I had a 3 lb. pork butt roast in the freezer and thought it would be put to good use as Carnitas. Carnitas, or “Little Meat,” is a kind of roasted pork used in Mexican food as a filling for burritos, tacos, and tamales. A great dish is all about the contrasting flavors and textures and I was very happy with how this recipe turned out. The pork was tender, yet crispy since it roasted in the oven. The sour salsa and the savory pork was a great contrast of flavors too. I filled the tacos with a little monterey jack cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Luckily, I have a lot of leftovers so I look forward to having this again!
Salsa Verde Carnitas
(Makes 8+ tacos)
Printable Version
Ingredients:
- 3 lb pork butt/shoulder
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- Pico de Gallo (optional)
- Guacamole (optional)
- Monterey jack or queso fresco
- cilantro (for garnish)
- corn tortillas/tacos
Directions:
- Trim the excess fat from the pork.
- Place the pork in a pot and rub in the cumin, ancho chile powder, and oregano.
- Add the chicken stock and 1 cup (half) of the salsa verde. Bring to a boil. Save the rest of the salsa verde for dressing the tacos.
- Reduce the heat and simmer until the pork reaches 160 degrees, about 3 hours.
- Take the pork out of the liquid and let cool. Shred the meat with a fork.
- Bake the shredded pork in a preheated 400F oven until lightly brown and crispy.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer to reduce for about 10 minutes.
- Mix the pork with some of the liquid and assemble the tacos/burritos.