Summary
This tasty carnitas recipe consist of slow cooking pork shoulder with household spices. Carnitas may seem like a complex Mexican dish to pull off, but really it only takes a little patience to perfect. Just toss a few ingredients into a pot and slow-cook the pork in its own flavorful broth. In a couple of hours, the broth reduces and the pork fries in the fatty juices left behind, resulting in crispy yet tender meat perfect for stuffing into tacos or burritos, or serving atop tostadas. While you wait, throw together your Margarita.
Special equipment: You’ll need cheesecloth and butcher’s twine for this recipe.
Game plan: Serve the carnitas with homemade guacamole and salsa.
This dish was featured as part of our photo gallery of No-Fail Mexican Favorites for Cinco de Mayo.
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 3 (5-inch) fresh marjoram sprigs
- 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and quartered through the root end
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes (do not trim the fat)
For serving (optional):
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges