Carnitas (Michoacán-Style Pork Tacos)
Thick slabs of pork shoulder braised in their own juices, then roasted hot until the fat renders and the edges turn golden and crisp, pulled into chunks for corn tortillas.
Carnitas means "little meats", and most people credit Quiroga, in Michoacán, as its birthplace. Mexico News Daily (Chris Sands, March 23, 2025) says no year can be pinned on the first carnitas there, that Quiroga calls itself the "World Capital of Carnitas", and that cooks traditionally simmer young, corn-fed pigs in their own fat or lard for three to four hours in hand-hammered copper cazos from Santa Clara del Cobre. The same article says carnitas are sold by the kilo, are traditionally a Sunday meal, and are best in corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, salsa and lime. It treats the popular story of Hernán Cortés eating pork at a 1521 victory banquet as just a story.
Rick Bayless points out that many carnitas cooks add orange, cola or sweetened condensed milk to help the meat brown, but that pork and salt alone make very good carnitas.
Why it works the kitchen science
Braise first, then fry in its own fat
Covered baking makes the pork tender, and once the juices evaporate the rendered fat crisps the outside, a home-oven version of simmering in a cazo of lard.
Thick slabs
2-inch pieces stay juicy inside through 2 1/2 hours of heat while the surfaces brown (Bayless says no thinner).
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 325°F. Salt the pork generously on all sides and set it in a baking dish just big enough to hold it in one layer (about 7 by 11 inches).
- Step 2
Pour the orange juice or water over and around the pork, lifting the slabs so some runs underneath. Tuck in the garlic and bay leaves and sprinkle on the oregano and pepper if using. Cover tightly with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours.
- Step 3
Uncover and test with a fork: the pork should be almost tender. If it is still very firm, cover and bake 20 minutes more.
- Step 4
Raise the oven to 450°F. Roast uncovered about 30 minutes, until the liquid has cooked away and only rendered fat remains.
- Step 5
Turn the pork with a metal spatula and break it into large chunks. Roast about 20 minutes more, turning every 7 to 8 minutes, until golden all over. (The pork is far past the 145°F minimum.)
- Step 6
Pile the carnitas on a warm platter and sprinkle with salt. Serve right away with warm tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa and lime, so everyone pulls the meat into their own tacos.
Carnitas (Michoacán-Style Pork Tacos)
Serves 5 (3 tacos each) · about 1 1/2 lb finished carnitas, enough for about 15 tacos · 2 hr 40 min total
Pork
- 3 lb boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch-thick slabs (no thinner)
- At least 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup orange juice or water
Optional flavorings (Bayless)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 heaping tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
To serve
- 15 corn tortillas, warmed
- Chopped white onion and cilantro
- Salsa verde and lime wedges
- Flaky salt (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Salt the pork generously on all sides and set it in a baking dish just big enough to hold it in one layer (about 7 by 11 inches).
- Pour the orange juice or water over and around the pork, lifting the slabs so some runs underneath. Tuck in the garlic and bay leaves and sprinkle on the oregano and pepper if using. Cover tightly with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours.
- Uncover and test with a fork: the pork should be almost tender. If it is still very firm, cover and bake 20 minutes more.
- Raise the oven to 450°F. Roast uncovered about 30 minutes, until the liquid has cooked away and only rendered fat remains.
- Turn the pork with a metal spatula and break it into large chunks. Roast about 20 minutes more, turning every 7 to 8 minutes, until golden all over. (The pork is far past the 145°F minimum.)
- Pile the carnitas on a warm platter and sprinkle with salt. Serve right away with warm tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa and lime, so everyone pulls the meat into their own tacos.
Adapted from Rick Bayless, "Home-Style Pork Carnitas (Carnitas Caseras)", as written (3 lb pork, about 15 tacos). Bayless serves them with guacamole and salsa; our "to serve" list follows Mexico News Daily's description of the Quiroga table. History from Mexico News Daily (link in Story). rickbayless.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Bayless says you can do steps 1 to 3 up to a couple of days ahead and refrigerate; bring the pork to room temperature and roast at 450°F about an hour before serving.
- Serve them as soon as they come out; browned carnitas don't hold well (Bayless).
- Save the rendered fat in the dish for frying eggs or potatoes.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Quiroga is the birthplace. Documented as the common view (Mexico News Daily: "most credit Quiroga"), with no founding date.
- Carnitas must be cooked in a copper cazo. Folklore: Mexico News Daily says copper is considered essential and jokes that carnitas are "only Michoacano-approved" in copper; Bayless makes them in a baking dish.
- Cortés ate carnitas in 1521. Folklore: Mexico News Daily calls the banquet "just that... a story".
- Orange juice or cola in the pot. Disputed: Bayless says these mostly help browning and that pork and salt alone are very good; Mexico News Daily notes some Quiroga cooks add orange juice or Coca-Cola.
- Only shoulder. Folklore: in Michoacán nearly every part of the pig is used, including skin (cuerito) and stomach (buche), per Mexico News Daily.
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