And Im heading into the kitchen as we speak. Its a pressure cooker and an air fryer all combined in one device. I tried it out with chicken breasts and surprisingly, with very good results. @Tanya, Any tips? Doesnt sound like it will be a problem, just less crispy if you dont finish it somehow in a pan or broiler. smoked paprika in here. After its cooked (pork or chicken) out, we shred and boil until crispy. onion. Oh my goodness you were right on the simplicity claim. Im making it again today. But, this means that Ive never thought of making them! Thanks for the tip, Deb! It looks so delicious. Wow, thats so surprising! Amazing! Do I skim it off or do I leave it and just consider it added flavour once all the liquid has cooked off? Using other meats Id be hesitant. The temp of the pork core should stay in the 110 range, ideally. My pork shoulder was a little more than three pounds, but should the chunks be one layer at the bottom of the pan before putting in the liquid? Thanks for the inspiration. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; Is pork butter a cut Ive not heard of (in the UK) or should it be pork butt? Carnitas have been my all-time fav for many years. And its quite extraordinary. A fatty brisket might work, but for tacos, I prefer to cook brisket this way. Add lard and water to a cold stock pot or dutch oven. I liked doing it this way. Ill definitely try the carnitas recipe..and serve with the Homesick Texans delicious and easy homemade flour tortillas. Family loved the regardless and I made Migas for breakfast with the leftovers. The recipe sounds delightful! Ive made so many delicious things from your site, Deb, but this really took the cake (the red wine chocolate cake is my favorite!). Huh? 2. @Mireille, Thank you for this! Follow along via chef Padilla's video tutorial for queso flameado. Also, thank you for not filling your blog with advertisements. If I have to go commercial, I like a brand called El Milagro. (And so is Lisas book!). My man kept making the this is f*ing delicious noise as we ate. :). Siiiiigh. You cant use Le Creuset for high heat cooking? I love your posts and have made several of your recipes and have about a dozen on my wish list oh wait, better make that a BAKERS dozen after this one! I really miss Tex-Mex. Its like you read my mind. I was exhausted, but my mom was waiting for me with a to-go container filled with my favorite restaurant dish: enchiladas verdescorn tortillas wrapped around crisp, juicy cubes of carnitas, dressed with a green salsa thick with avocados, tomatillos, cilantro and onions. For those of you who aren't cilantro fans, you can make the salsa without, but I can't guarantee it'll taste as divine. Made the avocado salsa too. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Put some vegetable in the dutch oven to hold the pork up from the bottom just a bit. i made these last night, followed the recipe exactly, and they were AMAZING. Mama Ninfa's Original Tacos al Carbon Fajitas in a Flour Tortilla with Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, and Chile con Queso. CARNITAS 16. Heat grill to 400 degrees. Since I knew I would add a little water in the end I had increased the orange juice from by 1/4 cup. I could not stop tasting the dressing and sampling the pork during those last 30 minutes! Will have to think about it :), Also a big fan of the Homesick Texan she inspired my favorite dish Ive ever made, my Chorizo-Style Pork Chops http://yellebellyboo.blogspot.com/2011/10/chorizo-style-pork-chops.html. (hes never asked that before!). Had them this morning for breakfast with toast, a fried egg, a little siracha, and some avocado.. YUM! I had this with the Sunset Slaw from Smitten Kitchen Everyday and it was perfect! Thanks, Deb! So, so good. I seriously didnt think it would be that flavorful with so few ingredients. As always, Enjoy . I dont get off work for another seven hours, and not only do I want to be braising pork right now, but I could real use some whiskey in my coffee! I showed my butcher the recipe and he gave me the cut it called for. These look amazing and I believe I will need to go buy the cookbook! Oh and make sure you have fresh tortillas for this one. Yup, these were fan spanking tastical. Overnight, even. Slow Cooking is Best! I just made the carnitas! Adapted, just barely, from The Homesick Texan Cookbook, 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes arent they gonna be tough? I wonder what difference that would make. Id love to cut down on some of the time! I can see the grocery stores across the country running out of pork shoulders just because of your recipe. I am seriously FA-REAKING out right now as Ive been needing to make something like this for a while. Of course, now Im not going to be able to get that out