Easy Pork Carnitas
Juicy, tender pork carnitas made in 30 min, start to finish! No fuss, no hassle. Serve as tacos or burrito bowls. So easy, so so good.
We are just about to enter week 3 of our quarantine/stay-at-home order here in Chicago. We’re playing trivia via Zoom, going on all the FaceTimes with friends, and doing taco night with all the fix-ins here.
And I know we all have a bit more time to cook as we’re locked insides our home but hey, I am always down for quick carnitas. Specifically 30 minutes start to finish. No fuss, no hassle.
Now you can serve these in warm tortillas or as burrito bowls – there’s no right or wrong, and it is ALL GOOD. I also know it is hard to find some ingredients right now so please feel free to use any kind of toppings/fix-ins you have on hand – black beans, corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, and/or romaine lettuce (or other types of greens you have handy) will also work beautifully here.
And if you have some ice cold beers on standby, that will also work perfectly as a side.
Easy Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- Season pork with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork, onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook, stirring often, until pork has browned, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in orange juice and lime juice, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook until reduced, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe is a really interesting way to use a pork tenderloin cut. I really enjoyed this recipe. I added a little cayenne just because we like it spicier. Thanks!
These are SOO good!! So easy and ! My family loved it! A definite keeper!! We had them with rice and my kids had it in tortillas with guacamole and salsa!!
So good and easy!
Easy, tasty, yummy ! Keeper ! 🙂
Made this last night and guess what? It was Damn Delicious. Thanks for posting it, we’ll save this to our favorites. Be well!
I only have lemon. Would it be okay to sub lemon juice for lime juice?
I made this for lunch today & it was FANTASTIC! Easy and yummy.
I had defrosted a pork tenderloin yesterday and came across this recipe today. I had all of the accouterments on hand so thought, “Why not?” I have made carnitas the long, slow way and was afraid this quick method would result in dry, tough meat trying to obtain the nice dark coloring. Boy, was I wrong! These were juicy and tender. I roasted a poblano chili and added some freshly chopped jalapeño to the final wrap and a squeeze of fresh lime. Awesome!
Wow.. It was damn delicious as usual.. It was so good. Thanks again!