Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
GoodtoKnow
  • 05/01/2025
Here's how to make carnitas, a delicious braised pork, as demonstrated by Elias Silva Resinas, head chef of Mexican restaurant Ella Canta.
Transcript
00:00Hello everyone, my name is Elias. I'm the head chef of Villacanta and today I'm going to show you how to make carnitas.
00:05Carnitas is just braised pork, super delicious.
00:14So we're going to start with the pork carnitas.
00:16To begin cooking the carnitas, we need to melt the fat.
00:20So we're just going to pour the solid fat on a pot.
00:25Don't be intimidated by the amount of fat, it's super tasty and delicious.
00:29If you don't want to use all fat, you can just half fat, half lard, and half oil.
00:34After you have the lard on the pan, we're just going to add half of a garlic, just cut it in half.
00:41Just put all of it.
00:44Cut an onion, just cut it in four.
00:53We're going to add some bay leaves, about three.
00:57And we're going to add ancho chiles. Ancho chile is a dried chile, it's from Mexico.
01:02This chile is not spicy, it's just going to give a lot of flavor and smokiness to the taste of the carnitas.
01:11Next, we're going to put Coca-Cola.
01:14The Coca-Cola is just to give that caramelized flavor.
01:18If you can find Mexican Coca-Cola, that would be better.
01:21Yes, there's a difference between Mexican and European.
01:24Mexican are made out of actual sugar, canned sugar, so they're going to tend to be more sweet.
01:29So we just open one.
01:32Just pour it over, don't be shy.
01:36So once the lard has melted, we're just going to season the meat.
01:40Just put a little salt on top and on the bottom.
01:49And just place it inside.
01:51Make sure that the meat is well seasoned.
01:54We're going to season it with a little bit of salt.
01:57And on the bottom.
02:02And just place it inside.
02:04Make sure the lard is covering the entire pork.
02:07Once it's done, let's just put the lid on.
02:10So now put it in the oven, 90 degrees Celsius, for about 6 to 8 hours, or until the meat is tender.
02:16This is the perfect time for you to start making the salsa verde, pico de gallo, and your tortillas.
02:22So once it's ready and the meat is nice and tender, you're just going to pull it out.
02:27Just be gentle.
02:29It's going to break because it's been cooking for 6 to 8 hours.
02:32Just drain it and just place all the meat on the bowl.
02:37Once it's ready, just shred it.
02:39This is like the most common tacos that we will eat in Mexico on a Sunday for brunch.
02:46We'll get all together as a family.
02:48We'll get 4 or 5 kilos of meat.
02:50And invite all families, from mom to parents, everyone.
02:54We'll get together about 40 people in the house.
02:58Everyone will make salsa, some of them will make the meat.
03:01Don't be shy shredding the fat.
03:04It's going to give a nice flavor to the meat.
03:07So just shred it a little bit.
03:09If the skin gets a little bit tough, just put it on a cutting board, chop it, and mix it with everything.
03:14It's going to give a nice flavor to the meat.
03:16So once it's all shredded, you can just make yourself some tacos with the salsas and everything ready.
03:21Or you can mix it with rice, unos frijoles charros, just ready to go.
03:25And with your lard, you can just keep it in the fridge for 3 to 5 months and you can keep reusing it to make more carnitas.
03:46For more information, visit www.FEMA.gov