of my head. Also added 1 tsp of smoked paprika since I am addicted to it. Cooked it on high in slow cooker for 8 hours. Totally making this. You mean this is basically like what I do to make pulled pork, except cut up in cubes and browned when the juices dry up? Its delicious. Made this tonight for husbands birthday it was a huge hit and turned out amazing. Reading on just made that thought more and more intense. This sounds amazing carnitas tacos are my favorite favorite. Its thirty degrees outside and Ive git a pot of pork braising on the stove and a pot of pinto beans simmering life is good :). They serve them on tortillas with some cucumber, pickled onions ans habaneros. How many people will it serve, roughly? Its been on low for 10 hours and smells delicious. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered on low for 2 hours. These are unbelievable. I love love you blog and with no good mexican here in Sydney Australia I was desperate to try this out. So bless you for this intriguing recipe. Win win Adapted by Lisa Fain from a Diana Kennedy recipe. Ever! I also made the slaw. The pork is sweet because of the citrus and it is DELICIOUS. Looking for more Ninja Foodi Recipes? Nestled in the freshly fried tortilla were long strands of meat and melted cheese. Yay! Did you find that the flavor was spicy and bold enough? Same question as Kevin L. Im all about using the slow cooker these days! Oh my. Follow the recipe and dont be worried it will work out! I eat it of course, but oh the pain! Our family favorite carnitas recipe is from La Taqueria in San Francisco courtesy of Sunset Magazine: Paired with a white onion, cilantro, and freshly diced pineapple slaw, it was gave a nice citrus sweetness! All by myself. Carnitas, Houston style Servings 6 Author Adapted by Lisa Fain from a Diana Kennedy recipe Ingredients 3 pounds pork butt with plenty of fat 1 cup orange juice 3 cups water 2 teaspoons kosher salt Tortillas, for serving Green chile creamy avocado salsa, for serving Instructions Add the lard (or vegetable shortening or oil), and once it has heated up, add the pork chunks and sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon of salt. btw i subbed chicken stock for water. I tried this recipe out on some friends and it met with much acclaim! Will try the slow cooker/finish in pan technique next time, though, so as to be a bit less shackled to the kitchen. I havent made these in a long time, guess i forgot about them, but my husband remembered and requested them. The pork in the non-stick pan came up easily and left no mess, so lesson definitely learned on which pan to use for the future. This looks amazing. Carnitas are on our list to make! I ended up putting it under the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end. We had it with avocado, sour cream, and pickled onions and cabbage slaw both from smittenkitchen. Ninfa's Mexican Green Sauce is creamy with a kick of heat. Maybe its because Ive never really had a pork carnita. They make the best Mexican style tacos, and theyre $1.75 a piece. Served with recommended condiments of pickled onions (a household staple on most everything), guac, tortillas, the slaw, beans, etc. cilantro. Hooray for spiked morning beverages! It will be fine. commenter asked about making homemade corn tortillas, but I didnt find an answer and Ive been searching your site (and lots of others) for a corn tortilla recipe with no luck. I just made these today and they are SO yummy! I made these today and for once in my life I followed the recipe well kinda! Put the squeezed orange in the insert, along with the onion, garlic cloves, and cup chicken broth. Pork butt = pork shoulder, yes. so tender and yummy. Like Louse above I too am from the UK and also never heard of carnitas. I made it exactly as written. This dish sounds super. We got a great deal on a huge pork loin, so I cut it in half for this recipe. I made them at home for my husband in our crock pot a couple months ago (actually not too bad a way to make em!) Inexpensive, fun, yummy! Once the meat was done I removed it all from the pot and deglazed using beer, OJ and honey. I added a couple of bottles of Hoegaarden (because of the orange and coriander in it), skipped the OJ and water. Thanks, Deb! Ill reword it. I said, Can I get half a pork leg? He said, That IS half. The alternative was cushion meat which turns out to be a leaner part of the shoulder, which was refreshing-usually I wind up sawing about 1 lb of fat off any shoulder cut I buy-so the only downside was there wasnt enough fat to crisp it up at the end. Love it! Not a pig eater, but Im hoping this will transfer well to a nice piece of brisket. ), but needlessly. Season all sides of the pork shoulder with the salt, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, onion