Authentic Mexican Carnitas
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This authentic carnitas recipe creates incredibly flavorful, tender Mexican pork! Make this recipe for family dinners or for a party crowd.
These Mexican carnitas may take a little longer to make, but the steps are very simple. We’re talking fried pork… crispy outside, tender and flavorful inside. When shredded and stuffed inside a taco with onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime, it’s simply THE BEST.
By combining a few traditional cooking tricks such as a flavorful bundle of seasonings, this carnitas recipe makes a meal that is sure to become a favorite. I love making a LARGE batch and serving this for family, on Cinco de Mayo and potlucks because it feeds a crowd and the sides are endless.
It’s great to have leftovers, too. My Carnitas Enchiladas are a great way to stretch this meal.
Authentic Carnitas Recipe FAQ
The Spanish word carnitas in English means “little meats”. Traditionally, an authentic carnitas recipe is made by braising or simmering pork in lard or oil until tender.
This is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the state of Michoacán. Carnitas are made from pork shoulder (pork butt).Â
Milk is a tenderizer. Similar to using buttermilk for tender buttermilk biscuits or a fluffy pancake recipe, the milk breaks down the toughness of the pork so that it comes out juicy and flavorful.
Ingredients
- Boneless pork shoulder – also known as pork butt, cut into chunks for faster cooking
- Pork lard – this is what makes the meat crisp on the outside and tender on the inside
- Piloncillo – a raw form of pure cane sugar, also known as Mexican brown sugar
- Milk – adds extra flavor to the meat, helps break down meat proteins to get tender
- Seasoning bundle – garlic, orange, onion, bay leaves, Mexican oregano, cinnamon stick
Video: Making authentic pork carnitas
There are several different ways to make carnitas, including slow cooking or using a pressure cooker. I have those recipes already on the site here, check them out!
What makes this an authentic carnitas recipe is that the pork butt is going old school and boiling the dry rubbed pork in lard. Using this method of cooking guarantees the perfect texture – tender and juicy pieces of meat with perfectly crisp edges.
To see the process of making an authentic carnitas recipe from start to finish, watch the video located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Recipe notes and tips
Here are several more important tips for making Mexican carnitas:
- Preparing the pork butt
One of the most important steps is to dry brine the meat overnight. Doing this allows the salt to penetrate deep into the meat and lock in the moisture.
Simply rub kosher salt over all of the pork pieces and refrigerate in a sealed container for at least 12 hours.
- Cooking the meat
Before you get started, remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it rest on the counter.
Bringing the meat to room temperature first helps it cook more evenly. It also keeps the meat from seizing when added to the hot lard, which would prevent it from being melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Once you have everything boiling, keep an eye on the color of the meat. You may need to lower the temperature on the stove if the meat starts to brown too quickly.
- Finishing the pork carnitas
After the initial cook is done, add the milk. It will boil initially, but don’t let it continue to boil. Doing so will cause it to sour and curdle.
Watch the temperature during the final cooking process. The meat needs to continue to simmer, but don’t let it come back to a boil.
Let the pork shoulder cool before shredding. If you shred the meat when it’s still hot, the juices will escape and you’ll be left with dry carnitas.
How to serve authentic carnitas
Because the meat is so tender and flavorful, you’ll be tempted to eat it straight off the plate!
To make a meal out of your carnitas meat, shred and serve with:
- corn or flour torillas
- refried beans
- white onions, sliced
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- limes, sliced for squeezing over everything
Add extra fresh flavor with your choice of homemade salsas and spreads:
If there are any leftovers, which is rare in my house, try using them to make a Cuban sandwich. It’s simply AMAZING!
This post, originally published on Kevin is Cooking April 20, 2020, was last updated with new content on Oct. 18, 2021.
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Authentic Carnitas Recipe
Ingredients
Carnitas
- 6 lbs boneless pork shoulder (pork butt), cut into 3-inch chunks
- 1 tbsp salt
Seasoning Bundle
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/2 orange
- 1/2 onion
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp Mexican oregano (See Note 1)
- 1 cinnamon stick
Frying
- 4 lbs pork lard (See Note 2)
- 2 oz Piloncillo or brown sugar (See Note 3)
- 1/3 cup milk
Serving
- flour or corn tortillas
- refried beans
- 2 white onions sliced
- 1 bunch of cilantro chopped
- 3 limes sliced
- salsa verde
- roasted tomato salsa
- guacamole
- pickled carrots
Instructions
- Rub the kosher salt over pork. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate over night.
- Remove pork from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
- In a large piece of cheesecloth, wrap the garlic cloves, orange, onion, bay leaves, Mexican oregano and cinnamon stick and secure with kitchen twine.
Frying
- Melt the lard in a large, heavy stock pot over high heat. Carefully add the Seasoning Bundle, piloncillo (or brown sugar) and pork chunks.
- Bring lard to a boil over high heat (350°F), lower to medium (adjust heat to medium low if pork turns brown too quickly) and cook, stirring often, for 90 minutes. Pork will turn a golden brown. Do not exceed to 370°F which is the smoking point of lard.
- Turn heat to low and carefully add the milk. Stir and it will boil slightly for 30 seconds. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until meat is fall apart tender when gently squeezed with tongs or fork.
- Carefully transfer pork from oil using a slotted spoon or spider to a serving platter lined with paper towels. Allow meat to cool slightly and shred by hand or using forks.
- Serve with hot tortillas, refried beans, sliced onions, tomato slices, cilantro, limes and salsas of choice.
Video
Notes
- Mexican oregano is a relative of Lemon Verbena and is native to Mexico. Similar in that it’s pungent like Mediterranean oregano, Mexican oregano has notes of mild licorice and citrus. Mediterranean oregano is a member of the mint family and most often is used in Greek and Italian recipes. Mediterranean oregano is the one most found in spice racks and supermarkets.
- I buy ARMOUR Manteca/Lard in a 4 pound tub found near the butcher/meat section at my local market. Remember to boil and keep at 350°F. Do not exceed 365-370°F, which is the smoking point of lard.
- Piloncillo is cane sugar, similar in taste to molasses and can be found at most Mexican/Latin markets. It comes in a 8 ounce cone shape, wrapped in plastic. For this recipe you just need 2 ounces, I chop off a quarter chunk, or if I do not have any on hand, will substitute a 1/4 cup of brown sugar.
- **NUTRITIONAL info is for carnitas meat only. Fat and calorie counts stated here are high and do not take into account the discarded fat it is fried in.
- Slightly adapted from Gonzalo Guzman’s, Nopalito.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Baked mine in a dutch oven 300 degrees 90 mins! Oh my carnitas! I’m speechless. 10 stars!
Thank you so much Kaye!
Hi. Any tips for making ahead of time and reheating? Was thinking making this weekend and serving for superbowl next weekend. Maybe crock pot reheat?
I just tried this by putting it back in a 175 degree oven for an hour and it didn’t quite work. Maybe another hour and it would have been fine.
I suspect that if you put them in the crockpot on warm for an hour or two you’d get good results without over cooking the meat.
Great recipe! Followed as specified and carnitas came out amazing! Thanks
Thank you! I cannot wait to make it again!
Hello. I love your recipe. I have made it several times and it is more delicious then the time before. Here’s my question, can I use cook oil instead of lard?
I see no reason why not Dorie. So glad you enjoyed this one!
I made this recipe and Everyone loved it! Can I reuse the lard even though it has the milk in it?
I do and strain it through cheesecloth to remove as much particles as I can. I also refrigerate my tub of lard.
i strain my oil lot of it out before i add my miilk just to save it.i leave 1/2 a cup is that.most of the cooking is done, i watch level of liquid, any less oil it drys up.
I’m not sure what we did wrong but it was not flavorful or juicy.
Honestly, I can’t even imagine that, sorry that was your experience Christine. With all of the seasoning and cooking this one rarely disappoints. Did you follow the recipe as directed?
Look forward to trying this recipe. What size dutch oven is used in your video. I have a 5.5L; how do I scale the recipe to fit? Thanks!
I used my trusty 9 quart one. To scale any recipe on the site, hover your mouse over the number of servings on the recipe card and slide left to right to adjust. All ingredients will change for you.
One of our favorite dinners Kevin. Perfect for upcoming Cinco de Mayo!
Indeed Mary Ann! Hope this finds you and yours safe and healthy. 🙂
My family loves carnitas as we are from the southwest US. Its a staple around here for sure. This wasn’t the way we normally make carnitas, but I had my husband make this recipe to change things up. We found that it was absolutely delightful and full of flavor. We will be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thanks so much for letting me know Carrie. So glad you gave this one a try!
Just wondering, in the video you say cook for 3 hours but then you also say for 90 minutes, and the recipe says 90 minutes. Which should it be? I look forward to trying this. Is it possible to re-use the lard for something like tamales?
Hi Ed. Sorry for the confusion it is 90 minutes. I’m making an edit to the video and it will be up again – corrected! Thank you for letting me know about that! You can use the lard for tamales!