Pork Carnitas Recipe
Pork Carnitas are pieces of pork meat slow-cooked in copper cauldrons in an open fire. Usually, most parts of the pork will be used, some will be cooked until tender, juicy and golden outside and other parts of the pork will be cooked until very crispy like chicharrones (pork skin).
To cook pork carnitas at home is a very easy task. There are lots of recipes that use herbs, and some of them even add milk or orange rind. And, of course, they can be added. But, as a friend of mine from Quiroga, Michoacán (a small town famous for its carnitas) told me some time ago: “People here just add salt, lard, and the pork meat”. Those pork carnitas are one of best!
This dish is best eaten when still warm over corn tortillas and a spicy or mild salsa.
DIRECTIONS:
In a large Dutch oven or Cast Iron Pot
- Uncover and turn the heat to medium-high to reduce the liquid.The meat will start frying in its own fat and lard at this point. Carefully brown the meat at medium-low heat stirring frequently until pork is evenly browned.
When you have another thing to do here is my oven baked pork carnitas.
- Place the meat, 1/4 cup lard, 1 cup of water and 1 Tablespoon of salt in an Oven Bag
, cook in a preheated oven at 350 for 2 hours. I place this package on a baking sheet or glass baking ware.
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- Take the bag out of the oven to drain must of the juices released by the meat, close the bag and place back in the oven for another hour or so until the meat is golden brown.
- 2 Lbs. pork loin and pork butt in large cubes about 2 inches.
- 1/4 cup of Lard vegetable oil is OK
- About 6-8 cups of water enough to cover the meat
- 1 Tablespoon of salt
- Optional: 3 cloves of garlic
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In a large Dutch oven or Cast Iron Pot place the pork, lard, water, garlic, and salt. Cook covered on a medium heat to a boil. Reduce to simmer for about 45 minutes until pork is almost tender.
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Uncover and turn the heat to medium high to reduce the liquid.The meat will start frying in its own fat and lard at this point. Carefully brown the meat at medium low heat stirring frequently until pork is evenly browned. About 15 to 20 minutes. At this point do not over cook or you will get very dry meat.
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Serve with hot tortillas and green salsa.
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Place the meat, 1/4 cup lard, 1 cup of water and 1 Tablespoon of salt in an Oven Bag , cook in a preheated oven at 350 for 2 hours. I place this package on a baking sheet or glass baking ware.
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Take the bag out of the oven to drain must of the juices released by the meat, close the bag and place back in the oven for another hour or so until the meat is golden brown, using this method the meat will be tender and juicy.
Wasn’t that easy? I think so.
What is your favorite way to eat carnitas? Here is an idea to use any leftovers: Pork in Tomato Sauce
Share on your social networks; it only takes 5 seconds. Thanks! EN ESPAÑOL.
Mely,
estas recetas te las voy a ROBAR!!!
Nunca me atreví a hacer carnitas en la casa, pero ya no tengo mas excusas.
Que ricura!
Tlaz
Hola Flavio,
Ojala te atrevas a hacerlas carnitas, yo le di muchas excusas hasta que un dia me decidi a hacerlas y me di cuenta de lo facil que es hacerlas. Algunas veces tambien le agrego lonja de puerco (pork Belly), a las carnitas que sobran, si es que sobran. Las envaso al vacio y al quedar compactas a los dos dias las saco y saben a chicharron prensado.
Has comido chicharron prensado?
Mely,
el chicharrón prensado es muy típico de mi región de Italia (al contrario del verdadero chicharrón mexicano que aquí no acostumbra hacer) y a mi me encanta.
Por estos rumbos le decimos "greppole" o "ciccioli frolli".
Ciao!
This looks so moist and flavorful…I am so excited to try this..all of your recipes inspire me..thanks so much.Figtreeapps
MELY, Yo las hago en el sartén de hierro, o en una cazuela más grande de barro. Si le pongo una ramita de tomillo y una cascarita de limón por aquello del olor. Igual que Flavio ya se me antojaron! con una salsa hecha con chiles en vinagre cebolla y cilantro!!!
