Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Salsa Verde Carnitas

[heart_this] · · 17 Comments

Salsa Verde Carnitas

I really enjoy the flavours of Mexican and Texmex cuisine and I am always on the look out for new dishes. I recently came across the concept of carnitas. Carnitas are made by braising the meat, typically pork, in a seasoned liquid until it is tender enough to shred. After the meat is shredded it baked at high heat to turn the edges of the meat crispy while the inside stays nice and tender. After the meat has been prepared it can be used in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc. The recipe that I came across was for salsa verde carnitas . There was no way that I could resist trying pulled pork braised in salsa verde and then baked until slightly crisp and yet still tender. I used some home made salsa verde that I had made with some tomatillos that I had in the freezer. The carnitas turned out pretty good. The meat was really flavourful and I enjoyed the combination of crisp and tender textures. I used the carnitas meat in a simple taco with lettuce, cilantro, shredded cheese and sour cream. I really look forward to using carnitas meat in other dishes in the future.

Salsa Verde Carnitas

Salsa Verde Carnitas

Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:3 hours 15 minutes Total Time:3 hours 25 minutes Servings: 6
ingredients
  • 1-3 pounds pork shoulder
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 2 cups salsa verde
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
  • tortillas
directions
  1. Trim the excess fat from the pork.
  2. Place the pork, onion, salsa verde, chicken stock, cumin and oregano in a pot.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pork is nice and tender, about 3-6 hours.
  4. Take the pork out of the liquid and shred the meat with a pair of forks.
  5. Bake the shredded pork in a preheated 400F/200C oven until just browned and slightly crispy.
  6. Skim the fat from the liquid.
  7. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer to reduce for about 10 minutes.
  8. Mix the pork back into the liquid.
  9. Use the pork mixture in your favorite tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc.
Note: Can be used as a filling in burritos.
Similar Recipes:
Carnitas
Tacos al Pastor
Chili Verde
Salsa Verde Lasagna
Salsa Verde Pulled Chicken Sandwich
Cochinita Pibil (Puerco Pibil)
Cochinita Pibil Tacos
Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)
eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 12 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Vicki says

    February 14, 2008 at 3:03 am

    1) I can’t believe I’ve never made carnitas before, given that my husband grew up in a Mexican household.

    2) I’ve never seen carnitas made this way, I’ve always seen it roasted, not boiled. This looks like a great way to reduce the fat (and the photo looks delicious!).

    Reply

  10. Nora B. says

    February 14, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    I tried “pulled beef” for the first time last week. I am assuming it’s the same thing as carnitas. Thanks for the recipe, I would like to try this, but with chicken or beef.

    Reply

  16. erisgrrrl says

    April 7, 2009 at 10:46 am

    I made this for dinner last night with the cilantro-lime rice and it was super tasty! I had to use jarred salsa verde but I’m still pretty happy with the results! Once we get a new food processor (I killed our old one) I’ll try with fresh-made!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Left Menu Icon