powder, and black pepper. The only thing greater than my love for carnitas was my wonderment as to how they were made. Salt and cumin as per the recipe.) The fat makes it work best. I got the meat perfectly braised in ~2 hours at a very low simmer, but got concerned that because the pot was so deep that all that tenderness would be lost if I tried to simply boil down all the liquid. I cant belive you posted this, Im from Toronto & just tasted carnitas this weekend while I was in West Virginia at a great Mexican Restaurant in Fayetteville. Butter ribs do sound delicious, right? Im thinking to cook the pork in the same ingredients as listed for 8hrs? Braised meats keep fantastically overnight. Cover. Thanks! Just a tip- make the pickled red onions with lime juice and serve with homesick texans green avocado salsa! how do you think this might taste with beef used ? Meanwhile, juice 1 or 2 oranges to yield 1/2 cup orange juice. Citrus. I echo everyones comments my meat was still quite tough (and not great looking) after the 2 hour mark. i love these carnitas! But that kid is now two, and my carnita fixation has gone nowhere. Take the orange and squeeze the juices over the pork. I have thawed frozen carnitas, popped them in the oven, and enjoyed the same crispy goodness as when I first made them. How ingenious to eliminate one of the steps which creates another pan to wash! Though no matter how its presented, its always succulent slow-cooked pork thats tender on the inside and crunchy on the out. I have a gorgeous 5 pound pork shoulder in my freezer right now. Likewise, I think the brilliance of this recipe lies in its simplicity. My favorites on repeat are the lemon braided bread and meatball subs with gruyere, but these carnitas might be at the top of my list now! So delicious. Holy Wow! I made mine last time by frying them for a couple of hours in duck fat.and they were amazing, but I dont know if I want to do this again, it was really crispy and soft and amazing but really heavy too. This sounds amazingwell, the carnitas and the whiskey in your coffee. Tasty! Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. Love how you serve it with an avocado slice, lime wedge and slaw minimalistic and perfect. Trying your recipe this weekend-hoping to re-create the yummies I had there. Place in a pot 4-5 lbs pork butt, 2 C water & 1 onion; Add the spices 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 2 bay leaves. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. this was really delicious! http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/06/taking-sides-with-barbecue.html Season - Add to a Dutch oven, along with the seasoning, and rub the spices evenly all over the pork. Read More Pork enchilada verde casseroleContinue, A year or so ago, I was visiting Texas in August and stopped by my grandmas farm to say howdy. Thanks for this recipe and the recommendation. After 6 hours covered on high, meat was tender and there was lots of liquid. i used the juice of two oranges because we were out of oj. amzn_assoc_title = "ninja foodi"; Posted on Published: October 3, 2018- Last updated: May 6, 2020, Categories Air Fryer Recipes, Entree, Pressure Cooker Recipes, Instant Pot Sausage Gravy (Biscuits and Gravy) + Video. Fabulous! Now I want to try your recipes technique but adding the oregano which I know Chipotles carnitas has and which I enjoy so much. I am going butt shopping tomorrow. Oh my goodness. Avocado slices, chopped cilantro and fixings of your choice (we love pickled jalapenos or onions, lime wedges and a bit of slaw). I cant wait to make them again and again and again! Oh man, I did just get hungry! Thanks! I also went a little crazy and made corn tortillas for the first time. It sounds fabulous. I made pork shoulder few weeks back. Im dying to make these carnitas but I worry that if Im not able to turn the heat up to medium high that Im going to miss out on those great caramelized edges. ive never had carnitas but the pictures made me drool, so i had to try making them. Its like candy its hard to stop with one bite! I am going to give up meat but Im building up to it with a two-week-long meat-a-thon. The hot kind. Served with spicy tomatillo sauce, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. This is very well-timed as I just bought a huge pork butt and was planning on making green chile carnitas a la Torchys a fantastic taco joint in Austin. Please, please, please, can you post the recipe for the jalapeno-buttermilk slaw? I had to add some fat to it to brown it. Hi Deb, have you seen this recipe that was in a recent GQ? I didnt know I liked carnitas. Transferred to pot and cooked on high for 10 minutes to delightfully crispy crusts all around. Take care, For a very long while, your blog and Lisas have