Ahora que nos dijiste el secreto de la bolsa pues hay que probar. Pero si huele a rico con sabroso, de qué te preocupas jajaja
Gracias Mely
Mely,
salieron deliciosas en la cazuela.
Gracias!
Tlaz
Mely:
El viernes de la semana pasada preparé las carnitas!!! me hicieron recordar mi paìs… 🙂 No vivo en México.
Ya le pasé la receta a mi hermano :p
Lupita.
Hola Lupita,
No es tan dificil preparar las carnitas y vale la pena tener una cazuela o olla para su coccion de vez en cuando.
Muchos saludos a donde quiera que estes.
I have had this recipe book marked for a couple of months … I just made these carnitas …. they are incredible!!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Hello Ginger,
I am so glad you made them and that you liked them.
Have a great day!
Excellent recipe, these turn out so tender with that awesome crunchiness on the outside, hands-down the best carnitas recipe out there!
Oh Mely,
I always look forward to seeing you here. Your Carnitas recipe is out of this world,it really looks delicious. I can hardly wait to try it and it will be soon. Thank you so much for bringing it to Full Plate Thursday and please come back!
Oh! My husband would LOVE this!!
I'm following from the blog hop.
I'd love a follow back, Mika.
Mely, como se compara el sabor de las carnitas cuando se cocinan en el horno en vez del Dutch oven? Cual version prefieres tu?
Hola Drea,
El sabor no cambia lo que cambia un poco es la textura. Son menos crujientes que si las haces en el Dutch Oven.
La ventaja de hacerlas en el horno es que no tienes que estar al pendiente de la carne a cada rato y si las haces en la bolsa tienes la conveniencia de que la limpieza es mas facil.
Mucha gracias por visitar el blog.
Mely
Mely, i have just been converted to your recipe for Carnitas. Que maravilla! I replaced 1/2 cup of orange and lime juice to the cup of water, and used olive oil in place of lard. The cooking method is really easy and maybe a bit healthier?? in any case, the carnitas are delicious. gracias. Roberto
Hola Roberto,
I am Glad to know you like them. The Orange juice helps to create the caramel color we love in the carnitas.
Saludos!
Mely
I just tried both the stove top and the oven method. I prefer the results of the oven method, minus the bag because i didn't have one. I always wanted to make this, and now i can. Thanks!!!
Hello Ben,
Thanks fro stopping by to leave a comment. I am so glad you like the recipe.
Saludos,
Mely
Hello from Alaska!! I have prepared your oven method carnitas and it was awesome. I am getting prepared to make it again. I had a choice of being taken out for b-day dinner or stay in. I chose to stay in and make your wonderful carnitas. Thank you for sharing your recipe and method.
Ginger
Hello from Alaska! I have prepared carnitas using your oven method and they turned out awesome 🙂 I am cooking them again for my b-day dinner instead of going out. They are that good! Thank you for sharing your recipe and cooking method.
Ginger
Hello Ginger,
Thank to you for your kind comment. Keep enjoying the recipes.
Mely
Hello,
I always loved carnitas and always wanted to make them at home. Thanks to you I now can. And they are very easy to make even for me who is just beginning to learn. Thank you!
Yesenia
Thank for letting me know that the recipe worked fine for you, Yeni.
I am glad you enjoy it.
Mely
Me encanta carnitas! Tengo un método de concinar en mi pressure cooker…but this way sounds like a great variation!! Always love comida autética…I found your blog via Spain in Iowa…also a new one for me! Nice to 'meet' you!!
just made these and they were delicious!! went very well with the green salsa and guacamole
Hello Ryan,
So happy to know you enjoyed this recipe and the salsa.
Thanks for your comment.
Mely
I have to tell you that I was alittle hesitant about cooking carnitas at first, because my son in law told me that they were hard to make. I told him today after I finished my first ever carnitas de puerco using your recipe for the oven cooked way,that he was wrong, it was actually quite easy and had my family over to eat, They are still eating and loving it!!!! Thank you so much!!! Delicioso!!! Muchas Gracias!!!
