Carnitas (from the Spanish for "little meats") is a type of braised or roasted (often after first being boiled) pork in Mexican cuisine. Sometimes it is actually prepared by frying. It can also be made from beef using a chuck roast, although using pork seems to be the more common method. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 522 pixel Image in higher resolution (912 × 595 pixel, file size: 20 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Carnitas I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 522 pixel Image in higher resolution (912 × 595 pixel, file size: 20 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Carnitas I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Braising, not to be confused with Brazing, is cooking with moist heat, typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. ... Two halves of pork being delivered Pork is the culinary name for meat from pigs. ... This topic should not be confused with Tex-Mex which is commonly refered to as Mexican food in the U.S.. Mexican food is a style of food that originated in Mexico. ... For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ...

Pork carnitas is traditionally made using the heavily marbled, rich 'boston butt' or 'picnic ham' areas of the hog. Contrary to their misleading names, these are neither butt nor ham areas, but rather the upper and lower sections of the front shoulder of the hog. The 6 to 16-lb sections are usually cut down to a workable (6 to 10-lb) size and seasoned heavily before slow braising or slow roasting, generally in the range of 160 to 180 °F for 8 to 12 hours. At this stage the collagen in the meat has broken down sufficiently to allow it to be pulled apart by hand or fork or chopped with a cleaver.

They are often sold by the pound in many Mexican restaurants.

Having been dismantled, some of the rendered liquid is added back to the pork. Prior to serving, the pork is placed in fairly shallow pans to maximize surface area, then roasted at high (375 to 425 °F) heat for a few minutes to produce the famous alternating texture of succulent softness and caramelized crispness.

The carnitas of Sahuayo, Michoacán are internationally well-known; they’re very flavorful and are served accompanied with sliced coriander (cilantro) and onion, salsa, guacamole, tortillas (just hand made), refried beans (frijoles refritos), lemon and radishes; the different parts as the carnitas are ordered (more requested) to the chef are aldilla, nana, crop (buche), rib (costilla), cuerito (little skin leather), maciza (solid part), kidney, etc. and are served hot. Nickname: Athens of Michoacán Motto: Nation, Justice, Progress (Patria, Justicia, Progreso) Country Mexico State Michoacán Boroughs La Yerbabuena Rincón de San Andrés La Puntita Cerrito Colorado Foundation 1530 Government type Municipality Area    - City 128. ... Michoacán de Ocampo (From michamacuan, Nahuatl for the place of the fishermen) is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. ... Binomial name Coriandrum sativum L. Percentages are relative to US RDI values for adults. ... Binomial name Coriandrum sativum Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an annual herb commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, Latin American and Southeast Asian cooking. ... Look up salsa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Guacamole // Guacamole is an avocado-based relish or dip from the time of the Aztecs. ... Two cooked flour tortillas. ... Refried beans (frijoles refritos) is a dish of cooked and mashed beans and a traditional staple of Mexican cuisine, Central American cuisine, and the cuisine of the Southwestern United States. ... // Frijoles Refritos (refried beans) Frijoles Refritos constitute a staple of traditional Mexican cooking and is found throughout Mexico, Central America, and US Southwest cuisines such as California and Tex-Mex. ... Nana may refer to: Look up Nana in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up crop in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This is a list of notable people with the surname Bucher. ... The human rib cage. ... It has been suggested that Renal anomalies and Renal plasma threshold be merged into this article or section. ...

It can be a dish by itself, or as an ingredient in tamales, tacos, tortas, and burritos. It has been suggested that nacatamal be merged into this article or section. ... barbacoa tacos. ... Typical Mexican Torta A torta is a Mexican sandwich, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo or telera. ... A large burrito. ...

Traditional carnitas. Given todays climate for more low-fat, healthier foods, alternative methods like braising and roasting have become popular. These non-traditional methods tend to produce a less savory result. The traditional way to cook carnitas is in a copper pot which disperses the heat evenly (you may use any thick bottomed pot to get the same result). You begin by using enough lard to cover all the meat you will cook. Once the lard has melted, add pork and flavorings (usually salt, oregano, marjoram, thyme, bay leaf, crushed garlic cloves), then add milk. The trick to traditional carnitas is to boil the meat until tender over a very low heat. Once the meat is tender, the heat is turned up, the milk will evaporate, and the outside of the pork will begin to get crisp. Once this is done, the carnitas can be cooled and shredded. Another method of cooking carnitas is by using a citrus juice of some sort in place of milk; usually lime. This is a method observed by many Mexican Chicanos. Braising is cooking with moist heat, typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. ... Roasting is cooking with dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. ... A slice of bread spread with lard was a typical staple in traditional rural cuisine of many countries. ... Binomial name Origanum vulgare L. Oregano or Pot Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) is a species of Origanum, native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and southern and central Asia. ... Binomial name Origanum majorana L. Marjoram (Origanum majorana, Lamiaceae) is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavors. ... Species About 350 species, including: Thymus adamovicii Thymus bracteosus Thymus broussonetii Thymus caespititius Thymus camphoratus Thymus capitatus Thymus capitellatus Thymus carnosus Thymus cephalotus Thymus cherlerioides Thymus ciliatus Thymus cilicicus Thymus cimicinus Thymus comosus Thymus comptus Thymus doerfleri Thymus glabrescens Thymus herba-barona Thymus hirsutus Thymus hyemalis Thymus integer Thymus lanuginosus... bay leaves Bay leaf (plural bay leaves) are the aromatic leaves of several species of the Laurel family (Lauraceae). ... Binomial name Allium sativum L. Garlic (Allium sativum) is a perennial plant in the family Alliaceae and genus Allium, closely related to the onion, shallot, and leek. ... Boil can also refer to a change in phase from liquid to gas; see boiling and boiling point. ... Species & major hybrids Species Citrus aurantifolia - Key lime Citrus maxima - Pomelo Citrus medica - Citron Citrus reticulata - Mandarin & Tangerine Major hybrids Citrus ×sinensis - Sweet Orange Citrus ×aurantium - Bitter Orange Citrus ×paradisi - Grapefruit Citrus ×limon - Lemon Citrus ×limonia - Rangpur lime Citrus ×latifolia - Persian lime See also main text for other hybrids Citrus... Orange juice Juice is a liquid naturally contained in vegetable or fruit tissue. ... Lime has several meanings: Look up Lime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Lime (mineral) - a group of calcium compounds and minerals in which they predominate, including: Limestone Agricultural lime - a mineral soil additive Calcium oxide (also quicklime) - a chemical compound Calcium hydroxide (also slaked lime) - a chemical compound Lime (fruit... A Chicano is a person of Mexican descent born in the United States. ...

This method is similar to the French method of preparing Confit. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• Cochinita pibil