it in the crock pot on low and let it simmer all day. Perfect!
This pork was amazing! I’ve been searching for the perfect carnitas recipe, and I think I found it. The only difference in my preparation was that after cubing the pork, I dusted it with cumin, coriander, oregano, and a bit of salt, and let it sit in the fridge for an hour to set in.
Good recipe. Substituted lemon for the citrus and fresh oregano for the thyme.
I liked it enough that I searched it out on the website when I couldn’t find it in my old issues. It was good the first time as tacos so when I saw arepas on one of the shows and decided to try making them, this was the first thing I thought of to put in them. I will put it in my recipe box this time as I will use this recipe again and again,
Now I’ve made it the second time and it was even better. This time I made the pickled onions too and they made it great. While sharing it with a friend I offered taco sauce and he said, “as good as this meat tastes it would ruin it” and that I could make it for him anytime. It doesn’t need anything else, but may try adding a jalapeno next time..
Now I’ve made it the second time and it was even better. This time I made the pickled onions too and they made it great. While sharing it with a friend I offered taco sauce and he said, “as good as this meat tastes it would ruin it” and that I could make it for him anytime. It doesn’t need anything else, but may try adding a jalapeno next time..