I will try the other way next time I make them!!!
Hello Mo,
Thanks for taking the time to write a comment. I hope you try other recipes on the blog.
Happy cooking!
Mely
I made this recipe and let me tell you my family loved it! Muchas gracias for sharing!
I looked all over the place for your blog.. forgot your on blogger.. Duh…LOL.. I had a hunk of Pork Roast and wanted to make this. Well.. I did my best without the recipe.. Not to bad.. but I really do need to bookmark your site.. Because I LOVE Mexican Food..
So glad to know it worked out for you Barbara. Happy cooking!
Hi, I have a doubt about the meat ( pork loin and pork butt) the recipe is for 2 lbs or 4 lbs?
Hello,
It's 2 Lbs total, a combination of pork loin and butt. But you can use only the pork butt if you want.
Mely
hola, antes de ver tu blog y tus recetas, yo hago mis carnitas exactamente igual. yo utilizo una receta de Diana Kennedy, lo cual normalmente es garantia de autenticidad. Lo que realmente me llamo la atencion es tu primer comentario de que al envasarlas al vacio, despues de un par de dias saben a chicharron prensado. Si ese es el caso, me has hecho el dia! Si existe un sabor que extrano en el alma es el chicharron prensado! ya me diste una excusa para hacerme unas carnitas, y con bastante pork belly para que tenga "arto" cuerito…gracias y saludos desde Inglaterra
Hola Jacinto,
Espero trates la opción de hacer el chicharrón prensado. Eso era tambien algo que yo extrañaba, y por puro accidente descubrí lo del chicharron presado cuando guarde unas carnitas en unas bolsas al vacio. Ya que en realidad el proceso es casi lo mismo. Se prense el chicharrón con mucho cuerito para formar el prensado.
Saludos y muchos platillos ricos.
Hola Mely
finalmente tuve el tiempo para hacerme mis carnitas….y luego mi chicharron prensado. Wow! Simplemente WOW! Vaya descubrimiento el tuyo. Es realmente increible. Acabo de terminar de cocinarlo. No quiero comerlo de inmediato, solamente lo saboreo de poco a poco como si fuera un sueno. supongo que tu me entiendes. mil gracias por tu descubrimiento. en verdad me haz hecho una persona muy feliz! aunque no tengo el placer de conocerte, te mando muchos muchos besos de agradecimiento.
Hola Jacinto,
Ahora tienes que hacer los chicharrones. 🙂 Pero tienes que tener listas las tortillas calientes y la salsa de pico de gallo. Porque te los quieres comer en cuanto salen. Si los haces, piensa que la piel de puerco se hace chica, asi que compra bastante, esos tambien se conservan bien en el conge.
Saludos!
Mely
hola mely
SI! claro que los hice! llevo 3 dias comiendo quesadillas de chicharron prensado y ya se me termino! Me hice mi chicharron usando una receta casera en la que primero pones un jitomate y uno o dos chiles en el comal, luego los mueles con un poco de caldo. Una vez listo ese menjurje, agregas el "pork belly hecho carnitas bien picadas y al vacio" a una olla a fuego medio. cuando el chicharron suelta un poco de grasa, agregas la salsa y dejas que se termine de guisar. Queda listo en unos minutos, y entonces te haces tus quesadillas.
Ademas, me hice una salsita con jitomates, chiles, ajos, y cebollas asadas en el comal y luego al molcajete. La verdad es que no tiene igual.
La proxima vez, el chicharron lo voy a preparar con una salsita de guajillo justo en el proceso de el caldo. te cuento como queda
muchos besos y mil gracias otra vez.
jacinto
My husband and I lived in Brownsville,Texas 30+ years ago, and your recipes bring back the fresh flavors of the food that I learned to cook then while traveling extensively into Mexico. Sadly, now you can't get these flavors in the states, or along the border due to the additives and preservatives. I've tried several of your recipes, and love the fresh flavors! I've tried the pozole, and carnitas, and can tell you that you can't find these easily along the border anymore. Ironically, my family, and extended family always request that I bring these to gatherings.
