What is the secret to good carnitas?

I've made carnitas many times using a completely different method and it turned out pretty good. But it is important to note that the traditional way to make carnitas is by slow cooking it in lard . I think it also gives it a more authentic taste. Seasoning- Salt, Mexican oregano, cumin, & black pepper.

How do you keep carnitas moist?

Store leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Drizzle with a couple extra tablespoons of the cooking liquid to help keep them moist before storing. Reheat in the microwave. Second-day carnitas are fantastic in quesadillas, burritos, and burrito bowls.

How do you make carnitas less dry?

Another alternative is to add a bit extra water and then cook off the water when you're ready to serve. The advantage is that you'll preserve most of the flavours that way and also have fresh-from-the-stove carnitas.

Why do you put orange juice in carnitas?

The orange juice in the cooking liquid provides acidity that helps break down the meat so it's extra tender and juicy .

Why do you add milk to carnitas?

In other regions of Mexico, people add their own special seasoning to this dish, such as condensed milk, garlic, chicken broth, co*ke, orange juice, and/or beer. Not only do these ingredients give the carnitas their distinctive golden-brownish color, but they also help tenderize the meat .

How do you add flavor to cooked carnitas?

Add Onion, Garlic and Citrus: Place the seasoned pork in the bottom of the slow cooker then add garlic, chopped onions, orange juice, and lime juice around it .

How to make leftover pork juicy?

The very best way to reheat leftover pork chops is low and slow with a little extra moisture — you can use either broth or water with great results. While you can reheat pork tenderloin in a pan or use a cast iron to reheat lamb chops, pork chops really do reheat best in the oven.

How do restaurants cook carnitas?

Real carnitas are fried in lard , so it's basically pieces of pork, ribs, skin, offal, meat, all fried in pig fat. And to be really authentic carnitas you have to fry them in a copper pot. You'll find some recipes calling for Coca Cola or Pepsi, but you can also use brown sugar.

Should you sear carnitas before cooking?

Step One: The trick to getting the most flavorful carnitas, is to sear the pork before allowing it to braise for hours . First, season the pork with a liberal sprinkle of salt and then sear the pork pieces on both sides until golden brown in avocado oil. Browning the meat helps to develop a rich deep flavor.

What is the best meat to use for carnitas?

Pork shoulder : Traditionally, carnitas is made with pork shoulder (also known as pork butt) because of its higher fat content. The fat helps to keep the meat extremely juicy and tender while cooking.

How do you spice up bland carnitas?

To spice up bland carnitas, try adding extra seasoning such as chili powder, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or diced jalapeños for a kick of heat . You can also experiment with different herbs and spices to tailor the flavor to your liking.

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas" Recipe (2024)

Turkey Mains
Tacos
Thanksgiving Turkeys

Transform your leftover Thanksgiving turkey into wonderfully crispy and juicy taco filling

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Why It Works

Boiling the already-cooked turkey meat first makes it extra tender.
Pan-frying shredded, cooked meat adds crisp texture and complex flavors.

I’m writing this after four solid days of roasting and smoking turkeys by sunlight and painting the walls in my house by moonlight. The last thing I want to do right now is write a long article. It's also going to be published the morning of Thanksgiving, which means that the last thing you'll want to do is dig into a long article. I think we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement here, so I'll keep it snappy, and you'll have the chance to dig into a tasty taco that much faster tomorrow.

Here's what you need to know: You can transform your leftover turkey meat into wonderfully crispy and juicy shreds that are a dead ringer for carnitas, minus all the lard and time involved. This is a technique I discovered by accident a few years back, when I decided to see what would happen if I fried up the shredded meat I'd picked off the turkey carcass that I'd just used to make stock.

Extreme deliciousness is what happened.

The technique works best with leftover dark meat from the thighs, drumsticks, wings, and scraps picked from the carcass, which I simmer until it's falling-apart tender. I pretty much always use my turkey carcasses to make soup or stock, which means that I always have plenty of that boiled meat available. If you don't typically make soup or stock yourself, you can simply simmer your leftover dark meat in nearly enough water to cover, along with a few traditional carnitas flavors: sour orange, onion, and bay leaf.

After that is the easy part. Take that tender double-cooked turkey, shred it up as finely as you'd like, then fry it. You want a good amount of oil in the pan—at least a couple of tablespoons—in order to give the turkey some extra succulence. If you have access to some duck, turkey, or chicken fat, all the better.

Make sure to season the turkey with salt while it's in the pan. Not only will the salt cling to it better, but when you inevitably start stealing pieces of crispy turkey out of the skillet, those stolen bites will at least be seasoned properly.

The real keys here are to use a nonstick or cast iron skillet (you want all the brown, sticky bits to cling to the turkey, not the pan) and to cook the turkey longer than you think is necessary. As bits start to crisp up, fold them over and gently stir them back into the rest of the meat. Continue doing this until the turkey is as crisp as you'd like (I like mine quite crisp).

And that's about it. A super simple technique that creates delicious carnitas for any dish that calls for them, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos.

Of course, I won't blame you if it all disappears from the pan before it ever even gets to the table. Pro tip: Blame it on the dog.

Recipe Details

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas"

Prep5 mins

Cook75 mins

Active20 mins

Total80 mins

Ingredients

Any amount leftover cooked dark-meat turkey (thighs and drumsticks) (see note)
1 orange, preferably sour, per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat, quartered (see note)
1 medium onion (about 6 ounces; 175 grams) per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat, quartered
2 bay leaves per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, chicken fat, turkey fat, or duck fat per pound (450 grams) of leftover turkey meat
Kosher salt

Directions

Combine turkey meat (with bones if available), orange, onion, and bay leaf in a pot that fits them snugly. Add enough water to cover halfway. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook until turkey is fall-off-the-bone tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Discard orange, onion, and bay leaves and drain turkey well. Shred turkey and discard bones.
Heat oil or fat in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add turkey and spread into an even layer. Cook, without moving, until meat is well browned and crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Stir turkey to incorporate the crisp bits and introduce new soft bits to the bottom. Continue this process until the turkey is as crisp as you like it (I like mine quite crisp). Season with salt.

Notes

You can make this recipe from scratch by roasting turkey legs in a 400°F (200°C) oven until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) (45 minutes to 1 hour), then proceeding as directed. Meat picked from the scraps of turkey used to make stock can also be crisped in a skillet and deliver delicious results. After making turkey stock or soup, remove some dark meat, shred it, and proceed as directed in step 2. Sour oranges can be purchased in a Latin market or well-stocked supermarket.

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas" Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

Leftover Turkey "Carnitas"

Ingredients

Directions

Notes

FAQs

What is the secret to good carnitas? ›

How do you spice up bland carnitas? ›