This Carnitas Recipe is a Taco Truck Killer!

Taco From My Pork Carnitas Recipe

Here in Southern California, food trucks are really popular. But when I see one I always wonder, "What happens when the people on the truck have to use the John? Do they shoo away their patrons and burn rubber to the nearest gas station? Or do they simply avoid fluids until the day is done? And the food being served -- is it safe? If I eat something from a food truck and die, will I be able to find and sue the proprietors?" hehehe...

Okay, I admit it: Aside from being silly, I am sometimes way too paranoid.

I also admit that some of the best pork carnitas I've ever eaten were from a taco truck. However, with the pork carnitas recipe featured here, you can make carnitas as good as any restaurant or taco truck around. In fact, they'll be better because they'll be homemade. Nothing beats homemade.

Now before we get to the actual recipe, let me say this: This web site is about BBQ recipes prepared mainly on the grill. So with the ingredients provided below, you certainly can marinate and cook, low and slow, a small pork shoulder butt (Boston Butt) on your grill or in your smoker. Afterward you can chop the meat in to small chunks, fry 'em up a bit and have delicious carnitas.

However, I realize not everyone has a BBQ grill or smoker. And even if they do, sometimes the weather can preclude any outdoor cooking for weeks, even months at a time.

So with the recipe featured here, you won't need a barbecue grill or smoker. You can make them on your stove top or in your oven.

Pork Carnitas Recipe

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 2 hours 45 min

Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder butt (aka Boston Butt)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• juice from 3 small limes
• 4 garlic cloves minced or smashed
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Carnitas Recipe Ingredients

Directions:

1. Take the pork shoulder butt and cut it into 2 inch chunks. In a large Dutch oven or cast iron pot add the pork chunks, salt, cumin and chili powder, and brown the meat for a few minutes over medium high heat.
2. Next, add the orange/lime juice, the garlic, and just enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, uncovered.
3. Once the meat has begun to boil, reduce the heat and let the pork simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. At the end of the 2 hours, turn the heat up to medium high to reduce the liquid down to rendered pork fat. This should take approximately 30-45 minutes.

Notice how the liquid is beginning to reduce.

At this point, the carnitas are very tender, but we want some of the meat to caramelize a bit. So let the pork fry long enough to get brown and crispy at the edges. This will add a nice flavor and texture contrast. Stir gently as needed to prevent burning and you're done! Serve with warm corn tortillas, cilantro, fresh salsa, and a wedge of lime.

Another Taco from my Pork Carnitas Recipe

Same Ingredients - Different Cooking Method

(This is just a sidebar).

When I first tried this recipe, I let the pork shoulder butt marinate in the ingredients overnight and then I used my Ronco Rotisserie to cook it.

Pork Shoulder Butt in Rotisserie for My Carnitas Recipe

After two hours in the rotisserie, the internal temperature of the meat got up to 183F. However, I had no way of telling what the cooking temperature was in the rotisserie and I was afraid the meat was beginning to lose moisture. So I didn't let it reach the desired 190F.

The end result was that it tasted great (with nice crispy bits) and sliced easily, but it wasn't pull-apart tender, which is what I wanted. If anyone has had success with this method, let me know!

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