Crisp, juicy carnitas, – Mexico’s answer to pulled pork. A thoroughly wonderful dish that takes it easy in the oven for several hours, so you can enjoy the aroma spreading through the house in the meantime.
It is packed with flavour and really easy to make.
You can cook it as described in the recipe below, – but you can also choose to cook the meat in one whole piece and give it 10-11 hours at 110-120°C.
It is also worth rubbing the meat with the spices the day before, but it isn’t a must, so I have left it out of my method.
Serve in soft or crisp tacos and top with fresh pico de gallo, guacamole and cold crème fraîche.
If you aren’t eating all the meat at once, it keeps well in the fridge or freezer. Just pull the meat apart first, – it is easiest while it is still warm. Hold off on crisping your carnitas if it is going to be chilled or frozen. Set aside the amount you are serving and crisp that up, – and chill/freeze the rest together with some of the marinade.
Carnitas – Tacos with Mexican pulled pork and pico de gallo
Ingredients
- 2,4 kg pork neck (boneless pork shoulder joint)
- 2 oranges
- 1 large onion, sliced into rings
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 limes
- 1/2-1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced – adjust the heat to taste
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp mild chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- fresh chilli
- Salt and pepper
To serve
- Soft tacos
- Lime wedges
- Pico de gallo – Click here
- Guacamole – Click here
- Cold crème fraîche (optional)
Method
- Cut the joint into 8 large chunks. Season them with salt and pepper on all sides and place them in an ovenproof dish.
- Mix the spices in a bowl and pour them over the meat, – rub and turn the meat so it is well coated in the spices.
- Add the cinnamon stick along with the sliced onion, garlic and chilli, – toss with the meat.
- Halve the oranges and limes and squeeze the juice over the meat and into the dish. If you like, add the squeezed halves of one orange and one lime to the dish, – just remember that they should be organic (unwaxed) and thoroughly rinsed.
- Cover the dish with foil and place it in a preheated conventional oven (top and bottom heat) at 130°C for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove the foil and continue cooking the meat for a further 2 hours at 130°C.Check whether the meat is tender, – it should fall apart completely when you pull at it with 2 forks; otherwise give it a little longer.
- Take the dish out of the oven and turn the temperature up to 220°C.
- Lift the meat out of the dish, place it on a baking tray or deep roasting tin, and pull it apart with 2 forks. Pour over a couple of hundred millilitres of the marinade it was cooked in, season with a little salt and pepper and toss well.
- Once the oven has reached 220°C, return the meat to the oven and roast until crisp and golden, about 30 minutes, – turning it once along the way.
- Serve your crisp, juicy carnitas in warm soft tacos, topped with pico de gallo and guacamole.
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Dette er absolut ingen undtagelse!!
Tak
Hej Sandie
Åhhhh en dejligt besked at modtage – tusind tak altså 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hej
Jeg tænker at lave denne opskrift i weekenden – det ser så lækkert ud. Er dog i tvivl om det er nakkesteg der skal bruges, eller nakkefilet? Så vidt jeg kan læse, er nakkesteg med svær på? 🙂
Hejsa
Det smager så dejligt 🙂
Det er en nakkefilet – uden svær:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Kan man lave det dagen før, og genopvarme det ved 220 gr med marinaden?
Hej Sanne
Det kan du sagtens gøre ja 🙂
Jeg laver ofte til fryseren også, fryser med marinaden og varmer på en bageplade til det er let sprødt 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Kan man lave det dagen før? Og så opvarme det ved 220 grader dagen efter med marinaden?
Hej Sanne
Det kan du sagtens gøre, uden problemer 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Wauw, det blev bare super lækkert!
Det var sprødt allerede da det kom ud af ovnen 2. gang, så trevlede det bare der og serverede. Det var et stort hit 🙂
Tak for en god opskrift.
Hej Per
Ej hvor fedt at høre, – tusind tak fordi du skriver det 🙂
Dbh Dianna
Hvis man skal lave en stor portion og skal have to bradepander i ovnen, er det så muligt at lave det med varmluft?
Hej Mia
Ja sagtens 🙂
Skru en 10-15 grader ned for varmen, og byt rundt på bradepanderne en enkelt gang undervejs.
Warm wishes, Dianna
Vanvittig lækker og saftig opskrift.
Hej Anders
Det er jeg simpelthen så glad for at høre, – tusind tak 🙂
Dbh Dianna
Mega lækkert, det er blevet en favorit herhjemme Tak for endnu en lækker opskrift.
Hej Rikke
Åhhh hvor dejligt altså, – det gør mig så glad at høre 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Super lækker og nem opskrift – tak ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Det er jeg virkelig glad for at høre, tusind tak 🙂