Hello Kymberly,
First than all, thank you for taking the time to comment about your experience cooking the recipes. And second, I am sad to hear about how the food has changed at the border. I used to live in McAllen and food across the border was still good many years ago.
Take care and keep cooking!
Saludos!
Mely
I live in Weslaco tx between McAllen and Brownsville and the authentic me mexican food no longer exists. It's just burgers, pizzas, and tacos but i have been enjoying your recipes!
I love your recipe. It was a winner in my home. I made a small portion but this time I would like to make a larger portion like 15-20lbs using the oven bag method. Do I just add more amount of lard and salt or just stick with the amount for 2lbs? I'm making this for a party this weekend. Thanks you
Hello,
Sorry for the late reply. You will need to divide the amount of meat accordingly to the bag size specifications. You will need several bags and also multiply the amount of fat and salt content.
Happy cooking!
After hunting for a Carnita recipe forever. Finally. Thank you so much. Kathy
Hello Kathryn White,
I glad you like it. Happy cooking!
Hola Mely:
Escribo solo para felicitarte por tu receta de carnitas!!!…
Mi papa hace las mejores carnitas que e probado en mi vida y la verdad la receta es la misma… por cierto mi papa solo usa sal!!!
A toda esa gente le recomiendo que se anime a hacerlas, no se van a arrepentir y no crean todas esas recetas falsas de carnitas que la gente inventa… Esta es la mejor y la original.
Gracias Por Compartir!!!
Hola Mely:
Solo escribo para felicitarte por tu receta de carnitas!!!
Mi papa hace las mejores carnitas que e probado en mi vida y la verdad la receta es la misma… (solo usa sal)
Definitivamente voy a checar tus otras recetas!!!
Gracias por compartir!!!
Hola Maria,
Gracias por tu comentario y por la confianza. Saludos!
Easy perfect delicious. ..muchas gracias
I have one question I forgot to ask. After cooking the 1st way you described I still had grease left over form the lard. Do you just drain that to serve? Thank you
Hello Jan,
Drain the fat and reserve to use for cooking other dishes. Use it instead of vegetable oil for refried beans for example.
Happy cooking!
Hola. Thank you for your response. I had sent you a message before that one but it must have not gone through. I wanted to thank you for this recipe. I have been searching for a carnitas recipe that is close to authentic. My husband is from Mexico, and like you had mention in an article, the thing he misses most about Mexico besides family is the food. I made this for him last night for his birthday & it is the most delicious pork I have ever had. I also make him your salsa verde recipe too.
Hello Jan,
I am so glad you guys liked the carnitas.
Keep cooking and enjoy!
Great idea!! Muchas gracias!
I love carnitas, but we always got them at El Gallo. I just assumed they were super hard to make at home. I'm living abroad now and stumbled upon your blog – I've never cooked with an oven bag, but I went for it today, followed your recipe to the T, and it brought me back home! I couldn't believe I created this in my kitchen! Now I'm wondering what else I could make I'm an oven bag – what a great trick ! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I've never made carnitas in the oven before so I want to try your method. Quick question is do I tie the bag closed or just fold it closed?
Hello Audree,
Yes, you have to close the bag at the beginning and leave open for the last minutes to get a crispy crust on the meat.
I'm wondering, do I need to adjust cooking time or anything else if I'm using a pork loin? The loin was actually cheaper than the butt this time so that's what I'm using. Thanks.
Hello Bevin,
You can use pork loin, just make sure it doesn't get dried.
I am going to have to try it this way. I have an odd indifference to dark meat and use pork loin for my carnitas. I either chunk cook them or just cook the entire loin covered in oil and minced garlic (a lot) and let it bake for like 4 – 6 hours (its about 10 pounds) and then shred it and then fry it before serving in portions, which is so versatile for many things. But I am definitely going to try the lard in it next time as I am sure it will give it a different flavor!! Muchas Gracias!!
