What is the secret to good carnitas?

I've made carnitas many times using a completely different method and it turned out pretty good. But it is important to note that the traditional way to make carnitas is by slow cooking it in lard . I think it also gives it a more authentic taste. Seasoning- Salt, Mexican oregano, cumin, & black pepper.

How do you keep carnitas moist?

Just go for water, then. Water and a touch of neutral flavoured vegetable oil or lard or suet if you have any of those . And don't overdo the water, just sprinkle a few spoonsful and keep the meat covered. Another alternative is to add a bit extra water and then cook off the water when you're ready to serve.

What salsa goes on carnitas?

Avocado tomatillo salsa is a nice addition to loaded carnitas tacos but it's great on burgers and sandwiches too. Boil 2 or 3 tomatillos with a bit of jalapeño and a clove of garlic. Drain, toss it in a food processor with an avocado and a big handful of cilantro. Blitz it all together.

Why do you put orange juice in carnitas?

The orange juice in the cooking liquid provides acidity that helps break down the meat so it's extra tender and juicy .

What is the best oil for carnitas?

Vegetable oil: Traditional carnitas recipes use lard as their cooking fat, but we'll use vegetable or canola oil today. Pork shoulder roast: The best cut of meat for carnitas is pork shoulder AKA pork butt AKA Boston butt because it is well-marbled with fat and cooks up incredibly tender with a long braise.

How do you add flavor to cooked carnitas?

Add Onion, Garlic and Citrus: Place the seasoned pork in the bottom of the slow cooker then add garlic, chopped onions, orange juice, and lime juice around it .

Why do you add milk to carnitas?

Adding the oranges is very much like braising pork Cuban-style for the traditional cubano sandwich. The milk acts as a tenderizer , a secret I learned while growing up watching dad make his carnitas which, by the way, were always exceptionally tender.

How to make leftover pork juicy?

Slicing and Heating: One of the easiest ways is to slice the pork thinly and then reheat it slowly on a low setting, ideally in some kind of sauce or broth . This introduces some extra moisture and can help to tenderize the meat.

How do Mexicans eat carnitas?

As Nancy said, carnitas can be a dish by itself, or as an ingredient in tamales, tacos (made with two tortillas so they don't tear apart) or tortas . Depending on where you eat them, they can be served with chopped cilantro, diced onion, salsa, guacamole, tortillas, refried beans, lime and/or radishes.

How long is leftover carnitas good for?

Carnitas are a popular Mexican dish made with seasoned and slow-cooked pork, typically served in tacos, burritos, or on its own. If cooked and stored properly, carnitas can last for up to 4-5 days in the fridge.

How do you keep pork carnitas from drying out?

Oven temps for perfect carnitas For our carnitas, we want the temperature of the confit cooking fat to be about 200°F (93°C) or a little higher . At this temperature, we won't be drying out the surface of the meat cubes while we heat their centers.

How do restaurants cook carnitas?

They are braised until they are fall apart tender. Then they get roasted in the oven to make the outside crisp . So part of them should be soft, and part of the outside should be crusty. Some recipes don't crisp up the meat at the end but authentic carnitas should be crispped.

Should you sear carnitas before cooking?

Step One: The trick to getting the most flavorful carnitas, is to sear the pork before allowing it to braise for hours . First, season the pork with a liberal sprinkle of salt and then sear the pork pieces on both sides until golden brown in avocado oil. Browning the meat helps to develop a rich deep flavor.

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas" Recipe (2024)

Turkey Mains
Tacos
Thanksgiving Turkeys

Transform your leftover Thanksgiving turkey into wonderfully crispy and juicy taco filling

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Why It Works

Boiling the already-cooked turkey meat first makes it extra tender.
Pan-frying shredded, cooked meat adds crisp texture and complex flavors.

I’m writing this after four solid days of roasting and smoking turkeys by sunlight and painting the walls in my house by moonlight. The last thing I want to do right now is write a long article. It's also going to be published the morning of Thanksgiving, which means that the last thing you'll want to do is dig into a long article. I think we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement here, so I'll keep it snappy, and you'll have the chance to dig into a tasty taco that much faster tomorrow.

Here's what you need to know: You can transform your leftover turkey meat into wonderfully crispy and juicy shreds that are a dead ringer for carnitas, minus all the lard and time involved. This is a technique I discovered by accident a few years back, when I decided to see what would happen if I fried up the shredded meat I'd picked off the turkey carcass that I'd just used to make stock.

Extreme deliciousness is what happened.

The technique works best with leftover dark meat from the thighs, drumsticks, wings, and scraps picked from the carcass, which I simmer until it's falling-apart tender. I pretty much always use my turkey carcasses to make soup or stock, which means that I always have plenty of that boiled meat available. If you don't typically make soup or stock yourself, you can simply simmer your leftover dark meat in nearly enough water to cover, along with a few traditional carnitas flavors: sour orange, onion, and bay leaf.

After that is the easy part. Take that tender double-cooked turkey, shred it up as finely as you'd like, then fry it. You want a good amount of oil in the pan—at least a couple of tablespoons—in order to give the turkey some extra succulence. If you have access to some duck, turkey, or chicken fat, all the better.

Make sure to season the turkey with salt while it's in the pan. Not only will the salt cling to it better, but when you inevitably start stealing pieces of crispy turkey out of the skillet, those stolen bites will at least be seasoned properly.

The real keys here are to use a nonstick or cast iron skillet (you want all the brown, sticky bits to cling to the turkey, not the pan) and to cook the turkey longer than you think is necessary. As bits start to crisp up, fold them over and gently stir them back into the rest of the meat. Continue doing this until the turkey is as crisp as you'd like (I like mine quite crisp).

And that's about it. A super simple technique that creates delicious carnitas for any dish that calls for them, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos.

Of course, I won't blame you if it all disappears from the pan before it ever even gets to the table. Pro tip: Blame it on the dog.

Recipe Details

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas"

Prep5 mins

Cook75 mins

Active20 mins

Total80 mins

Ingredients

Any amount leftover cooked dark-meat turkey (thighs and drumsticks) (see note)
1 orange, preferably sour, per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat, quartered (see note)
1 medium onion (about 6 ounces; 175 grams) per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat, quartered
2 bay leaves per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, chicken fat, turkey fat, or duck fat per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat
Kosher salt

Directions

Combine turkey meat (with bones if available), orange, onion, and bay leaf in a pot that fits them snugly. Add enough water to cover halfway. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook until turkey is fall-off-the-bone tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Discard orange, onion, and bay leaves and drain turkey well. Shred turkey and discard bones.
Heat oil or fat in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add turkey and spread into an even layer. Cook, without moving, until meat is well browned and crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Stir turkey to incorporate the crisp bits and introduce new soft bits to the bottom. Continue this process until the turkey is as crisp as you like it (I like mine quite crisp). Season with salt.

Notes

You can make this recipe from scratch by roasting turkey legs in a 400°F (200°C) oven until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) (45 minutes to 1 hour), then proceeding as directed. Meat picked from the scraps of turkey used to make stock can also be crisped in a skillet and deliver delicious results. After making turkey stock or soup, remove some dark meat, shred it, and proceed as directed in step 2. Sour oranges can be purchased in a Latin market or well-stocked supermarket.

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas" Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas"

Ingredients

Directions

Notes

FAQs

What is the secret to good carnitas? ›

How do you keep pork carnitas from drying out? ›