Best Crispy Carnitas 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.

SOUS VIDE CARNITAS FOR TACOS (CRISPY MEXICAN-STYLE PULLED PORK) RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine pork, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice into bowl before adding rest of orange. Season generously with kosher salt and toss to combine. Transfer contents to a vacuum bag and seal. When ready to cook, set sous vide cooker to desired temperature according to chart above. Add bag to sous vide bath and cook for recommended time according to chart above. Make sure to top water up occasionally as it evaporates, and keep bag completely submerged. If bag floats, weigh it down by placing a wet kitchen towel on top of it. Alternatively, use a heavy-duty binder clip to attach a metal spoon or knife to bottom of bag as a weight. When meat is cooked, remove from water bath and transfer contents of bag to a large bowl. Pick out chunks of meat with a set of tongs and transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet. (Discard aromatics and excess liquid, or reserve liquid and blend it in with your salsa.) When it is cool enough to handle, shred meat roughly using 2 forks or your fingers. Spread evenly over baking sheet. Pork can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 5 days before serving. When ready to serve, adjust an oven rack to 3 inches below the broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Place pork under broiler and cook, using a spoon to flip pieces occasionally, until meat is browned and crisp on most sides, about 10 minutes total. Alternatively, working in batches, heat carnitas in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas, lime wedges, chopped onion and cilantro, and salsa.

SOUS VIDE CRISPY CARNITAS

Steps:

• Combine 2 tablespoons salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix well.
• Place pork pieces into a large bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over the pork, pressing until it adheres. Add in onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
• Squeeze orange juice into the bowl with the pork and toss in the juiced orange pieces as well; toss to combine.
• Place pork mixture into a sous vide-safe vacuum sealer bag. Seal bag and immerse in a heat-proof container of water with a sous vide cooker. Set temperature to 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) and add the ping pong balls on top. Cook, occasionally re-adding water as it evaporates, 12 to 24 hours.
• Remove pork carefully from the water bath and transfer contents into a large bowl. Pick out the chunks of meat with tongs and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Discard everything else left in the bowl. Let pork cool briefly. Shred using 2 forks or your fingers and spread evenly over the baking sheet. Season with salt.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Place pork under the broiler and cook, flipping halfway through, until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
• Place tomatoes and green chiles in a food processor and blend until pureed. Pour into a saucepan; add chicken stock, rice, butter, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until Spanish rice is tender, about 25 minutes.

INSTANT POT® CRISPY CHICKEN CARNITAS

Steps:

• Combine cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle over chicken breasts on both sides.
• Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®) and select Saute function. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sear chicken breasts, 1 to 2 minutes per side, working in batches so chicken sears rather than steams. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Add garlic and onion to the hot cooker; cook and stir until browned evenly on all sides, about 2 minutes. Return chicken to the pressure cooker along with lime juice, chicken broth, cilantro, chipotle pepper with 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, orange zest and juice, and bay leaf. Close and lock the lid. Set timer for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size of chicken breasts.
• Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, milk, chipotle pepper and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, salt, and garlic powder to an electric blender. Blend chipotle sauce until smooth.
• Release pressure from the cooker using the natural-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, 10 to 40 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Transfer chicken breasts to a clean surface and reserve cooking liquid. Shred chicken meat using 2 forks. Place in a large bowl and drizzle 1/4 cup cooking liquid over chicken; toss to coat. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil over the surface of a baking sheet. Add chicken to the sheet and drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil on top. Stir to coat evenly.
• Broil chicken in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Toss chicken with 1 to 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid and rotate the pan for even broiling. Continue broiling until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes more. Serve with chipotle sauce.

COPYCAT CHIPOTLE CARNITAS CRISPY TACOS

Steps:

• Using a square of cheesecloth, make a spice bundle: Place thyme springs, juniper berries, bay leaves, and black peppercorns in the center of the cloth and secure with kitchen twine.
• In a slow cooker set to low , arrange pork roast in the bottom. Add water, spice bundle, and salt.
• Cover and set for 10 hours. It may take 12 hours, carnitas will be ready when pork is easily shreddible with a fork.
• Using a large slotted spoon or a pair of tongs, transfer pork to a large bowl (save cooking liquid for later). Allow pork to rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.
• Heat taco shells according to manufacturer's directions, and prepare toppings of your choice.
• Shred pork using two forks or tongs, discarding excess fat. Taste cooking liquid. (if it is too salty, thin the cooking liquid with hot water). Moisten carnitas with 1 cup of cooking liquid, reserving the rest for later use.
• Assemble tacos:.
• Fill Taco shells with Copycat Chipotle Carnitas, and desired toppings.

