There are some traditional Mexican recipes that very much embody the concept of ‘more is more.’ Ahem, we’re looking at you, mole. Carnitas, however, is not one of the them. 

Pork is delicious. You may as well stop reading here if you disagree.  And therefore, pork slow-cooked in nothing more than its own fat is going to be exponentially more delicious. We’ve tried recipes that call for bells and whistles like Coca-Cola, orange juice, extra garlic, condensed milk, and mysterious spice mixtures. But it turns out that if you just have good quality pork and some patience, you’ll have great carnitas. And if you’re a taco lover, you’ll know that perhaps equally important are the tortilla and the salsa. We love a tortilla made of white corn like Olotillo or something like Yellow Mushito, grown in Michoacán, the home of carnitas. Pair with a side of chiles en vinagre, guacamole, chicharrón, salsita, cilantro, and onion — y ya estás.