Pork Carnitas

I've decided that I have three different types of recipes in my cooking repertoire - weeknight dishes, weekend dishes, and dishes to be made for friends/family/potlucks.  Pork carnitas falls into the latter category.  They aren't particularly complicated to make but they do require a few hours of cooking on the stove.  Also, they taste AMAZING and are best served to friends & family so that they can appreciate all your fine efforts in the kitchen! (unlike your husband who may or may not take your cooking skills for granted sometimes...)


I've never eaten pork carnitas before I came across this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs so I don't know how authentic these taste.  I have made a few changes to the recipe but in all honestly, you can follow the original as outlined and still enjoy a fabulous supper with family and friends.  As suggested by Deb, I have been serving the carnitas with a crisp coleslaw, using a blend of this recipe and this recipe along with avocado, sour cream, and fresh lime slices.  If you want to use corn tortillas, I'd highly recommend sourcing out authentic ones from either the Calgary Farmer's Market or Nutter's (in Canmore).

Pork Carnitas (adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook and the Smitten Kitchen website) 

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes and mostly trimmed of fat
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 to 3 limes)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

Corn tortillas, for serving plus

Avocado slices, chopped cilantro and fixings of your choice (we love pickled jalapenos or onions, lime wedges and a bit of slaw)

1. (Completely optional step) Cover the cubed meat with orange juice, lime juice, garlic, and seasonings.  Leave to marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours. I've found that this adds significantly to the flavour of the cooked meat but it's not necessary if you are a bit pressed for time.  

2. Place the pork in a large Dutch oven or cast-iron pot. If you did the optional step one, place meat, juices, and spices in the dutch oven and add just enough water to cover the meat.  If you skipped step one, add the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and enough water to just barely cover the meat. 

3. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low-medium simmer. Simmer uncovered for two hours. Don’t touch the meat.

4. After two hours, increase the heat to medium-high and while occasionally stirring and turning the pieces, continue to cook for about 45 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving only the rendered pork fat. 

5. Let it sizzle in this fat long enough to brown at the edges, turning pieces gently (they’ll be eager to fall apart), only as needed.

6. When pork has browned on both sides, it’s ready. Serve on warm corn tortillas with fixings. Don't be afraid to dig down to the bottom of the dutch oven to scrape out all of the crispy fried pork bits!


Cooking tip - I did attempt this recipe in the crockpot.  I simmered the meat in the crockpot and removed it to be fried in a separate frying pan.  It was ok but the taste was not nearly as good as when the meat is cooked as directed above.  Feel free to try a crockpot variation on your own and do let me know if you have success.