Once you make these easy pork tacos carnitas and tangy salsa once, you’ll be craving them time and time again. Soft, juicy and so flavourful, a real explosion of taste for your tastebuds!
Tacos, literally meaning “little meats”, is a dish of Mexican cuisine with somewhat uncertain origins, made by braising or simmering pork for a number of hours until tender.
Legend has it that carnitas originate from a Mexican state called Michoacán, however according to many sources this seems to be somewhat unsettled! Many states have different varieties and recipes. It is however agreed universally that they’re absolutely delicious and a true celebration of Mexican cooking.
Carnitas are typically served with chopped coriander, salsa, diced onion, guacamole, tortillas and refried beans. You can mix it up and add anything you like! I’ve added lots of options below for serving.
Here i’m serving mine up with a tangy Pico de Gallo! Delicious.
Making your easy pork tacos carnitas:
You’ll start by preparing your meat:
- Trim down any skin or excess visible fat
- Cut your 1.2kg joint into 4 or so smaller pieces (not essential but I like to)
- Mix all of your spices and seasonings together
- Coat your prepared meat with the seasonings
You’re almost done already:
- Add the lime juice & onion!
- Pop the lid on and move it into your pre-heated oven for 4-6 hours
- Add small amounts of water if it looks too dry during cooking
Once it’s almost done, you’ll want to prepare the salsa!
- Finely chop tomatoes (remove seeds)
- Finely chop red onion
- Stir onion & tomato together in a dish
- Juice over 1 lime & stir
- Roughly chop a handful of coriander & stir into mix
- Season with salt to taste
When you’re ready to serve, just warm up your tortillas and get our any other toppings you’re using. Spoon filling up, pile it high for tonnes of flavour and enjoy!
Optional extra toppings include:
Guacamole, refried beans, sour cream, grated cheddar or pickled red onions – go wild.
You’ll know your carnitas are ready when they’re fork tender and can be shredded with no effort.
What type of pork cut should I use?
I recommend using pork shoulder only for this dish, it has the right fat content to lend itself perfectly to low and slow cooking. You can generally buy it for a really reasonable price at most supermarkets or butchers, in big enough quantities to feed the family!
Looking for other dinner inspiration?
Why not try our Easy One Pot Chickpea Masala!
Easy Pork Tacos Carnitas
Equipment
- Cast Iron Casserole / Roasting Dish with Lid
Ingredients
Carnitas
- 1.2 kg Pork Shoulder skin/excess fat removed
- 120 ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 tbsp Ground Cumin
- 2 tbsp Ground Oregano
- 1 Onion white/brown
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- Half tsp Chilli Flakes
- Salt / Pepper
Pico de Gallo
- 2 Vine Tomatoes seeds removed, chopped finely
- Half Red Onion chopped finely
- 1 Lime juice of
- Handful Coriander roughly chopped
- Pinch Salt
Serving
- 8 Corn Tortillas
- Gaucamole optional
- Refried Beans optional
- Cheddar optional
- Pickled Red Onions optional
Instructions
Carnitas
- Pre-heat oven to 160 C
- Prepare meat – remove skin or excess visible fat & place in cast iron cooking dish
- Combine cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and chilli flakes in a bowl
- Rub spice mix onto prepared meat in cast iron dish
- Add lime juice, chopped onion and salt/pepper to meat
- Place in pre-heated oven and cook for 4-6 hours, checking occasionally. The fat in the meat will release more juices for cooking, you can add a splash of water during cooking if it looks too dry.
- The carnitas are done when the meat is tender and shreds with no effort
Prepare the Pico de Gallo
- Finely chop tomatoes (remove seeds)
- Finely chop red onion
- Stir onion & tomato together in a dish
- Juice over 1 lime & stir
- Roughly chop a handful of coriander & stir into mix
- Season with salt to taste
Tortillas
- Warm your tortillas in a pan on medium-high heat for 10-20 seconds on each side, store covered until ready to serve
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