Pork Carnitas for the Sunday You Have Time to Fall for Something Slow

It is 1:15 on a Sunday afternoon, the pot is on, and the apartment is about to smell like you have a very good plan. This pork carnitas recipe is a slow one: 16 minutes of prep, then a pot that does 2 to 2.5 hours of the work on low heat while you do absolutely nothing, which is the whole appeal of a slow burn.

Patience and a heavy pot are all this takes, and the pot does the courting.

Pork shoulder gets cut into 2-inch chunks, seasoned with cumin and oregano, and browned in batches. Then orange juice, lime juice, onion, garlic and bay leaves go in, the lid goes on, and the pork sits and softens until it shreds under two forks. The last move is the one that matters: the lid comes off and the shreds simmer in the reduced juices until the edges catch and crisp.

How to make it

1. Cut 3 lb pork shoulder into 2-inch chunks and pat dry. Slice 1 yellow onion, smash 4 garlic cloves, and roughly chop ½ cup cilantro (about 10 minutes).
2. Season the pork all over with 2 tsp salt, black pepper, 2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 tsp dried oregano.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the pork in batches 2 to 3 minutes per side, then return all pork to the pot.
4. Add the sliced onion, smashed garlic, ¾ cup orange juice, 3 tbsp lime juice, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat 2 to 2.5 hours until the pork shreds easily.
5. Discard the bay leaves. Shred the pork in the pot with two forks, then simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes so the edges crisp in the reduced juices.
6. Slice 2 avocados. Serve the carnitas topped with 1 cup salsa, avocado slices, and the chopped cilantro.

Notes

Cooked leftovers from this pork carnitas recipe keep three to four days refrigerated, per USDA FSIS. Store the pork with a spoonful of its juices, so it stays moist when you warm it.

It reheats best in a hot skillet. Spread the shreds in a single layer and leave them alone for a couple of minutes, and the edges crisp again.

It freezes well in portions with its juices. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating, and the texture holds up.

Whole cuts of pork have a USDA safe minimum of 145°F plus a 3-minute rest, and a shoulder cooked until it shreds is far past that. You are not checking a thermometer here, you are checking whether a fork goes through it like a warm knife through butter.

Brown the pork in batches. A crowded pot steams the meat gray instead of browning it, and the browning is where a lot of the flavor comes from. Two to 3 minutes per side is the method, and it is worth the extra pan time.

Pat the chunks dry before seasoning. Wet pork does not brown, it just sulks.

Keep a little of the juices back when you shred. Stir some in at the end, and the pork stays glossy.

Swaps that actually work

The pork shoulder is the point of any pork carnitas recipe. It has enough fat to stay juicy through hours of cooking, and leaner cuts such as loin will dry out and turn stringy. If your store sells it as pork butt or Boston butt, that is the same cut and works exactly as written.

The citrus matters too. The orange juice gives sweetness and the lime juice gives bite, and together they are what make this taste like carnitas and not like generic pulled pork. Bottled juice works, and fresh squeezed is better.

Dried oregano can be Mexican oregano if you have it, and it is a little more citrusy, so that is a nice swap. Ground cumin is the one to keep.

No cilantro, or a person at the table who thinks it tastes like soap? Thin sliced scallions or a squeeze of lime over the top does the job. Leave the avocado, because the cool, creamy slices against hot pork are the contrast the dish needs.

Swapping in a slow cooker is possible, though the crisp finish needs the open pot or a hot skillet, so plan on moving the shredded pork over to finish it. Without the crisp, you have good pork and not quite carnitas.

If it goes wrong

The pork is tough. It has not cooked long enough. Shoulder gets tender when the connective tissue breaks down, and that takes time. Cover it again, keep the heat low, and check every 20 minutes until it shreds easily.

It is dry. The lid was loose or the heat was too high, and the juices cooked off. Stir in a few spoonfuls of water or more orange juice, cover, and give it another 10 minutes on low.

The edges are not crisp. The pot was too full, or the simmer was too gentle. Spread the shredded pork across a hot skillet or return it to the pot uncovered over medium heat, and let it sit without stirring for a few minutes.

It is flat. Salt and lime. The recipe uses 2 tsp salt for 3 pounds of pork, and shredded meat soaks up seasoning. Salt in small pinches, then squeeze lime over the pile.

And if you are tired and it is still tough at 8 p.m., it is not you, it is the pork. Cook it another half hour and be patient with a thing that is worth the wait.

What to serve with it

The default is what the recipe says: carnitas topped with 1 cup of salsa, sliced avocado, and chopped cilantro. It is tidy, and it works.

The better version of the default is warm tortillas on the side, so each person can build their own taco, plus a small dish of pickled red onion for something sharp against the rich meat.

From the fridge, a little shredded cabbage with lime juice is plenty. Rice and black beans turn the shredded pork into a plate, and a bowl of it the next day under a fried egg is one of the better breakfasts you can make for yourself.

Why this one earns its place

Some dishes are a fling and some are a commitment. This is the second kind, and it earns it: this pork carnitas recipe serves 6, so one Sunday gives you the main event and a stack of future dinners in one pot.

You swipe right on it knowing it will not be ready in a hurry. It is ready when the fork says so, and the wait is part of why it works.

For stretching one big batch across the week, meal prep for the week is the system. When the shreds turn into something crunchy and cheesy, carnitas nachos is the obvious next move. And carnitas burrito bowls are how the last of the pot becomes Wednesday's lunch.

More like this: all Mexican recipes in Crave Corner.