Crispy Pork Carnitas Recipe (Mexican Pulled Pork) – Must Love Home (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good carnitas? ›

Carnitas seasoning – rub pork with a simple spice mix of oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Flavour for cooking – top pork in slow cooker with onion, garlic and jalapeño, then pour over orange juice (the secret ingredient!).

Pulled Pork. Both carnitas and pulled pork are cooked slowly for several hours, and great to make in the slow cooker or instant pot. Unlike pulled pork, however, carnitas are finished by roasting the meat in the oven until browned and crisp.

The orange juice in the cooking liquid provides acidity that helps break down the meat so it's extra tender and juicy.

Lots of home recipes for carnitas attempt to solve this problem by replacing the lard with a liquid, usually a combination of stock and orange juice.

Adding the oranges is very much like braising pork Cuban-style for the traditional cubano sandwich. The milk acts as a tenderizer, a secret I learned while growing up watching dad make his carnitas which, by the way, were always exceptionally tender.

Vegetable oil: Traditional carnitas recipes use lard as their cooking fat, but we'll use vegetable or canola oil today. Pork shoulder roast: The best cut of meat for carnitas is pork shoulder AKA pork butt AKA Boston butt because it is well-marbled with fat and cooks up incredibly tender with a long braise.

Then we use the usual suspects! Black pepper, cumin, sweet paprika but you can use hot or smoked if you desire, onion and garlic powder, oregano, marjoram, bay, thyme and in my case a bit of ancho chili powder.

Carnitas are the Mexican version of pulled pork. They're traditionally made with pork shoulder because of the higher fat content, which helps the meat stay super tender and juicy while it's cooked.

The sugar in the soda helps to caramelize the meat, and whatever else they put in the cola gives it that slight smokiness. Or maybe it's the smoked paprika that gives the smokiness.

If it is expected to be served within a few hours after smoking, it is better to store it in a crockpot set at the lowest possible temperature. Additionally, spray chicken broth or apple juice on the meat to prevent it from losing more moisture in the crockpot.

What can I use instead of OJ in carnitas? ›

Apple juice can be used in carnitas in place of orange juice. If using apple juice, you can add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to increase the acidity.

Carnitas doneness temps

The connective tissue needs to be heated to at least 170°F (77°C) to start to dissolve properly. If pulled at 145°F (63°C), pork shoulder will be inedibly tough.

Any cut of meat can become overcooked, even in the crockpot. Avoid cooking this pork carnitas recipe for longer than the times listed below, or the meat will end up tough and chewy.

Yes, you could make carnitas using vegetable oil instead of lard. But as they say, life is short. At the restaurant, we render the lard ourselves— something you can do if you can find extra-fatty pork. But for ready-to go lard, check out your local butcher shop or Mexican market.

To flavor carnitas all the way through, put them back in the braising liquid that has been reduced since cooking the pork. You can create a kind of glaze out of the braising liquid, and toss the shredded pork in that (defat the braising liquid before reducing it).

To spice up bland carnitas, try adding extra seasoning such as chili powder, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or diced jalapeños for a kick of heat. You can also experiment with different herbs and spices to tailor the flavor to your liking.

Absolutely! Searing the meat before adding it to the slow cooker helps the meat to be even more flavorful and helps the texture of the meat to be much better. After seasoning the two pork tenderloins with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, you are going to want to sear them in olive oil.

FAQs About Carnitas

Apple juice can be used in carnitas in place of orange juice. If using apple juice, you can add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to increase the acidity. You can also use lime juice, lemon juice, or a combination of any of these.