Dutch Oven Carnitas Recipe

Enjoy the flavors of Mexico with Authentic Dutch Oven Carnitas. This classic recipe features succulent pork shoulder, seasoned with a blend of spices and slow-cooked to perfection in a cast-iron Dutch oven, resulting in tender, crispy-edged goodness. Serve these mouthwatering carnitas in warm tortillas with cilantro, onions, and lime for a truly authentic Mexican dining experience.

Why This Recipe Works:

Savory and Flavorful: Dutch oven carnitas takes pork shoulder and transforms it into a masterpiece. With bold spices and a flavorful braising liquid, you can make absolutely delicious pork carnitas right at home in your Dutch oven! While carnitas are simple to make, they do take time. So make sure you are patient and allow the meat to become tender and shreddable!

Versatile: Pork carnitas are great to make at the beginning of the week and have on hand to add to loads of different meals. If you have homemade carnitas in the fridge, you can make authentic Mexican tacos and burritos in no time. Or, simply throw some carnitas on top of nachos or your favorite salads for a boost of protein!

What Are Authentic Mexican Carnitas?

Authentic Mexican carnitas are made with pork shoulder and a variety of spices, made in a braising liquid until tender and shreddable. Because of the higher fat content in pork shoulder, carnitas are extremely flavorful and juicy.

This Mexican carnitas recipe is super versatile! So you can use them in tacos, burritos, nachos, and so much more!

Supplies Needed:

• Large Dutch Oven (I used the Everyday Pan from Le Creuset)
• Oven

Ingredients:

• Pork Shoulder: Pork shoulder is best for Dutch oven carnitas. You can ask your butcher to cut it to the desired size or adjust the recipe depending on how much you have!
• Lard or Vegetable Oil: Traditionally, pork carnitas are seared in lard. This adds a lot of flavor to the recipe! If you don’t have lard or prefer not to use it, you can use vegetable oil.
• Yellow Onion: Roughly chop the onion for added flavor.
• Orange & Limes: Freshly squeezed orange juice and lime juice are added to help tenderize the meat and balance the flavors.
• Mexican Coke: Mexican Coca-Cola is made with real cane sugar as opposed to corn syrup. So it will caramelize the meat really well. Generally, you can buy just one bottle of Mexican coke at the grocery store.
• Evaporated Milk: You will need canned evaporated milk. This helps to tenderize the meat and adds a unique flavor!
• Water: To increase the quantity of braising liquid.
• Cinnamon Stick: A cinnamon stick adds a warm flavor!
• Bay Leaves: Make sure your bay leaves aren’t expired for the best flavor.
• Garlic: Roughly chopped garlic cloves will release flavor and aroma!
• Spices: Mexican oregano and cumin will add lots of flavor! Mexican oregano is best, but you can use regular oregano if you have that on hand!
• Salt: A coarse salt is great to season up the pork!

How To Make Authentic Carnitas In A Dutch Oven:

Preparation:

1. Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 375 F and set the oven rack to the middle.
2. Preheat Dutch Oven: Preheat a large Dutch oven pan over medium heat on the stove and add the lard to the pan to begin to melt.
3. Prep the Pork: Trim the boneless pork shoulder to remove any silver skin (you can trim the fat cap down to about 1/4 inch or remove it entirely). Cut into 2 inch cubes and season with the salt.

Cooking Instructions:

4. Sear the Meat: Place the pork shoulder pieces into melted lard and increase the temperature to medium high heat. Let the lard fry and sear the meat until golden brown (10-12 minutes per side works best).
5. Flip to Continue Searing all Sides: Flip the cubed pieces of pork as needed until it is entirely golden brown. This whole process may take 20-30 minutes depending on how hot the lard is and how much meat is in the pan.
6. Add Aromatics: Carefully add in the roughly chopped garlic, the spices, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
7. Squeeze Fresh Citrus: Add in the lime juice and freshly squeezed orange juice. Cut the squeezed-out orange rind into wedges and toss this into the pot.
8. Add Onion: Roughly chop a large yellow onion and sprinkle cut pieces over the pork.
9. Add Liquid: Finally, pour over the water, evaporated milk, and the Mexican coke. Mexican Coke is best because it’s not sweetened with corn syrup and you want the sugars to help caramelize the meat.
10. Move to Oven: Move the carnitas from the stovetop and place it into the oven uncovered to cook until tender, about 2-2.5 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check for tenderness. Pork shoulder begins to be soft and shreddable between 195 F and 204 F.
11. Remove & Serve: Remove the carnitas from the oven and let them rest before shredding. Shred the carnitas and use in tacos, burritos, salads, nachos, and more!

How To Serve Carnitas:

Crispy pork carnitas can be served in so many different ways! You can eat it on its own with a side of beans and rice. Use them in flautas, tacos, or burritos, with a side of salsa and guacamole! And don’t forget to make your own homemade keto corn tortilla for those homemade tacos. Or top off your favorite salads with some carnitas for flavor and protein.

Frequently Asked Questions:

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes to Try:

• Smoked Beef Birria
• Cheesy Mexican Cauliflower Rice
• Southwestern Chicken Quesadillas
• Spatchcock Chicken Tinga
• Smoked Chicken Enchiladas