Carnitas Braised in Witbier Recipe (2024)

Used a local red ale (2 cans) w water as well. Also covered and cooked in a 300° oven for two hours. I think the real secret to any carnitas is the shredding and frying after braising. Large skillet, med hi heat. Spread out in pan and leave until starts to crackle. Add a cupful of pot juice and stir until evaporated, repeat until pot juices are used up. You want a balance of lightly crisped and lightly moist meat. Evaporating the juices concetrates the flavors. Serve w/salsa/guac on tortillas.

It took longer than one hour for it to become sufficiently tender, but that was to be expected. That gave time for the dried chiles to dissolve into the meat, and the onions did the same, so it worked out well. Didn't need to add any oil. A very good recipe. Could do with more cinnamon, and I added mexican oregano.

4 stars. Results were good. The meat was moist and juicy while still crisping nicely during the post-braise pan fry. My only hesitation in giving this a 5 star rating is that cinnamon dominated the flavors. While this didn't make it taste bad by any stretch, I just don't expect carnitas to be so cinnamony. I am leaving that cinnamon stick out next time.

Nancy, Try two bottles of Mexican co*ke - it's (obviously) not what Mark envisioned but it's delicious, using the same spices, ratios and process. "Carnitas braised in co*ke" is one of the most requested dishes at my house.

Very nice recipe...tasty. Used Heineken beer, home-made Mexican spice blend, came out very well. I will make this again.

Excellent! I followed the recipe but substituted ground spices for seeds as that’s what I had. I used about a teaspoon of cumin and coriander, the pepper and cinnamon stick. I loved the flavor. Served with avocado and a pineapple salsa with corn tortillas.

Couldn't find dried ancho chilli so added a chopped fresh poblano. I later added chilli powderto bump up the flavour a bit. I put mine in the oven, covered, for 2.5 hours at 275º. I then shredded and fried it until the liquid was gone. Everyone liked it.

I had saved this recipe some time ago, and finally got around to trying it tonight (Nov 2022), after arriving in Tucson following a long absence. I usually put my own spin on recipes, but this one I made exactly as Mark Bittman wrote it, and I am thrilled with the result. If you have a Lazy Susan for the condiments (avocado, tomatoes, scallions, sour cream or creme fraiche, etc.) and a crowd, this is so perfect. Doing the meat in advance would make the party so easy.

I love carnitas and have such fond memories of eating them while I was in school in central Mexico. I took a tip from a commenter here and cooked half and half - beer and co*ke - just like my favorite Mexican bbq chicken recipe. Delish!

Excellent recipe, although I did not add the cinnamon because I don't like it in savory dishes. Served as tacos, with warm, soft corn tortillas, carnitas, lime juice, green salsa, creme fraiche, and shredded cabbage. Absolutely delicious.

I’m making 6lbs of pork and wondering if I triple ingredients (aka 3 bottles witbier) or just add a little more of everything… leaning towards just adding a bit more of everything. I mean, 15 cloves of garlic doesn’t seem like a good bet. Anyone make thus recipe for a crowd yet?

If making again I would use ground coriander seeds and maybe add chili powder to add more spice. Very good!

Delish! I left the cinnamon out because I had none. Cooked for 1:15 in the pressure cooker, then removed and pulled the meat easily and then poured the liquid through a sieve and finished cooking in le creuset on the stovetop. Outstanding!!! This is a keeper! Super simple and super tasty!

4 stars. Results were good. The meat was moist and juicy while still crisping nicely during the post-braise pan fry. My only hesitation in giving this a 5 star rating is that cinnamon dominated the flavors. While this didn't make it taste bad by any stretch, I just don't expect carnitas to be so cinnamony. I am leaving that cinnamon stick out next time.

Used a local red ale (2 cans) w water as well. Also covered and cooked in a 300° oven for two hours. I think the real secret to any carnitas is the shredding and frying after braising. Large skillet, med hi heat. Spread out in pan and leave until starts to crackle. Add a cupful of pot juice and stir until evaporated, repeat until pot juices are used up. You want a balance of lightly crisped and lightly moist meat. Evaporating the juices concetrates the flavors. Serve w/salsa/guac on tortillas.

A question...wheat is out of the question for me. I have my list of wheat-free beer, yet wonder, what is the quality a very good wheat beer would bring to a dish?

Very nice recipe...tasty. Used Heineken beer, home-made Mexican spice blend, came out very well. I will make this again.

This was really tasty. Very rich, full flavor

I used this as a guide to make carnitas in the crockpot. Everything was pretty much the same except the meat - 1 used a 5 lb shoulder, left whole instead of cut up. 5 hours at low, then 1 hour at high. I had too much liquid left over to try and evaporate it all, but I took the meat out of the liquid and put it in a saute pan and it crisped up nicely without any extra fat needing to be added.

It took longer than one hour for it to become sufficiently tender, but that was to be expected. That gave time for the dried chiles to dissolve into the meat, and the onions did the same, so it worked out well. Didn't need to add any oil. A very good recipe. Could do with more cinnamon, and I added mexican oregano.