Beer-Braised Carnitas

Name: Beer-Braised Carnitas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Cuisine: American, Mexican, Latin American
Ingredients: 3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder; 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; 8–10 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise; 2 large yellow onions, sliced into sixths or eighths; 2 large, juicy navel oranges, zested & juiced (1/2 cup juice); 3 large, juicy limes, zested & juiced (1/4 cup juice); 1 heaping tablespoon ground cumin; 1 heaping tablespoon dried oregano; 2 dried bay leaves; 12 ounces light beer of choice (see Recipe Notes, below); kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

Instructions

Prep:15minCook:4h

This Beer-Braised Carnitas recipe is one I've been making for years; it offers an extra-delicious take on everyone's favorite Mexican-style pulled pork! Pork shoulder is studded with garlic & slowly simmers with onions, warm spices, citrus, & beer. After an hours-long braise in a Dutch oven, the pork carnitas are succulent & fall-apart tender, infused with rich, aromatic flavor. For an extra-special touch, finish the braised carnitas under the broiler for crave-worthy crispy char. Use to make pork carnitas tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, nachos, salads...whatever you're in the mood for! The recipe yields a large batch, so it's great for meal prep (storage & freezing instructions included in the Recipe Notes, below) or feeding a crowd. As written, this is a stovetop Dutch oven recipe, but it's easily adapted for an oven braise, a slow cooker/Crockpot, or an Instant Pot/electric pressure cooker. Refer to the Recipe Notes, below for full cooking directions for these alternate cooking methods.

Updated at: Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT