Carnitas
Slow-cooked, crispy braised pork
Ingredients
- 1500 g Pork shoulder
- 2 Orange
- 1 Onion
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Ground cumin
- 100 g Lard
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 Bay leaves (optional)
- 16 Corn tortillas (optional)
Method
- Cut the pork shoulder into large chunks (about 5 cm) and quarter the onion.
- Combine the pork and onion in a heavy pot with the lard, the halved oranges (squeeze in the juice, then drop in the spent halves), smashed garlic, bay leaves, cumin, and salt. Add water to barely cover, bring to a bare simmer, then cook covered on the lowest heat until the pork is very tender.
- Toward the end of the braise, warm the tortillas on a dry pan for 20-30 seconds per side until pliable and lightly toasted, then stack and wrap tightly in a clean towel or foil to keep hot.
- Lift out and discard the bay leaves, spent orange halves, and onion, then raise the heat under the pot to medium-high and let the liquid boil off so the pork crisps and browns in the rendered fat, turning the chunks occasionally. Shred coarsely with two forks.
- Pile the crisp pork into the warm tortillas to serve.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Carnitas
Carnitas is the classic Mexican method of turning humble pork shoulder into something rich and shreddable, then crisping the edges so you get both silk and crackle in one bite. The word means "little meats," and the technique is a two-stage one: the pork is gently braised in its own fat and lard until fork-tender, then the heat is pushed up so the surfaces fry and brown. Orange, bay, garlic, and cumin perfume the pot, with the spent orange halves dropped straight in so their oils sweeten the fat as it renders.
The result is deeply savory and unctuous, with caramelized crispy bits threaded through meltingly soft meat — pork that needs almost nothing but a warm tortilla to be a meal. Traditionally carnitas is served as a taco filling, topped simply with chopped onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime, or spooned onto tortillas alongside salsa verde and pickled onions. It's food for a crowd and for taking your time; the low, slow braise runs a couple of hours, but it's mostly unattended. Doing it in one heavy pot rather than deep-frying keeps it manageable while still delivering the crisp-tender payoff that defines the dish.
Carnitas: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Carnitas?
A serving has about 551 calories — 50g protein, 5.8g carbs, 35.2g fat, 0.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 50g of protein, roughly 36% of its calories.
Is Carnitas gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Carnitas has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Carnitas take to make?
About 150 minutes start to finish, but only around 29 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Carnitas?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out bay leaves, corn tortillas — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Carnitas make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.