🐖 Carnitas (Michoacán-style)

Name: Carnitas (Michoacán-style)
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexico · Michoacán
Ingredients: 1.5 kg pork shoulder, cut into large chunks; 200 g lard; 1 orange, juiced, plus the squeezed halves; 120 ml milk; 6 garlic cloves; 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 bay leaves, salt

Origin: Mexico · Michoacán

490kcal

per serving · 200 g

245kcal

per 100 g

44 gProtein22 g / 100 g

34 gFat17 g / 100 g

2 gCarbs1 g / 100 g

Michoacán-style carnitas are chunks of pork slowly cooked in their own lard with orange, garlic, cumin and a splash of milk, which helps the meat brown. The pork becomes tender and juicy inside with crisp, caramelised edges. It is chopped and served with warm tortillas, onion, cilantro, lime and salsa, or eaten by weight from the market stall.

Diets

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly1 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein22 g protein per 100 g — 36% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: pork, lard

Not veganbecause of: pork, lard, milk

Contains porkbecause of: pork, lard

Contains dairybecause of: milk

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Milk

What it is made of

porklardorangemilkgarliccumin

Recipe

6 servings180 min

Ingredients

1.5 kg pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
200 g lard
1 orange, juiced, plus the squeezed halves
120 ml milk
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
2 bay leaves, salt

Method

Melt the lard in a heavy pot and add the pork, salt, garlic, cumin and bay leaves.
Add the orange juice and squeezed halves and enough water to come halfway up the meat.
Simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, turning occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the pork is tender.
Pour in the milk and keep cooking, turning the meat, until it fries in the fat and turns golden and crisp at the edges.
Lift out the pork, drain, chop roughly and serve.

How to make it lighter

Drain the carnitas well and leave the fat in the pot rather than on the plate.
Use a leaner cut, or trim the pork, and braise with less lard.
Serve a measured portion of meat with plenty of onion, cilantro, salsa and lime.

History

Carnitas are strongly associated with the state of Michoacán, and the town of Quiroga in particular is famous for them. Large copper cauldrons of carnitas are a familiar sight at markets across central Mexico.

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Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →