Carnitas

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Carnitas (from the Spanish for "little meats") is a type of braised or roasted (often after first being boiled) pork in Mexican cuisine. Sometimes it is actually prepared by frying. It can also be made from beef using a chuck roast, although using pork seems to be the more common method.

Pork carnitas is traditionally made using the heavily marbled, rich 'boston butt' or 'picnic ham' areas of the hog. Contrary to their misleading names, these are neither butt areas nor ham areas, but rather the upper and lower sections of the front shoulder of the hog. The 6 to 16-lb sections are usually sectioned down to a workable (6 to 10-lb) size and seasoned heavily before slow braising or slow roasting, generally in the range of 160 to 180 °F for 8 to 12 hours. At this stage the collagen in the meat has broken down sufficiently to allow it to be pulled apart by hand or fork or chopped by using a cleaver.

Having been dismantled, some of the rendered liquid is added back to the pork. Prior to serving, the pork is placed in fairly shallow pans to maximize surface area, then roasted at high (375 to 425 °F) heat for a few minutes to produce the famous alternating texture of succulent softness and caramelized crispness.

It can be a dish by itself, or an ingredient for tamales, tacos, tortas, and burritos.