Real Deal Carnitas & Delicious Charro Beans

I’ve ordered carnitas in a restaurant a couple of times and was always disappointed with the dry overcooked meat so I’ve not made them at home.  But when daughter, Wende, advised her great success making then, I had to give them a try and used the same recipe that she did.  The recipe for Reverse Carnita’s comes from famous chef Rick Bayless – not sure why they all called Reverse Carnitas but I followed the recipe as written using all of the optional flavorings.

I served the carnitas to our Friday card group along with Charro Beans.

Reverse Carnitas

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2½ to 3-inch pieces

Salt

1½ to 2 cups fresh-rendered pork lard (from the Mexican store in Maryville)

Optional Flavorings

6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

4 bay leaves

A heaping teaspoon Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 small orange, cut in half, halves cut in ¼-inch slices

For serving

About 2½ cups Guacamole (you’ll have extra, but you’ll be glad you do)

About 1½ cups Salsa Verde OR

About 1½ cups Chopped Tomato Salsa

2 or 3 limes, cut into wedges

15 (or a few more) warm tortillas

Instructions:

Note: You can buy good quality lard from a local butcher or Mexican market. I don’t recommend the hydrogenated lard that’s sold in bricks.

Sprinkle the pork generously on all sides with salt (you’ll need about 2 teaspoons). 

Scoop the lard into a 6-quart slow cooker and turn on high.  When the lard is melted, fit in the pork in a single layer (there should be few gaps between the pieces and they should be barely covered with the fat). 

If you’re using the flavorings, sprinkle with oregano and black pepper, then fit the garlic, bay leaves and orange slices between the pork pieces. 

Cover and cook until thoroughly tender, 3 to 4 hours. 

Turn off, uncover and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. 

Remove the pork from the fat in the slow cooker you’ll notice that there will be pork “juice” (what commercially is called “purge”) below the fat. 

Lay the pork on a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels and pat it dry (I left it in chunks). 

Scoop a few tablespoons of the fat (but not the juice) into a very large (12-inch) skillet (preferably cast iron) and set over medium heat.

When the fat is hot enough to shimmer, brown the meat in an uncrowded layer, turning it until richly golden. 

Arrange the carnitas on a serving platter and sprinkle with salt (this is a good place for a finishing salt like Maldon).

Encourage your guests to pull apart the golden pieces of deliciousness, fitting several pieces on each tortilla, before topping with guacamole and pico di gallo. 

We served it with guacamole, pico di gallo, and warm tortillas. 

Charro Beans

I’ve made Charro Beans a few times and always enjoyed them but I decided to go in search of a new recipe and settled on the one below but I can’t remember where I found it.  I liked it because it included chorizo and used canned tomatoes.

Charro Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound dried pinto beans

Kosher salt

6 cups homemade chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1 tsp cumin

1 cup diced bacon

1 cup fresh Mexican chorizo

1 cup diced ham

1 medium white or yellow onion, diced (about 8 ounces)

½ green pepper, diced

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 (14-ounce) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes (see note)

Large handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems

Directions:

Place beans in a large bowl and fill with enough cold water to cover by at least four inches. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt and stir to dissolve. Let soak 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse.

In a large Dutch oven, add beans, stock, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a bare simmer, cover, and cook until beans are just tender.

Meanwhile, heat bacon and chorizo in a 12-inch stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and break up the chorizo. Cook, stirring constantly, until fat is rendered and bacon is just starting to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes.  Add the ham and cook until it browns a little.  Skim most of the fat.

Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened and just starting to brown, about 4 minutes.  Look at all of that flavor on the pan.

Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is thick and the mixture begins to sizzle, about 3 minutes.

Remove lid from Dutch oven, add bacon-tomato mixture, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until beans are completely creamy and liquid has thickened into a rich, creamy broth, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Discard bay leaves, stir in cilantro, and serve.

The Verdict:

The beans were excellent and I’ll use this recipe again.  The carnitas were the best I’ve eaten BUT I can think of many Mexican dishes that I prefer and many things I’d rather do with pork butt.  BUT if you like carnitas, this may be the right recipe for you.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

12/19/25 event date