Slow Roasted Mexican Pulled Pork
My quest for carnitas began in an unexpected place: a freezing cold Christmas market in Hamburg.
My partner was convinced she had found something that tasted very Mexican and kept referring to it as carnitas. Later we discovered that the stall was actually selling spit-roasted suckling pork. It was absolutely delicious. We were cold, hungry, and the combination of crispy pork, warm bread, and winter weather made it unforgettable.
Still, it left me with a question: what do real Mexican carnitas taste like?
A few months later I decided to find out for myself. Armed with a simple oven and a love for Mexican cooking, I made my first batch at home. Since then, this recipe has gone through several iterations. I’ve experimented with different cuts, seasonings, and cooking methods, but over time I found myself returning to the same principle:
keep it simple.
Good carnitas don’t need a long list of ingredients. What we’re after is tender pork that slowly cooks until it falls off the bone, develops incredible flavor, and can be crisped up just before serving. The result is juicy, rich, and perfect for stuffing into warm tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Whether you’re making tacos for a family dinner, feeding a crowd, or simply looking for a new way to cook pork belly, this recipe delivers all the flavor with very little fuss.
Carnitas
Equipment
- 1 Roasting Dish
- Aluminum Foil
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Citrus Juicer
- 1 Oven Tray
- 1 Pair of Tongs
- 2 Forks for Shredding
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
For the Carnitas
- 1.5 kg bone-in pork belly
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 onion quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 orange juiced (keep the squeezed halves)
- 1 dried guajillo chile
- 500 ml water or light stock
To Serve
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Pickled red onions
- Crumbled cheese queso fresco or Hirtenkäse
- Lime wedges
- Fresh coriander
- Salsa of your choice
Instructions
Step 1 – Prepare the Pork
- Score the fat cap of the pork belly and rub the meat with the salt and cumin.
- Place the pork in a roasting dish and add the onion, garlic, guajillo chile, orange juice, squeezed orange halves, and water or stock.
- The liquid should come about 1–2 cm up the sides of the meat.
Step 2 – Slow Roast
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast at 165°C for approximately 3 to 3½ hours.
- After about 90 minutes, carefully turn the pork so the fat cap spends some time in the liquid. After another hour, turn it back fat-side up.
- The pork is ready when the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
Step 3 – Shred and Crisp
- Remove the pork from the roasting dish and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- Shred the meat into large chunks.
- Heat a frying pan and add some of the rendered fat from the roasting dish. Fry the shredded pork until the edges become golden and crispy while the inside remains juicy.
Step 4 – Serve
- Warm your tortillas and fill them with the crispy carnitas.
- Top with pickled red onions, crumbled cheese, fresh coriander, salsa, and a squeeze of lime.
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