3 Videos | Photo: Carnitas Recipe
Directions
It does not get any better than slow-roasted carnitas. This recipe differs slightly from what may be served in Old Mexico. Traditional carnitas are cooked in lard, pulled from the oil, chopped, and served directly in tacos and such. This versatile dish is one of our most requested at Salsa Brava. It can be served in tacos, burritos, omelets, or just about anything else you can imagine. We use free-range pork-no hormones, no antibiotics. Our choice for cut of meat is the pork butt. (Not to be confused with the actual pig's butt.) The pork butt is actually a shoulder cut, and it can be purchased with bone-in or out. The bone found in the butt is the clavicle, and any butcher can remove it, if preferred.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons seasoned salt
- 4 pounds pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes, some but not all of the fat removed
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 5 large garlic cloves
- Warm tortillas, for serving
Sprinkle the pork with the seasoned salt.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put a roasting grate at the bottom of a roasting pan and pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the pan along with the liquid smoke. Arrange the pork on the grate and top with the onion and garlic. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil.
Bake for 2 hours, then remove the cover and bake until the pork is fork tender, about 1 more hour.
When cooked through, transfer the pork to a large bowl. Shred the meat and stir in the pan juices. Serve with warm tortillas or use when making tacos, tamales, etc.
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
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By nancy.shaw_11206803
Arlington, VA
on May 03, 2012
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Made this last night for dinner, we all loved it. We had seen this recently on Diners,Drive-ins and Dives and couldn't wait to try! I did follow the video for the spice recipe, which we modified with ground pasilla pepper, and some additional chilpolte pepper, we like things with some heat! 8 lbs of pork butt was cooked for about 3 hours in a 325 degree oven, it came out great. Strained the liquid and removed most of the fat, and reduced by about half. Used this to warm the meat prior to serving. Very moist, not many leftovers. Will definitely make again!
By PuffyShoes
Novato, ca
on March 14, 2012
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Absolutely delicious! Versatile enough for soft tacos or pulled pork sandwiches with bbq sauce. I also used the crock pot til it was fork tender (ridiculously juicy too, and reduced the seasoned salt by about half. Someone commented that in the full episode video (route 66 episode, many other spices were added, that the recipe here is not the true recipe; it appears the seasoned salt here was substituted for all the separate seasonings. It absolutely works. Remember to always read a handful of reviews before trying any recipe online...you skip a lot of "first-time recipe" mistakes that way.
By donnamck_8086072
kalispell, MT
on March 14, 2012
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Fabulous! All the flavor without the lard! Brilliant! As to the other reviewers who had problems w/ the meat drying out....must have been an oven issue. i did reduce the season salt to 3 tbsp....4 just seemed too much...meat was delish and I didn't add all the pan juices as they were very salty
Read all 26 reviews