17 Reviews of The Best Ever Carnitas

From: Chef Itchy Monkey

On Jan 15, 2006

Great recipe! I had this in my Chevy's restaurant cookbook, but until now never got up the nerve to try it. I followed the ingredients exactly, except after browning the meat I put it and the marinade in my crockpot for 8 hours on low. It came out delicious and tender, shredded easily. We ate this as tacos with pico, home made guacamole and jack cheese. There are only 2 of us, so fortunately this recipe provided lots of leftovers. It was somewhat labor intensive, but worth the effort!

From: Koriander

On Jul 3, 2007

Great recipe! Full of flavor - rich and earthy - and just right amount of heat. I marinaded it all night and as suggested by a reviewer, put everything in a crockpot to simmer on low for about 6 hours. Came out tender and tasty. Had enough for 2 more nights and flavors blended better and better. Served it with shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes, green onions, and sour cream in corn tortillas. Can also be served with all the 'goodies' minus the totillas.

From: Chef #925583

On Aug 17, 2008

This wasn't terrible but it was not what I expected. It was very spicy. I was hoping for a more authentic carnitas flavor.

From: PanNan

On Apr 26, 2005

Outstanding flavor. I was concerned it would be too spicy, but it was just perfect. The cooking time of 2 hours was exactly correct - the pork was very tender and fell off the bone. I shredded the cooked pork cubes and served it on tortillas. This would make a great meat filling for tamales, too. Fortunately it made plenty to freeze for another meal.

From: Chef #Ireneewenniee

On Feb 23, 2009

I made this over the weekend and it was fabulous. I did minus a little bit of the Paprika Try this and you too can be a hit at the party.

From: Chef #886206

On Jan 26, 2009

Taste ok, but this is not carnitas.

From: Chef #552402

On Aug 4, 2007

This recipe is so great. People have literally told me it's the best thing they've ever eaten. I don't know if that's true, but it's up there. It is a little time-consuming, but with a little foresight it's not too troublesome. The payoff cannot be underestimated. Your friends will love you!

From: Moe Ribbs

On Jul 30, 2007

From: Seashorewalker

On May 11, 2007

Absolutely Superb! Made with all the ingredients listed. I noticed in the 1st ingredients section it calls for 1 1/2 tsp of Cumin but it isn't listed for use in the instructions. I assumed it was to be added in step# 7. Only changes I made was Coke instead of Pepsi, marinaded for only 4 hours and didn't brown meat but instead cooked it all in a crock pot. It turned out spectacular and my DH who hates tacos raved about how good the taste was.

From: AMorrissey36

On Dec 2, 2007

This was a delicious and interesting recipe. I used to make the Renaldo's carnitas (one of the other recipe's on this site)- but my husband wanted to try a different type of flavor and this was a great pick. It was a little more work and definatley more ingredients but so worth it!! Very flavorful and saved well!! (i'm noticing that a lot of the recipes from the Mean Chef are awesome