Wanda Oyola, Thermomix® Independent Consultant in Kissimmee Book a cooking demo
Sweet Sofrito

Carnitas (Braised and Crisped Pork)

Pork shoulder braised with orange and spices until tender, then crisped in a hot skillet. Tacos with salsa verde.

By Wanda Oyola 2 h 25 min Medium

Jump to recipe Save on Pinterest

Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.

A wooden board with a pile of shredded carnitas with crisp browned pieces, a stack of corn tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro, lime wedges and a bowl of salsa verde.

Carnitas come from Michoacán, where pork is slowly cooked in lard in big copper pots until it is tender inside and golden at the edges. The result is the best of both worlds: juicy meat that pulls apart, with crisp, caramelized bits. Piled on corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, lime and a spoonful of salsa verde, it makes one of Mexico's most loved tacos.

In this home version, the Thermomix® TM7™ first makes a cooked tomatillo salsa, then braises the pork with orange juice, garlic, cumin and oregano on reverse until it is fork tender. The crisp edges come from a hot cast-iron skillet on the stove, using a little of the fat from the braise. You get the classic texture without a pot full of lard.

Made in the Thermomix® TM7™

Carnitas (Braised and Crisped Pork)

Makes: About 24 tacos

  • Prep20 min
  • Cook2 h 5 min
  • Total2 h 25 min
  • Serves6

Ingredients

For the salsa verde

For the carnitas

To serve

Instructions

  1. For the salsa verde, place the tomatillos, serranos, onion, garlic and water in the mixing bowl and cook 10 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 1. Add the cilantro and salt and blend 20 sec/speed 5-8, increasing speed gradually. Transfer to a bowl and rinse the mixing bowl.
  2. Place the pork, lard, orange juice, water, onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper in the mixing bowl. Cook 90 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft, until the pork is very tender. If it still resists a fork, cook 15 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft more.
  3. Lift the pork out with a slotted spoon onto a cutting board and pull it into large shreds with two forks. Pour the cooking liquid into a jug and let it settle for a few minutes so the fat rises to the top.
  4. Rinse the mixing bowl, add the onion and cilantro for serving and chop 3 sec/speed 5. Transfer to a small bowl.
  5. Heat a large cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of the fat from the top of the jug. Add a single layer of pork and cook without stirring for 4 to 5 minutes, until crisp and browned underneath. Turn and cook 2 minutes more. Repeat in batches.
  6. At the end of each batch, splash 2 or 3 tbsp of the cooking liquid over the pork so the meat stays juicy.
  7. Warm the tortillas on a dry skillet or comal and serve the carnitas with the onion and cilantro, salsa verde and lime.

Tips

  • Crisping for a crowd: spread the shredded pork on a sheet pan, drizzle it with some fat and cooking liquid and bake at 220°C (425°F) for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are crisp.
  • Store carnitas with some of the cooking liquid for up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer, and crisp them in a skillet just before serving.
  • For a deeper flavor, as some cooks in Michoacán do, add a strip of orange peel and a cinnamon stick to the braise.
  • Use the leftover cooking liquid to cook rice or beans: it is full of flavor.

More recipes to try