Best Stovetop Pork Carnitas Recipe 45 Recipes

CRISPY PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Remove fat from pork; cut pork meat into 2-inch cubes and roughly chop fat.
• Mix pork, garlic, olive oil, orange peel, orange juice, salt, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and 5-spice powder together in a bowl until pork is coated completely. Transfer mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and cover baking dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is fork-tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Transfer meat to a colander set over a bowl. Remove garlic, bay leaves, and orange peels from baking dish and pour accumulated juices from the baking dish over meat in colander into the bowl. Return meat to the baking dish and drizzle accumulated juices over each piece of meat.
• Cook meat under the preheated broiler for 3 minutes. Drizzle more accumulated juices over meat and continue broiling until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a serving plate and drizzle more accumulated juices over the top.

AUTHENTIC STOVE-TOP CARNITAS FOR TACOS (OR WHATEVER YOU LIKE)

Steps:

• Combine the onion, garlic, cumin, chili, cloves, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, and water in a food processor (or blender). Pulse and then blend until smooth.
• Generously salt the pork with the remaining salt (1 to 2 teaspoons should be plenty).
• Heat the lard in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, sear half of the pork until it is well browned on all sides (about 15 minutes total). Transfer the first batch of pork to a plate or bowl using a slotted spoon. Repeat with the second batch.
• Return all seared pork to the pot. Add the onion mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the juice and zest, bay leaf, and honey. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 2 and a half hours. Make sure to stir and turn the pork every 30 minutes or so. Remove the lid from the pot. The pork should be very tender and easy to shred at this point.
• Use a wooden spoon to break the chunks into smaller pieces. Cook another 30 minutes or so uncovered until most of the liquid has cooked away. Transfer the carnitas to a serving bowl and shred with a fork.
• Serve pork with warm tortillas, guacamole, and chopped cilantro and white onion.

PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the pork shoulder with salt, then arrange the pork in the Dutch oven. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue to simmer until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Transfer the pork shoulder to a large baking sheet, reserving the cooking liquid. Drizzle with a small amount of the reserved cooking liquid and lightly season with salt.
• Bake the pork in the preheated oven until browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle more of the cooking liquid on the meat every 10 minutes, and use two forks to shred the meat as it browns.

STOVETOP PORK CARNITAS RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• 1. Cut the pork shoulder into a few large chunks. You don't want them bite-sized; I make mine about 3-4 inches. 2. Mix cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, and the two peppers together in a small bowl. Place the pork chunks in a plastic container with a lid or a Ziploc bag. Pour in the spice blend, then toss the bag vigorously until the chunks are completely coated on all sides. 3. Place the pork in a large, deep pan. Pour the lime and lemon juice into the bottom, then add water to just cover the meat. 4. Turn heat to high and bring the water to a rip-roaring boil. You want big bubbles! When it's rolling, turn the heat to a simmer. Keep the pan uncovered. You want it bubble a fair amount, but not be a roiling boil. While it's cooking, it will look like uninspired soup. Do not be discouraged!Essentially, you're waiting for the water to evaporate from the pan, but while the water is evaporating, the powerful acidic qualities of the lime and lemon juice are tenderizing the meat. Yay, science! 5. At about the 2-hour mark, check the pot. The water should be much lower and maybe even almost gone. Now things get interesting... allow all the water to cook out of the pan and watch as the meat magically fries and carmelizes. It is a thing of beauty. But seriously, you need to watch it at this point. 6. Carefully turn the hunks of meat - without shredding them - to brown all sides, then remove the hunks to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes before eating. If you're into this sort of thing, you can save the pork fat from the bottom of the pan in a glass jar and use it for other cooking projects. *And now, a story of near-disaster... I've made this several times without incident, but one day, I left the pot on the stove while I went to the studio in our backyard to work. I kinda sorta maybe forgot the pork was cooking. By the time I remembered, I could smell the delicious aroma in the backyard... through two closed doors. I was a little worried. The bad news: Some of the pork had turned to charcoal in the bottom of the pan, and the bone from the pork shoulder was stuck to the pan like Excalibur in the stone. The good news: The charred bits tasted like the best bacon ever, and the rest of the pork survived the experience just fine. It turned out to be a delicious batch of carnitas, but for your own piece of mind, you might want to set a timer or tie a ribbon 'round your finger so you don't forget you've got a bubbling pan on the stove. What to do with pork carnitas... Eat it like an animal. Serve on a plate with avocado slices, pineapple chunks, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges. Cut into cubes and use in paleo egg foo yung. Shred, wrap in butter lettuce leaves, and drizzle with Sunshine Sauce. Eat alongside creamy cucumber salad made with homemade mayo. Shred and saute in coconut oil with shredded cabbage, onion, and a sprinkle of caraway seeds.