A Mexican classic: pork simmered long and slow, then fried in its own fat until crisp, and served with a zingy salsa

Like many Mexican classics, carnitas – slow-cooked pork, often likened to American pulled pork – is less well known in the UK than it deserves to be. Fried in its own fat until crisp and golden, carnitas is certainly no health food, but as an occasional treat with a generous dollop of fresh salsa and wrapped in a warm tortilla, it takes some beating.

The traditional cut is pork shoulder, known in the US as pork butt after the barrels it was once packed in. It’s sometimes sold with the bone in, which is fine for this dish (some cooks believe it adds extra flavour, though I don’t think it makes much difference), but the amount below is for boneless shoulder, so make sure you take account of this when ordering.

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Prep 5 min

Cook 3 hr

Serves 6

1.5kg pork butt (see step 1)

1.5 tsp fine salt

Juice of 1 orange (optional)

1-2 bay leaves (optional)

1 The right cut

Carnitas is a simple dish with very few ingredients, which stands or falls on its pork: it simply won’t work with lean meat. Try to source a well-fatted shoulder from a farm shop or good butcher – or take a tip from William Leigh of Mexican street food joint Killa Dilla, and add 500g pork belly and 500g pig cheek to 1kg of pork shoulder.

2 Prep the meat

Cut the meat into chunks about 5cm all round – you don’t need to get the ruler out, but if you cut them too small, they’ll break down into mush; too large, and they’ll take ages to cook. Leave the skin on: it adds a deliciously gelatinous richness to the final dish, even if you don’t ultimately want to eat it (more fool you).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Put pork cubes (skin left on) in a large, heavy pan in a single layer, then add salt, orange juice and a bay leaf or two ...

3 Lay the meat in the pan

Arrange the chunks in a wide, heavy-based pan big enough to hold them in one layer, and preferably a not-too-crowded one. Add the salt and just enough cold water to cover the meat. You can leave it at that, and many recipes do, but I also favour orange juice for sweetness, and the savoury flavour of bay.

4 Customise at will

Other things cooks add at this point: a cinnamon stick, two or three cloves, a good pinch of cumin, a splash of lager, full-sugar cola, onion wedges, a few smashed garlic cloves, coriander stalks, split jalapeño peppers, a dash of dried oregano – all of which are no doubt delicious, but I don’t think the dish needs them. Trust me: the pork is delicious on its own.

5 The long simmer

Bring the pan to a boil, then turn down the heat and leave it to simmer gently, until the pork is tender but not falling apart, and the water has all but evaporated: turn the chunks occasionally during this time, so they cook evenly. How long this takes depends on your pork, but expect one and-a-half to two and-a-half hours.

6 The final fry

Increase the heat slightly to encourage any large chunks of fat to render, then, once there’s a generous amount in the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high and fry the meat in its own lard, turning regularly, until golden and crisp in places. Be careful not to break it up too much in the process. Once the fat is rendered, you can refrigerate it, lard and all, and then reheat in a very hot pan)

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Simmer for about two hours, turning occasionally, then turn up the heat and finish by frying the pork in its own fat.

7 The salsa

Salsa is the traditional accompaniment for carnitas. What you put in yours is up to you, but for a simple tomato salsa, finely chop three spring onions and two deseeded green jalapeño peppers, and mix with 500g roughly diced, ripe tomatoes and the juice of a lime. Stir in a fistful of chopped coriander and season to taste.

8 To serve

Serve the carnitas topped with the salsa and wrapped in warm tortillas – just dry fry them for a minute or two on each side in a frying pan, or gently heat them through in the oven.

9 Optional extra

Strictly speaking, carnitas need nothing else for perfection, but you might like to make a quick salad of finely sliced red cabbage and grated carrot, mixed with plenty of lime juice, salt, and coriander or mint leaves.