Slow-Braised Carnitas

Make Ahead and Storage

Refrigerate in a little of its own fat for up to 4 days, or freeze 3 months. Re-crisp under the grill each time you serve.

Slow-Braised Carnitas: The Method

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1. Season the pork chunks generously with the salt and leave for 30 minutes.

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2. Melt the lard in a heavy casserole over medium heat and add the pork in a single layer. Do not brown it — you are rendering, not searing.

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3. Add the onion, garlic, bay, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Squeeze in the orange juice and drop the spent halves into the pot.

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4. Pour in the milk — its lactose caramelises during the braise and its enzymes tenderise the meat.

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5. Cover and cook at 150°C / 300°F for 3 to 3.5 hours, until the pork collapses under a fork.

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6. Lift the meat out and shred coarsely into large pieces, leaving some chunks intact. Discard the aromatics.

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7. Spread the shredded pork on a baking tray, spoon over 4 tablespoons of the rendered fat, and grill on high for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once, until the edges are deep brown and crisp.

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8. Spoon over a little of the strained braising juices to rehydrate, then serve on warm tortillas with onion, coriander and lime.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Worth Knowing

• Save the strained fat in a jar. It keeps for months and makes the best roast potatoes you will ever eat.
• The milk may look curdled during the braise. It is meant to; it will strain out cleanly.
• Crisp only what you plan to serve, and keep the rest soft for the next day.

Why the Method Is What It Is

Carnitas is confit followed by a fry: the long, low braise renders fat and converts collagen to gelatine, and the final blast of high heat drives off surface moisture so the sugars and proteins can brown. Skipping the crisping stage leaves you with plain pulled pork.

Serving Ideas

Mexican lager, or a smoky mezcal · Serve with salsa verde, pickled red onions and refried beans · Finish with tres leches cake

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: One Pan Mexican Rice, Pan de Muerto, Mexican Red Rice.

Swaps and Variations

• Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Quick Answers

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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