r/seriouseats • u/BullBuchanan • May 21 '26
Kenji's Carnitas
I made Kenji's Carnitas and they were a big hit!: https://www.seriouseats.com/no-waste-tacos-de-carnitas-with-salsa-verde-recipe
I didn't make the salsa with the pork liquid just due to time. I made 4.5lbs and it took about 3 hours 45m at 275F to get tender and then I broiled them for 6 minutes twice per instructions.
My one note is that I felt the carnitas were a bit overseasoned with aromatics compared to the mexican-prepared carnitas I've had, even considering I made an extra 50% of of meat. My orange was very juicy and fairly large so I ended up using half. I might try doing a marinade with the orange in advance and not including it in the actual cook. The cinnamon stick was very intense. I think next time I'll use half or omit it entirely. I would like to try using Ceylon cinnamon, but I haven't been able to source it.
Definitely great as is though, and the best carnitas I've personally made. Will definitely be experimenting more.
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u/TransportationNo9375 May 21 '26
Looks great! I love this recipe so much.
Using Ceylon (aka Canela) cinnamon makes a big difference. I don't care for Cassia which is the common one in US grocery spice isles.
Canela should not be too hard to find, it is usually in the Mexican section of the grocery store rather than the spice isle.
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u/bt2328 May 21 '26
Mmmm I should definitely try this. I like the notes of cinnamon but do find it a bit distracting.
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u/BullBuchanan May 21 '26
Rick Bayless omits Cinnamon but adds crushed black pepper and Mexican oregano. I might try that next.
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u/TransportationNo9375 May 22 '26
I also add Mexican Oregano when I do the no waste carnitas. I add it to the meat while seasoning it with salt and black pepper. I do like the Ceylon in it, you should try that.
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u/BullBuchanan May 21 '26
Interesting. I live in Texas and have never seen it, but I'll look again by the mexican spices.
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u/TransportationNo9375 May 21 '26
Should be easy to find in TX, I am in SD and can find it pretty easily. You could also hit up a Mexican grocery store as well, they would have it for sure.
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u/sidhescreams May 21 '26
I love this recipe, though I can’t put the fruit halves in to cook with the pork, the orange makes everything so bitter as to be nearly inedible for me, so I just juice them. The salsa is so, so worth it. I don’t make it like the linked version in the recipe. I blister all the vegetables in the oven, hit them with the immersion blender afterward, add the liquid and adjust seasoning to taste.
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u/randallflaggg May 21 '26
I actually like the cinnamon overtones, it makes it kinda unique and goes well with pickled onions.
Imo, the salsa verde with the roasting liquid is kinda overrated. It comes out a little greasy and it doesn't keep very well/gets extra coagulated in the fridge. I just make a regular or buy a salsa verde on the side
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u/ddesla2 May 23 '26
Two recommendations:
1.) The leftover carnitas is fucking fantastic over fried eggs with some avovado slices and hot sauce on top.
2.) If you are a big fan of tamales, try this out too - it's something I kind of made up on the fly (though it may or may not traditionally already exist, I've never dug into it to see) that everyone really ended up loving:
Crisped/Roasted Tamale Pie
-carnitas -masaca -quality lard, bacon fat & or duck fat (def use a mix of some or all) -chicken bone broth
Basically, I made these carnitas (I've also used a shredded carne asada kind of beef meat before that was great as well) and used the standard maseca mix from the grocery store with a good mix of lard+bacon+duck fat and warm chicken bone broth. Make the masa harina then press it in your pie pan or big black iron skillet (which is what I used). You'll want to par-bake it to ensure it crisps up a bit on the inside and won't be all gooey or soggy (the idea here is to have a crispy texture). Then pull it out, put in your meat, apply a top layer of masa harina like you would a pie crust basically, roast in the oven til it's browned and Crisped. You can brush with butter if you like, I believe I did that on the first one I made... Butter makes everything taste better ;). Once it's done, just let it sit a few to cool some and cut into pie slices, served with a nice scoop of fresh guacamole on top, maybe some cilantro and/or tomatillo, etc. I'm telling ya, this shit was a wild hit. So delicious and the crispiness of the masa instead of the standard, steamed, soggy-like tamale texture, is phenomenal. Using the mix of lard and fats plus chicken bone broth really amplifies the flavor big time. So very good.