INSTANT POT CARNITAS (CRISPY MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Prepare Pork Shoulder Meat: Remove rind and bone from the pork shoulder meat. Cut pork shoulder meat into cubes (~2 inches). Keep the excess fat.
• Marinate Pork Shoulder Cubes: Place pork shoulder cubes & fat into the Instant Pot's inner pot. Season very generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves, chopped onion, 1 tsp (2g) ground cumin, 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon powder, 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp (15ml) light soy sauce, and juice (55ml) from 1 orange to the inner pot. Mix well and let the meat marinate for 20 minutes.
• Pressure Cook Pork Shoulder Cubes: Pour ~4/5 cup (200ml) unsalted chicken stock in the inner pot. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes + 15 minutes Natural Release. Release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes and open the lid carefully.
• Crisp Pork Shoulder Cubes: Transfer the pork shoulder cubes onto a baking tray. Now is a good time to take a bite and see if the pork cubes are salty enough. If the pork cubes are not salty enough, add more kosher salt into the cooking liquid. Taste & adjust accordingly. Drizzle some of the cooking liquid on to each piece (The cooking liquid should be mostly fat. If not, mix ¼ cup (63ml) cooking liquid with 2 tbsp (30ml) of vegetable oil and drizzle over each piece of pork). The fat & oil will protect the meat from drying out and the surface will crisp faster.Place pork shoulder cubes under a broiler or the top rack of a preheated 450°F toaster oven until the surface is crisped. Roughly 8 - 10 minutes. Flip the pork shoulder cubes, drizzle each piece with more cooking liquid and place in the oven again until the surface is crisped.
• (Optional) Heat Corn Tortillas: If you are serving the Carnitas with corned tortillas, you can heat up the corn tortillas when the pork is browning in the oven.
• Serve and Enjoy: Place piping hot Carnitas on top of the warmed corn tortillas with a spoonful of salsa (Pico De Gallo). Serve immediately!

CRISPY SLOW COOKER CARNITAS RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned (about 1-2 minutes per side). Transfer pork to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, and give the mixture a stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork. Once the pork is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and prepare two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Use a fork to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, and then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheets, spreading the pork in an even layer and leaving the juices behind in the slow cooker. (Don't discard the juices, we're going to use them later!) Place one sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin browning and crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven, then ladle about 1/4 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the pork, and then give it a good toss with some tongs. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the crispy pork. Repeat with the other baking sheet of pork. Serve immediately in tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good to you! This pork can also be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

CRISPY PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.
• Combine all ingredients in a large dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven.
• Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.
• Remove the pot from the oven and use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.
• Remove and discard everything from the pot except the cooking liquid.
• Place pot over medium-high hear on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20-25 minutes. You should have about 1 cup of liquid remaining when it is finished.
• While the liquid is reducing, break each cube of pork into three pieces. Once the liquid has become syrup, gently fold the pieces of pork into the pot, trying not to break up the pork any further.
• Spread the pork back onto the foil-lined pan and evenly spread so there is a single layer. Place the pan of meat on an upper middle rack of the oven and broil on high until the top of the meat is well browned and the edges are slightly crisp, about 7-8 minutes. Using a wide spatula, flip the pieces of meat the broil the other side the same way.
• Serve in a tortilla will your favorite toppings.

CRISPY SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned (about 2 minutes per side). Transfer pork to the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, and give the mixture a careful stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork. Once the pork is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and prepare two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Use a fork to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, and then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheets, spreading it out evenly in a single layer. Reserve the remaining broth from the slow cooker. Place one sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin crisping up. Remove the sheet, and use a spatula or tongs to carefully toss the pork. Then ladle about 1/4 cup of the remaining slow cooker broth over the pork. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the crispy pork. Repeat with the other baking sheet of pork. Serve immediately in tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good to you! Or cover and refrigerate or freeze.

CRISPY CARNITAS

Steps:

• Cut pork into 2 inch cubes. and place in a large bowl or large plastic bag.
• Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and cayenne; rub all over meat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Heat grease in a large oven safe saucepan or Dutch oven.
• Brown meat well on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Pour marinade into pan and stir with a wooden spoon to remove any brown bits from the bottom and coat the meat; add water to just about cover meat.
• Bring pot to a boil, cover and place in oven.
• Cook until tender, about 2 hours; remove from oven and set to broil.
• Let cool slightly, then shred, with your hands, into bite size pieces; return to braising liquid.
• Stir, then remove meat, in a single layer, to a shallow baking sheet.
• Broil a couple of minutes on each side to crisp lightly and serve.