Oven Carnitas

Carnitas Recipe Oven

Oven Carnitas

Here we have an amazing recipe for oven carnitas.  There are a lot of different ways to prepare carnitas including the crockpot and the stovetop but using the oven is convenient and leaves the meat with a lot of flavor. Preparing these carnitas is simple and the oven does most of the work for you. A lot of the flavor in this recipe comes from oranges, cinnamon and garlic. A pork roast is cubed and placed into a baking dish with oranges, onions, cinnamon sticks and garlic. The dish is then covered with foil and baked to perfection. Once the dish has finished baking, the meat is shredded and then browned under the broiler. This meat goes great on tortillas for tacos, burritos, chimichangas or enchiladas.

Oven Carnitas

Oven Carnitas

Oven Carnitas

Oven Carnitas

Oven Carnitas

Mexican carnitas prepared in the oven.
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 3 hrs 30 mins
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 onion
  • 1 3lb pork shoulder roast
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 orange
  • 6 garlic cloves cut in half
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick broken into 3 pieces
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Cut the onion into quarters. Slice the pork roast into chunks. Season the pork chunks with kosher salt and place into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cut the orange slice into quarters and squeeze the juice over the pork chunks. Nestle the squeezed orange chunks into the casserole. Nestle in onion quarters, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Pour vegetable oil evenly on top of the pork.
  • Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place into the oven and cook until the pork is tender, about 3 ½ hours.
  • Remove from the oven and remove the oranges, bay leaves, and cinnamon. Shred the pork if desired using two forks. Place under the broiler until the meat is crisp and brown on the surface. Serve on corn tortillas with your favorite condiments.