Prepare Mexican Carnitas

Carnitas is a traditional Mexican main dish and filling used in tacos and other dishes. Typically made with less expensive cuts of pork, the cooking method employed for carnitas renders the meat soft enough to melt in your mouth and can be served with a broad selection of different accoutrements. This article gives instructions on making carnitas in the oven.

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pork shoulder, boneless, skinless
  • 4 fresh serrano chiles
  • 1 medium white onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons dry coriander
  • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
  • Salt and pepper

Steps

Getting the Ingredients Ready

  1. Prepare the onions, garlic and chillies. Place the onion, garlic and the serrano chiles on a clean, dry cutting surface. Peel and quarter 1 onion, split 4 chiles in half down the center saving the seeds, and smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef's knife. Set the vegetables aside while you prepare the pork shoulder.
  2. Cut the pork shoulder. Use a sharp knife to cut the shoulder into strips approximately {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} in length and {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} wide. Don't remove the fat; during the cooking process, it melts with the meat and causes it to be deliciously tender.
    • If you'd prefer to cook the pork shoulder whole, that's fine too. Skip this step and follow the rest of the instructions using the entire piece of pork.
  3. Toss the pork shoulder pieces with spices. Place the pieces in a bowl and pour the spices over them. Use tongs or your hands to toss the pork pieces with the spices until they're completely coated. Add a liberal amount of salt and pepper and toss to coat.
    • You can get creative with the spices in this recipe. If you like your meat extra spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
    • Don't skimp with the salt; you can add up to 2 teaspoons.

Cooking the Carnitas

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Brown the pork shoulder. Place a heavy dutch oven on the stove. Put a few teaspoons of oil in the dutch oven and turn the burner to medium high. When the oil is hot, put the pork shoulder pieces in the dutch oven. Cook them on one side until they get brown, then use tongs to turn them over and brown the other side.
    • Don't cook the pieces too long. You don't want to cook them through, just enough to bring out the flavor in the meat.
    • Remove the dutch oven from heat when you're finished.
  3. Add the vegetables to the pot. Arrange them around the meat pieces so that they make contact with the bottom of the pot. Pour in an inch or two of water and cover the pot.
  4. Cook the carnitas. Place the pot in the oven and let the carnitas cook for 4 hours. Check the pot a few times during the course of cooking to make sure the meat isn't drying out or burning. Remove the dutch oven from the oven when the carnitas are meltingly soft when poked with a fork.[1]
    • If you'd prefer to cook the carnitas in a slow cooker, transfer the meat and vegetables to a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
    • If the carnitas look like they could use some moisture during the course of cooking, add 1/2 cup of water.
    • Don't remove the carnitas until they are completely tender; cooking the carnitas for a shorter period of time will leave you with tough meat.

Serving the Carnitas

  1. Serve the carnitas as a main course. Place the carnitas on a plate with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, a section of lime, some cilantro, and chopped onions. Serve with warm tortillas and some sour cream.
  2. Make carnitas tacos. Fill taco shells or soft taco tortillas with few spoonfuls of carnitas. Top with the taco toppings of your choice, such as salsa, guacamole, lettuce, cotija cheese, and black beans.
  3. Make carnitas enchiladas. Fill tortillas with carnitas, then roll them up and line them on the bottom of a deep baking dish. Pour red or green enchilada sauce over the rolls, then top with grated cheese. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with sour cream and lettuce.

Tips

  • Prepare the salsa and guacamole as close to serving time as possible to ensure the texture and flavor of the ingredients. The rice and beans will have more flavor if made the night before serving.
  • Pork butt or country-style spare ribs can be substituted for pork shoulder when making carnitas. A more expensive cut of meat is not necessary, and too lean a cut may make the browning process more difficult, requiring the addition of lard in order to brown properly.
  • When cotija cheese is unavailable, Swiss or Gruyère cheese will serve as an adequate substitute.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/pork-carnitas-recipe/index.html

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