Carnitas

Carnitas

Pork
Mexican, Tacos, Main Dish

Serves 8

This is an extremely easy version of a Tex-Mex classic.

The mixture of oil and pork fat that you’ll skim off the meat after it cooks makes a delicious cooking fat — separate it carefully from any liquid and store it in a jar in the fridge.

This makes a lot, and although it freezes very well, I usually halve this recipe.

Ingredients #

  • For the Carnitas: #

    • 5-6 lbs boneless pork butt, not trimmed, cut into 2" cubes
    • 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
    • 10 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
    • 2 tbsp ground cumin
    • 2 tbsp ground coriander
    • 2 tsp dried oregano
    • ½ tsp dried thyme
    • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 c. vegetable oil

  • To Serve: #

    • Pickled red onions
    • Salsa and/or Pico de Gallo
    • Tortillas

Instructions #

Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven, stir together the pork, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme, pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir in the oil and 1 cup water. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven. Stir the pork and return the pot, uncovered, to the oven. Cook until a skewer inserted into the meat meets no resistance, another 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer to cool. Tilt the pot to pool the cooking liquid to one side, then use a wide spoon to skim off as much fat as possible; reserve the fat. Bring the defatted cooking liquid to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about ⅓ cup, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

When the meat is cool enough to handle, break the chunks into ¾- to 1-inch pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Add the pork back to the pot and stir until evenly moistened with the reduced cooking liquid. At this point, the meat can be packed carefully and frozen. It will keep for up to a month.

To Serve:
In a nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 1 teaspoon of the reserved fat until barely smoking. Add the pork in an even layer and cook without stirring, pressing the meat against the skillet with a spatula, until the bottom begins to brown and the pork is heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with warm tortillas, pickled onions, and a good salsa.