Mel,
En las fotos se ve que le pusiste un pedazo de naranja ? pero el la receta no dice nada de ponerle naranja.
Usando el metodo de la bolsa, cuando las coces por dos horas, la bolsa debe de estar abierta o cerrada ?
Hola,
Lo que parece naranja, es piel de la carne de puerco. La bolsa debe de estar cerrada, y al final abrir para que dore la carne por unos 15 minutos más. Checa si la carne ya esta suave, los cortes de carne no todos son iguales en cuanto a su suavidad, así que algunos van a tardar más en en horno.
As a pork lover 90% of the time I am disappointed whenever I order a carnitas meal. Most often when I find a place that makes decent carnitas, I find myself going back expecting the the same quality as I ordered the last time I ate there, and to my surprise I am disappointed, as the quality is never consistent. So last night I decided to take a chance with your carnitas recipe. And the results were hands down phenomenal. I could not believe my tastebuds as I took the first bite of your mastered recipe. My family as well were extremely delighted in the high quality of this dish. My son especially. He is a very picky eater and very hard to please when it comes to food. Now I know that when I am going to eat carnitas I will be looking forward to it, instead of worrying weather or not I am going to waste my money again, only to be left in disappointment. Thank you for sharing this with the world. I am soon going to make another one of your recipes. What is the one dish that you would recommend out of all your recipes? I am having a hard time choosing, that is why I ask.
Hello Jess,
Thank you for trying the recipe. I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it. And for your next testing, I highly recommend you the following recipe, my guys love it!
https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/2011/10/braised-short-ribs-in-tomatillo-sauce.html
Happy Cooking!
This recipe is delicious! I used lard and cooked it in the evening on the stove. I was able to remove the grease smell overnight by hanging 2 name brand dryer sheets (I used Bounce brand) in the kitchen. The grease smell was completely gone in the morning. Thank you for sharing, I'm following your website now!
John
Dallas, TX
Delish! Cooked these stove top in a heavy pan. I didn't find the need to add extra lard – I made sure to put the chunks of meat fat side of down in the pan. They render, as the water cooks off offering plenty of fat to get those wonderful crispy bits. Thanks for sharing – in the case of carnitas less is more. It is amazing that the simplicity of salt, water, and pork shoulder brings you heaven in a pot! Truly authentic -my family loved it! Now if I could only master tender frijoles – the pot I tried to cook with my carnitas never seemed to get soft!
I have experienced that myself and found that my beans were too old. Something changes with them as they age and they won't get tender no matter how long you cook them. Make sure you have a fresh package. Dry beans keep up to a year in an airtight container in a cool, dry environment, away from direct sunlight. During storage, beans may either absorb or lose moisture, which will affect the soaking and cooking time. If stored longer than 12 months, or exposed to unfavorable storage conditions, beans may never soften sufficiently, no matter how long they’re soaked or cooked. On the other hand, some beans can cook up tender after years of storage.<
Mely, I've never made or eaten carnitas, but would love to learn how. Have you ever made it from a pig's head? I've been seeing that online.
Hello Yolanda,
I had never made it with pig's head. But people in Mexico cook the whole pig in carnitas.
Mely, I getting ready to make your carnitas later today. Am using the oven bag method and have a question…..did you cut slits in the oven bag?
Thank you, Jean
Hello Jean,
Yes, as per the instructions of the bags pacakge.
This is one of those recipes where less is more. It is absolute perfection in it's simplicity. Your carnitas have become a family favorite.
Is that 2 lbs of loin and 2 lbs of butt or a combination of both for 2 olbs total?
Hello Russ,
Is one and one, But believe me, if you buy 2 and 2 you will be happy you did. You cna store any leftovers in the freezer. Besides, por meat tends to shrink.
Happy cooking!
