Carnitas
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Carnitas
 Mexican pulled pork, slow-cooked until tender, then broiled until crisp. The salsa verde uses the cooking liquid. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Cut one onion into fine dice and combine with the cilantro: 2 medium onions, divided 1/2 cup (8 g) chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems Refrigerate until needed. Split the remaining onion into quarters. Set aside. Season the pork with 1 tablespoon salt: 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes 1 tablespoon (8 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; for table salt, use half of the volume or an equal amount by weight Place in a 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish. The pork should fill the dish with no extra space. Split into quarters and squeeze the juice over the pork: 1 medium orange Nestle the squeezed orange pieces into the dish. Add to the dish 2 onion quarters, 4 cloves garlic, the bay leaves, and the cinnamon stick: 6 cloves garlic, halved, divided 2 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick, broken into three or four pieces Nestle everything into an even layer. Pour over the surface: 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Cook until the pork is fork tender, about 3 1/2 hours. Set a large fine-mesh strainer over a 1-quart liquid measuring cup or bowl. With tongs, remove and discard the orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Transfer the pork, rendered fat, and cooking liquid to the strainer. Let drain for 10 minutes. Transfer the pork back to the baking dish. Expect about 1/2 cup cooking liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Skim the fat from the surface with a flat spoon or fat separator. Add it back to the pork. Shred into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer the remaining cooking liquid to a medium saucepan. To the saucepan with the strained pork liquid, add the remaining 2 onion quarters and remaining 2 garlic cloves. add: 6 medium tomatillos (about 1 1/2 pounds, 0.7 kg), husks removed and halved 2 jalapeño peppers, stem removed and halved lengthwise Add water until about 1 inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer. Cook until all the vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Blend the salsa with an immersion blender or countertop blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use. To serve Preheat the broiler to high with the oven rack 4 inches below the heating element. Broil the pork until brown and crisp on the surface, about 6 minutes. Remove the pork and stir to expose new bits to the heat. Broil again until crisp, 6 more minutes. Tent with foil to keep warm. heat the tortillas: 24 corn tortillas Preheat an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip it in a bowl filled with water. Transfer to the hot skillet. Cook until the water evaporates from the first side and the tortilla is browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until dry, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a clean dish towel. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Stack two tortillas on top of each other. Add two to three tablespoons carnitas mixture to the center. Top with salsa verde, the chopped onions and cilantro, and: 1 cup (150 g) crumbled queso fresco Serve with: 3 limes, cut into wedges |
Little Pieces of Browned Pork (Carnitas) crumb: pork shoulder simmered, then crisped in its own fat The Cuisines of Mexico includes “Little Pieces of Browned Pork (Carnitas)”. Diana Kennedy wrote it (1972). Diana Kennedy wrote this landmark first book on regional Mexican cooking. It has the classic carnitas. Differences: Both slow-cook cubed pork shoulder until tender. Both then crisp it in fat for tacos. Kennedy uses only pork, water and salt. She lets the fat melt out of the pork and fry it. The online version cooks the pork slowly in oil in the oven. It adds orange juice, onion, garlic, bay leaves and cinnamon. It then crisps the pork. It serves it with tomatillo-jalapeño salsa, queso fresco and lime. |
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- Carnitas
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- Somewhat close
- Ancestor
- Little Pieces of Browned Pork (Carnitas)
- Source
- The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy (1972)
- Differences
Both slow-cook cubed pork shoulder until tender. Both then crisp it in fat for tacos. Kennedy uses only pork, water and salt. She lets the fat melt out of the pork and fry it. The online version cooks the pork slowly in oil in the oven. It adds orange juice, onion, garlic, bay leaves and cinnamon. It then crisps the pork. It serves it with tomatillo-jalapeño salsa, queso fresco and lime.
- Book recipe
- We do not offer this for print or share because it is not public domain. Buy or borrow the book.
- Online sources
- Serious Eats · Carnitas
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web writeups - Date
- Sep 2026
The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy (1972).
Diana Kennedy wrote this landmark first book on regional Mexican cooking. It has the classic carnitas.