Carnitas can be a little dry or flavourless. This carnitas recipe, however, has a great, distinctive flavour and is requested by friends and family over and over. Serve with warm tortillas and salsa.
Hi all, Keep in mind, the objective of the final step is to get slightly crispy outside with a moist, tender inside. The recipe says a "clove" of garlic ... I meant a bulb, but of course, garlic to taste, and for that matter, salt. Remember to adjust your salt and spices to the size of the roast, but broth doesn't need the same levels of increases. If you're not a salty person, salt the roast as you normally would. If you feel like you're over-salting, then you probably are. Also, make sure you're using Kosher style salt. If reg. salt, use less. The level of fat on your roast also plays a role - more fat, less salt. Written a long time ago -- I don't use cans of broth, just the sealed boxes -- about 1 will do. I have also used pork loin, and it tends to dry out-- try to buy one with more fat than you normally would. Shoulder/butt is much better. I often put the dutch oven in the oven at about 300-325 degrees, depending on how fast you need it to cook. I have a summer version where I marinate the pork pieces in lime, garlic, olive oil, adobo chili sauce, cilantro, and onion. I then grill outdoors to get the browned edges, and then set up a disposable aluminum pan covered with foil to do the braising in broth. I keep it on the grill on very low heat until tender. Then move the pieces indoors to finish with the same steps as the winter version. Some great ideas here - crock pot/ coke/beer. It's not an exact science. It's just a cooking technique. - 12 Sep 2012 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
i havent tried the recipe but if anyone out there wants to make a variation to this recipe, i recently saw a Mexican friend making carnitas (a whole pig) and what he put in for seasoning was coca cola, limes and lemons, laurel leaves, and cooking wine. dont forget the salt and use its own drippings to keep it from being dried out, remember, carnitas werent meant to be diet food. - 09 Oct 2011 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
I'm very happy with how our carnitas turned out! I used a tenderloin and substituted a dark beer for the chicken broth. Very tender and flavorful! - 20 Mar 2012 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)