been sitting next to each other in my bookmarks folder. So So So good. Deb, my husband does not eat pork and frequently tells me lips that touch swine dont touch mine. Do you know of any substitute that comes reasonably close to tasty carnitas? Warm tortillas, avocado, salsa however, to add enough liquid I used the rest of a can of chicken stock that I had. Thanks for the recipe!! (Im thinking also of the Zuni roast chicken, which doesnt have you rub the bird with any additional fat, just trusts that the skin has enough fat to crisp itself.). Make sure you are using pork that is not caged. Ill admit, during the 2 hour simmer period, I was a little worried that the pork wasnt breaking down as much as it should. I look forward to them. Sunday was a rainy, cold day in the Midwest and the Packers didnt play until 3 pm what better to do than cook something warm that would fill the house with good smells! Definitely adding this to my regulars list as well as my list to make for entertaining! They were my first foray into the wonderful world of carnitas. Hot. SO good! Thanks for the recipe. My house smells amazing I am so tempted to stir them in the first 2 hours!!! And some serve it in smaller cubes, perfect for popping in your mouth. This does look like the perfect way to usher in the weekend..or any day for that matter. A little cilantro and sweet onion and they were a hit. Made these tonight for cinco de mayo. In the interest of full disclosure, I doctored this just a tad. Stir rice, black pepper, salt, and Greek seasoning into the vermicelli mixture and bring to a boil. I didnt know this post was 10 years old! In stands by the road in Baja California years ago, it was boiled in a big iron caldron, constantly, all day. If you come someday, you should go to TACOS PROVIDENCIA and you will eat one of the best carnitas in the universe! I guess I am but Im still new at this and dont have a lot of recipe resources. :). Now that Im back in California, I have made this recipe three times and its only Jan. 25. Mix in your favorite ingredients 4. I am SO making this next weekend(would be this weekend but plans have been made) and thinking that it will score me many bonus points from the boy. Try it! Im wondering if its because of the pictures or your irresistible description! My boyfriend is going to be very happy when I cook this for him. I love this recipe. http://www.gq.com/food-travel/recipes/201109/best-family-meal-recipe-osteria-stellina-restaurant. Seriously!! This is the recipe Ive been waiting for. Pour the orange juice and lime juice into the slow cooker, and place the pork shoulder on top. LOVE IT! And on a recent rainy Saturday, I hopped on the 2 train and made the journey uptown to eat carnitas made the Michoacan way. It boiled when I made it and came out delicious! I just made this tonight! The key here is to disturb the meat as little as possible so that it remains in bigger chunks. Now Im hungry!!! JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS How To Make Carnitas: Step By Step Tutorial The meat is like buttah. Thanks for all the recipes, your adaptations are great! Made these tonight as a man meal and they were just as good as advertised! Okay, so I am sitting here salivating, not over the carnitas (although I am so making them when I get home) but over the slaw with jalapeno buttermilk dressing. Thank you maam. we use carnitas for tacos, for pulled pork, just adding bbq sauce. Sorry for all the details! Thank you Deb! Ask Lisa about their original Hitas ( fajitas to the rest of the world ) and the margaritas..just sayin. Super easy to make, taste wonderful, and the orange, lime, garlic and cumin taste combination was not only yummy, it made my house smell so good! Do you de-fat at the end of the cooking when it is easier? My husband just made this using lamb instead of pork (lamb was in the freezer already; pork was not). hi!!! They are beyond good. Is there a pressure cooker version of the recipe? I made this but the meat was very tough not sure where I went wrong! Stir and add the bay leaf. my mother used to make these for me. Had doubts. The flavor was incredible! This is fantastic. So I must live vicariously through your pictures/written description. Then I added the meat back in to keep it warm while I got everything else ready. but i love it anyway. This is incredible. For the person who asked why pork butt = pork shoulder, its because of shape; the word butt originally meant barrel.The heiney cut of a pig is ham or leg. In both cases, I noticed that the pork shrank up considerably during the simmering phase and then once I started browning them up, they shrunk even further (as the fat rendered, I imagine) and ended up being rather hardened tiny little cubes. the following graph shows the market for peanut butter,