Your carnita recipe is a favorite in my family. I wanted to share a discovery of mine. I always cook beans as a side when I make my carnitas. This time after cooking my carnitas, I "refried" my beans in the pot I had cooked my carnita's in. All the yummy goodness from the "deglazed" carnita pot added the most wonderful flavor to my refried beans. Such a nice bonus!
Hello Gitte,
I can just imagine the flavors! Thank you fro sharing!
I am very excited to try this recipe. i lived in mexico for several years and have never found carnitas to equal what i had there. i am hoping that this recipe will do it for me. one question.. do you have a good green salsa recipe to go with this carnitas recipe?
Hello Liam,
I hope you try them and come back to let me know if you like them.
Yes, there is a green salsa recipe, here is the link:
https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/salsa-verde-recipe/
You can also try this avocado salsa, it goes great with carnitas:
https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/avocado-green-salsa-recipe/
Happy cooking!
Gracias por la receta!! Mi esposo es Mexicano y he intentado muchas veces hacer las carnitas tan ricas como que son hechos por los Mexicanos pero nunca salen asi. Gracias a ud. estoy intentando otra vez y lo hago con mucha esperanza esta vez! 🙂
Carnitas night for dinner again! So excited! This time I'm making some homemade tortillas to go with it. Can't wait. Delicious!!
Hi Mely,
This looks delicious! I’ve never tried cooking with an oven bag before and would like to use this method. Based on you instructions and the comments I’ve read above: cook in the oven with bag closed & slits on top for 2 hours, then take out liquid, close bag again and cook for another hour. Then cook for 15 minutes more with bag open to brown meat? Also do you add garlic in the bag?
Thank you so much!
Coleen
Hello Collen,
yes, you add the garlic in the bag. The time in the bag will also depend on the size of the meat. If you use a larger piece of meat it will take longer.
Hi Mely!
I’m so excited to find this recipe because it’s simple and to the point! No need for fanciness to get authentic Mexican cooking! On that note, your recipe calls for 1 cup of lard but then says 1/4 cup lard for the oven bag method. Is that a typo or are they supposed to be different? Thank you again for this recipe!!
Hello Rose,
Thank you for noticing that, it’s actually a typo that that must have happened when we added the new recipe format to the recipe. I just fixed it. You need 1/4 cup of lard. Happy cooking!
Awesome! Thank you for responding so quickly! Can’t wait to try it!
great burritos for anytime, ingredients, poblanos, white onion garlic salt egg one, one jalapeno or serrano if you like, large tortilla. pull pork like one inch by one-fourth inch cut onion and poblano the same size say one cup meat one half each of onion and peppers, one small clove chop garlic or leave that out, heat one skillet med. high add oil or lard to coat yet another to med wipe with oil or lard ,a thin coat, when oil is hot add meat keep from touching each other do not stir when bottom I crisp remove to a paper towel ,lower heat a little add onion peppers garlic stirfry, till semi-soft or your liking return meat to pan toss add one egg it is the binder only not an omelet add salt stir off heat place some in tortilla make burrito then place in another hot pan to toast flap side, YUM. I like bottle hot sauce you may like another .ya gotta try this its Bueno, bon gusto
last night I cooked Carnitas for dinner. I found a recipe on the internet that used condensed milk, cinnamon stick and mexican coke. Oh my god, it was terrible. It was like eating pork with sugar. I knew I should have come to your site first. Next carnitas night I will stop by your site first
Hello Sharyn,
Thank you for stopping by our kitchen. I hope you experience with our carnitas recipe makes you forget about last night dinner.
Why using lard, are the fat from the park butt is not enough fat?
Hello Susan,
The lard is the traditional way it is cooked, it allows the meat to keep its moisture and also to get them an even golden crispy outer layer. The meat will release more fat, in Mexico all that fat is removed and sold separately.
Quick question? Do you think there is a way to do this same recipe in a crock pot and then crisp it up in a cast iron skillet?
Hello Axel,
Yes, you can cook the pork carnitas in the slow cooker on high for about 4-5 hours and finish the process on a cast iron frying pan on the stove.