Summaries > Cooking > Carnitas > The EASY CARNITAS Recipe Guide: Slow Cooker Mexican Style Carnitas for Tacos w/ S...

The Easy Carnitas Recipe Guide: Slow Cooker Mexican Style Carnitas For Tacos W/ Salsa Tatemada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP8yy3HW8zw

TLDR Slow-cooker carnitas are made tender with pork, lard, and a simple brine, then browned in the oven or on a griddle for toasted flavor. Serve them in corn tortillas with charred tomatillo salsa, onion, cilantro, and lime.

Key Insights

Cut the pork into large pieces and layer it for even cooking

Use a bone-in pork butt cut into large chunks for slow-cooker carnitas. Preheat the Crock-Pot, then place the larger pieces at the bottom so the meat cooks more evenly. Add lard to help the pork become rich and tender. Keep the lid covered during cooking and turn the pieces occasionally.

Make charred tomatillo salsa while the pork cooks

Char serranos, jalapeños, onion, garlic, tomatillos, and Roma tomatoes on a hot comal until they develop roasted color. Blend the vegetables with cilantro and salt for a smooth salsa taquera, also known as salsa tatemada. Preparing the salsa while the pork cooks makes good use of the cooking time. Finely chopped red onion and cilantro, plus lime wedges, make simple taco garnishes.

Cook the pork until tender, then season it near the end

Slow-cook the pork patiently until it is fork-tender; in this recipe, it reached about 206°F after roughly three hours. Add salt water, orange, and a small amount of Coca-Cola, then cook briefly longer. The added liquid and seasonings contribute flavor while the pork finishes cooking. Cooking time can vary, so use tenderness as a practical guide.

Brown the carnitas for color and roasted flavor

Slow-cooked pork can taste delicious while still looking pale, so finish it with high heat. Spread the carnitas on a tray and roast at about 425°F for around 15 minutes, or sear them on a griddle with lard. For faster browning without much additional cooking, broil briefly and watch closely. Choose the oven for a hands-off finish or the griddle for direct, crisping contact.

Build tacos with warm tortillas and fresh toppings

Serve the finished carnitas in small corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, and fresh salsa. Add lime to brighten the rich, tender pork. A mix of juicy meat, toasted edges, and fresh garnishes gives each taco a balance of textures and flavors. Cut limes into wedges that are easy to squeeze over individual tacos.

Questions & Answers

How is the pork prepared and cooked for the slow-cooker carnitas?

Cut a bone-in pork butt into large chunks and cook it in lard in a preheated Crock-Pot, placing larger pieces on the bottom. Covering the lid with a towel, turning the pork during cooking, and allowing it to cook patiently help it cook evenly.

How do you make the salsa taquera (salsa tatemada)?

Char serranos, jalapeños, onion, garlic, tomatillos, and Roma tomatoes on a comal. Blend them with cilantro and salt until smooth and balanced; the salsa takes about 30 minutes.

What is added to the pork after it becomes tender?

Once the pork is tender at about 206°F, add salt water, orange, and a little Coca-Cola, then cook it briefly longer.

How can you give slow-cooked carnitas more color and roasted flavor?

Brown them in the oven at 425°F or sear them on a griddle with lard. After about 15 minutes in the oven, they develop more color; briefly broiling can add color faster without cooking them further.

How are the carnitas tacos assembled and served?

Serve the pork in small corn tortillas with chopped red onion, cilantro, and fresh salsa. The cook also demonstrates cutting lime into sections called “cachetes.”

Summary of Timestamps

The video introduces an easy slow-cooker carnitas recipe made with bone-in pork butt and lard. The cook cuts the pork into large chunks, preheats the Crock-Pot, and places the larger pieces on the bottom to help them cook evenly.

For tender, evenly cooked pork, the cook recommends covering the Crock-Pot lid with a towel to retain heat and turning the meat as it cooks. The key advice is to be patient and give the pork enough time to become tender.

While the pork cooks, the cook prepares salsa taquera, also known as salsa tatemada. Serranos, jalapeños, onion, garlic, tomatillos, and Roma tomatoes are charred on a comal, then blended with cilantro and salt for a smoky, fresh topping.

The tomatillo salsa comes together in about 30 minutes and is described as smooth and balanced. The cook also prepares finely chopped red onion and cilantro, and demonstrates cutting limes into small wedges called “cachetes” for serving.

After about three hours in the Crock-Pot, the pork is tender and has reached approximately 206°F. The cook adds salt water, orange, and a little Coca-Cola, then lets the carnitas cook briefly longer to build flavor.

Because slow-cooked carnitas can look pale, the cook shares two ways to add color and roasted flavor: brown the pork in a 425°F oven or sear it on a griddle with lard. Both methods give the meat a more appealing finish before serving.

The cook assembles a taco in a small corn tortilla with tender pork cheek, onion, cilantro, and fresh salsa. The pork is praised for being juicy and toasted, with flavor from the lard, salt, and brine.

After roughly 15 minutes in the oven at about 425°F, the carnitas develop more color. For a quicker finish, the cook suggests briefly broiling them, which adds browning without cooking the pork much further.

The video closes by calling the recipe easy and thanking viewers. The cook also promotes Arnie Tex’s cookbook, which features Mexican-American and Texas barbecue recipes, before signing off.