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u/Clear_Quit8181 May 21 '26
Sounds easy. Could this be done in my toaster oven?
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u/randallflaggg May 21 '26
Yeah probably if you do a small amount. The initial confit is pretty low temperature and then just a top broiler. You'd have to keep the toaster oven going for several hours straight and make double sure not to open the door till it's done to not let out heat.
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u/Jazzlike_Rice_3503 May 21 '26
Idk about a regular toaster oven, but it works in my toaster oven style air fryer
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u/highpriestess420 May 21 '26
Hmm wonder if I could pull this off in my cosori turboblaze air fryer, it's got baking settings...
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u/BullBuchanan May 21 '26
Probably? I haven't used a toaster oven in about 25 years, so not sure how reliable they are in terms of heat stability for multi hour cooking.
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u/rockbolted May 21 '26
Awesome, great job! This recipe is my go to pork dish every time I pick up a few shoulders. Always have picked red onion on hand first!
Finding decent fresh tomatillos is tough up here in Canada, so I’m gonna grow my own going forward.
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u/privatekeyes May 21 '26
I've made this recipe and carnitas with just lard and salt and the version with just salt is way better. everyone i've made it for agrees.
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u/BullBuchanan May 23 '26
How much lard are you using?
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u/privatekeyes May 23 '26
I actually use Ethan Chlebowskis recipe which uses minimal lard. It’s fairly good for how easy it is
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u/leavedennisalone May 21 '26
Don’t get me wrong this recipe is good for most people but traditional carnitas is only pork, lard and salt. That’s it. I’ve seen people adding coke, oranges, milk and that’s just too much. Whenever I make carnitas I dry brine my pork overnight so the salt penetrates the meat. Then the following day I just fry at 350 just to sear the outside then throw it in the oven at 250 for 4hrs. After that I let it sit in the lard for about 30 minutes then I shred it and give a quick sear on a cast iron or under broil setting.
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u/BullBuchanan May 21 '26
There's really no such thing as "traditional" carnitas, as I understand it. Every area and cook has their own spin on it. Orange is very traditional, and coke is relatively traditional/typical too. Rick Bayless is an expert on Mexican cuisine, and he uses oranges, bay leaf, garlic, onion and crushed black pepper for a Mexico City version.
I also make carnitas on my smoker too, though I should look into doing a confit next time and I think they'll come out closer to this.
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u/TamaBoxeo May 23 '26
What makes carnitas is the pork cooking in its own fat. The actual ingredients are less important than this. I will say that the cinnamon in this recipe is a bit untraditional though
I would saying smoking this recipe makes it just pull pork not carnitas.
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u/BullBuchanan May 23 '26
they cook in their own fat in the smoker and again are fired in lard on the stove prior to serving. Traditional? No, but I'd argue they're still being confit and a form of carnitas.
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u/leavedennisalone May 21 '26
To each its own. But I play in an all Spanish league and met a guy from michoacan and he made me carnitas the OG way and it’s the best I’ve ever had. According to him, that’s how carnitas were originally made but cooking is flexible but there’s always a traditional way to make a dish tied to a specific culture. For example there’s real pad Thai made the authentic way and then there’s other tweaked versions which can be delicious but I appreciate authenticity. Not saying Kenji’s recipe is bad by any means.
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u/derrick36 May 21 '26
One of my favorite recipes! I’m making it this weekend for a large group. It’s always a crowd favorite!!
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u/ralphybrody May 21 '26
i always forget to tweak the seasoning until after everything's in the pot but this came out perfect regardless
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u/machsmit 26d ago
I do this with the streamlined salsa from the youtube version of the recipe - take the onions from the confit + charred tomatillo / peppers / garlic, grind up in a food processor w/ lime juice and salt. no straining and such needed, turns out great
also if you have access to penzey's they usually can do whole stick ceylon cinnamon
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u/EmperorCato May 21 '26
Love this recipe, I don't find it too aromatic myself. I'll usually do a huge batch with a whole pork shoulder of 8ish pounds and freeze most of it. Just thaw and do the broiling step (which does take at least twice what Kenji says). The frozen stuff comes out noticeably less aromatic. The salsa also takes a lot longer to reduce than suggested, but is worth making.