Savory Pork Carnitas: A Healthier Twist on a Classic
Serve savory carnitas with skinny refried beans and grilled vegetables or use to makes delicious tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and sandwiches. But the possibilities are endless as the shredded meat makes tasty omelettes, nachos or use it as a pizza topping. Once prepared, the shredded meat will keep nicely refrigerated for a week. And it freezes nicely, too!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes+ 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3-4 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: Approximately 4 1/2 lbs. (21 servings of 3 ounces each) 1x
- Category: Entree/ Meats
- Method: Oven Roasted
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (7 lb.) Pork Butt, bone in or boneless and untrimmed
- 5 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 3 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 – 2 cups Broth or Water
*Alternative seasoning: Long’s Peak Pork Seasoning. This season mixture will replace the salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- In a small bowl or jar, combine together the salt, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Season the pork well with the seasonings. I like to make deep slits with a sharp pointed knife, making small pockets into the pork at the fat seams. I then push the seasoning into these pockets, in order to season the denser, meatier areas of the roast.
- Place on a sheet pan and add ½-1 cup of broth. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour at 450 degrees.
- Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and continue to cook for 3-4 hours. The internal temperature of the meat should register between 165-170 degrees. (Until meat tears apart easily.)
- Remove from the oven and let cool just enough to be able to handle.
- Shred the meat before chilling, even if not using right away. It is more difficult to shred when it is cold.
- Shred the meat by running two forks over it in opposite directions. I also like to pick through and discard any large pieces of fat.
- Serve and use meat as desired for making dishes like tacos, burritos, or enchiladas. OR store refrigerated until ready for use.
- Unused pork stores nicely in the freezer. Divide into one pound packages and freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
A 7 lb. roast will render approximately 4 1/2 pounds of shredded meat.
Weight Watchers
A 3-ounce serving of Roasted Carnitas is 5 WW Smart Points or 187 calories.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 ounces
