Tacos de Carnitas are one of Mexico’s most popular tacos. These things are rich, crispy and dangerously addictive; and after my recent trip to NYC with lots of tacos involved, I figured it was time to experiment.
Traditionally, carnitas are made by slowly confiting pork in its own fat or lard until it becomes buttery soft and pull-apart tender. The flavour profile from this method is unbeatable, and we will take this a step further by crisping things up after the slow cook.
As always, things are customisable here and I’ll show you how to adapt this recipe if you don’t want to use pork. Any questions, just message me in the chat!
Let’s run it.
What to know before you begin
Pork butt: Fatty cuts like this break down beautifully over a slow cook whilst remaining juicy. More on proteins later.
Confit: Slow cooking the meat in pure lard is what gives carnitas their deep, rich flavour.
Reserve the pork fat: It’s liquid gold and can be used for so much more than this recipe.
Toppings: The options are endless, but I’d always go for salsa verde, white onion, and something crunchy like radish or jalapeno.
Serve at the table: this is a great one to let everyone build their own tacos.
Makes around 12 tacos – depending on how much you fill them!
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