Oven-Braised Carnitas with Orange, Lime, and Bacon Fat Recipe
This authentic Carnitas recipe features tender, slow-braised pork butt cooked with citrus, garlic, and a blend of spices, then caramelized under the broiler for perfect crispy edges. Perfect for tacos or serving as a flavorful main dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 to 5.5 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes to 5 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Fats
- 2½ – 3 pound pork butt, cut into large pieces at least 2×2 inches in size
- 1 pound lard (or suet if lard is unavailable)
- ¼ cup bacon fat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Produce
- ½ orange, skin on, quartered
- 1 lime, skin on, quartered
- 4 medium garlic cloves, skinned and left whole, slightly smashed
- 1 jalapeno, stemmed and sliced into ½ inch rings, seeds left in
- 1 medium yellow onion, skinned and quartered
Spices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for slow cooking the pork.
- Combine Ingredients in Casserole: In a 9x11x2 inch oven-safe casserole dish, add the pork pieces, lard, orange quarters, lime quarters, whole garlic cloves, jalapeno slices, onion quarters, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and bacon fat. Cover tightly with parchment paper and foil to seal moisture and flavors.
- Bake Initial 30 Minutes: Place the covered casserole in the oven and bake for 30 minutes to begin rendering the fat and melding flavors.
- Bake Low and Slow: Remove the casserole from the oven, push the pork pieces into the melted fat, then re-cover and bake for 3½ hours. After this, check the tenderness—if the meat is not yet tender, bake for up to an additional hour.
- Separate Meat and Fat: Take the dish out of the oven and use tongs to remove the pork pieces. Discard the solids like garlic and citrus, but reserve the cooking liquid. Skim off the rendered fat from the liquid using a fat separator or by skimming.
- Brown Under Broiler: Place the cooked pork on a foil-lined baking sheet brushed with olive oil. Brush the tops of the pork pieces with some of the reserved fat. Broil for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and broil for another 1–2 minutes. Watch carefully to get a caramelized crust without burning or drying the meat.
- Serve: Serve the carnitas in small chunks or shred and toss with some of the reserved cooking liquid to keep moist. Use as filling for tacos in toasted flour or corn tortillas warmed with a little oil. Save leftover liquid to reheat and moisten leftovers.
Notes
- If lard is unavailable, suet can be used as a substitute for the traditional fat used in cooking.
- Watch the meat closely under the broiler to avoid burning; the goal is a crispy caramelized exterior.
- Use the reserved cooking liquid to keep shredded carnitas moist, especially when reheating leftovers.
- For authentic flavor, use pork butt with some fat marbling.
Keywords: Carnitas, Mexican pork, slow roasted pork, crispy pork, pork tacos, authentic Mexican carnitas
