Carnitas. Carnitas — which means "little meats" in Spanish — is a Mexican pork dish. An inexpensive, heavily marbled cut of pork, such as boneless Boston butt, pork shoulder or picnic ham, is braised or simmered for several hours with seasonings and lard until it is so tender that is can be shredded. Carnitas are a one-pot Mexican dish made by slowly cooking seasoned pork in oil or lard.
These have a great, distinctive flavor and are requested by friends and family over and over.
Serve with warm, fresh tortillas and salsa.
Mix the cayenne, cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a bowl, then use the mixture to season the pork shoulder.
You can have Carnitas using 7 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you cook that.
Ingredients of Carnitas
- You need 2 pounds of pulled pork.
- It's 1 of yellow onion.
- Prepare 3 Tbsp of minced garlic.
- You need 5 Tbsp of avocado oil.
- It's 3/4 tsp of chili powder.
- You need 3/4 tsp of cinnamon.
- Prepare 1/2 tsp of chili flakes.
Put the pork on top of the vegetables. They're easy-to-make pork crisps that are very popular in Mexico. The secret to this recipe is the quick frying. Be sure the meat is well drained before it's placed in oil, though, or it will splatter and pop.
Carnitas step by step
- Chop pulled pork into approximately 1/2” pieces. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add one layer of pork to the skillet and fry on both sides until slightly crisped. Set aside. Continue same process with the rest of the pork..
- Chop the onion and sauté in the same skillet until translucent. Add the garlic and spices. Stir in 1 cup water and heat until skillet is deglazed..
- Add onions, garlic, and seasoning mixture to crisped pork and stir together over medium heat until thoroughly mixed and liquid is cooked off..
- Serve!.
Carnitas originated in the state of Michoacan of Mexico, and in its most original and authentic form, is pork meat…fried in pork fat. These days, the famous Mexican dish is looking a little different in most kitchens, and the world's cholesterol levels are all too thankful for it. Carnitas are Mexico's version of pulled pork. It's the first thing you seek upon landing in Mexico. It's why we trawled the back streets of Mexico City in torrential rains, hunting down a hole-in-the-wall carnitas joint that was popular with locals.