Green chili carnitas are the perfect combination of two of my favorite delicacies. It’s hard to come up with a better combo than pork and green chilies in your head.
The carnitas are cooked until they melt in your mouth. Roast at high temperature until edges are caramelized.
green chili carnitas
A deliciously seasoned pork carnitas is something you make as often as you can. Carnitas are delicious on their own, but they’re the star of so many dishes, from salads to tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and countless other meals.
Crispy pork makes the most delicious tacos. Topped with cilantro, onion, cheese, lime and pico de gallo, the meat is already flavorful and perfect.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can use pork shoulder or pork belly. I love finding them at the grocery store and turning them into all kinds of carnitas.
My usual go-to recipe for carnitas is unique because it doesn’t use traditional Mexican spices and is deliciously seasoned with citrus, onions, salt and pepper.
green chili pork
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Boneless pork shoulder loin or butt roast
- onion
- ground cumin
- granulated sugar or garlic powder
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- chopped green chilli
- chicken stock soup
- a wedge of lime for serving
- fresh cilantro for serving
Start by cutting large roasts into 3- to 4-inch-sized chunks. Portions are also cooked in a short time.
dutch oven carnitas
It really starts with one simple step: dump all the ingredients into the pot with the pork loin. After that, simmer the ingredients over medium to high heat.
Place the covered pan or dutch oven in a preheated 300°F oven. Then walk for 2 hours. After 2 hours, return to the oven and you’ll see chunks of pork that have crumbled tenderly with a fork.
Resist the urge to shred pork. Instead, use a slotted spoon or tongs to carefully transfer the pork to a foil-lined baking sheet.
pork dutch oven
Preheat the oven and bake. Reduce the amount of liquid remaining in the pan by placing it on high heat on the stove. You want everything to thicken and cook until the remaining cup is about 1 cup.
When the water content is low, pull out the pork from one block into 3 to 4 equal pieces. Place those pieces in the liquid and stir slightly to coat.
Return the coated green chili pork to the baking sheet. Bake pork chunks for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly crispy on the outside.
Once removed from the oven, the pork is ready to serve. At this point, it’s always impossible to resist sneaking one or two out of the pot.
How to use the freezer
To do this ahead of time, skip the baking step. After a quick soak in liquid, green chili pork is sometimes frozen in one-pound packages for future use.
When eating pork, defrost it in the refrigerator and spread it on a baking sheet in the oven until crisp.
Pulled pork or carnitas in a Dutch oven or slow cooker are a perfect meal on their own or as an ingredient in your favorite recipes.
Infused with southwestern spices, this green chile pulled pork is cooked in a Crock-Pot. The pork remains surprisingly moist and juicy, and the flavors are great together.
I’ve been using the oven-baked pulled pork carnitas recipe for about 7 years to make carnitas, and it’s truly amazing how they do it too.
