These Pork Carnitas Tacos are a delicious fusion of jerk flavors with tender pork carnitas!  Piled high on crisp cabbage and topped with a spicy sweet Pineapple Jalapeno salsa, these tacos are a fresh and fabulous fiesta for your tastebuds!  

In my last post, I discussed my yearning for a vacation.  And, the obligations of life and lack of funds to afford me a proper vacation.

Thank the lord for Cinco de Mayo being right around the corner, so at least I can have a siesta-fiesta!  I mean, come on, tacos and margaritas can put everyone in a good mood.  Right?

I know there are a billion recipes floating around the blog-esphere of spectacular Mexican food for your Cinco de Mayo shindig, but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t chime in and provide you with at least one to add to your little black book of recipes.

Since the occasion is special, I decided to bust out and share a twist on one of my absolute favorites things ever – Carnitas.

Pork Carnitas Tacos

Boneless pork butt is marinated in spicy, sour, sweet heat jerk flavors and braised in a liquid rich with beer, acidity and aromatics to form little morsels of love, Carnitas.

These Jerk Pork Carnitas are melt in your mouth tender on the inside, crisp on the outside and packed full of Mexican-Jamaican flavor fusion.

Stuffed into a charred corn tortilla, piled high on crisp, fresh cabbage and and topped with a savory, sweet and spicy Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa, these tender pork carnitas tacos will be the center of attention at your Cinco de Mayo party!

What does carnitas means?

Carnitas are literally translated as “little meats”.

Carnitas are made by braising pork in lard, although you can braise the pork in stock or broth for a lighter resulting carnitas.

The type of pork generally used in making carnitas is either pork butt or pork shoulder.

How to serve carnitas tacos?

These carnitas are so wickedly delicious, you could shred the pork and serve them plain with a little bit of the cooking liquid (au jus) on the side, and eat them straight from the pan.  However, I understand most people like to eat their food in a more dignified, refined way.

To serve these pork carnitas tacos I added served purple cabbage on the side and inside the taco itself for a bit of fresh crunch.

Aside from the cabbage, the topping or serving options for carnitas tacos are pretty limitless.

What to serve with crispy pork tacos:

• guacamole
• chips and salsa
• refried beans
• rice
• warmed corn tortillas.

What toppings go on carnitas tacos?

To accompany these carnitas tacos I whipped up a super easy pineapple-jalapeno salsa.  The salsa is sweet, sour, spicy, fruity and a match made in heaven when paired with savory, tender carnitas.  While the salsa is completely optional, I highly encourage you not to skip it!

However, if tropical salsa isn’t your jam, there are tons of other toppings you can use in carnitas tacos!

Toppings for pork carnitas tacos:

• Sliced avocado
• Sliced tomato
• Sliced jalapeno or poblanos
• Thinly sliced red onions
• Shredded cabbage or lettuce
• Chopped cilantro
• Salsa verde or traditional tomato salsa
• Shredded cheese

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo by letting your culinary creative juices flow and create Jerk Pork Carnitas Tacos of your wildest dreams.  Just be sure to include the pineapple-jalapeno salsa… it’s far too delicious to be skipped 🙂

Until next time, where I do have one more Cinco de Mayo recipe for you, Cheers!

XOXO

Cheyanne

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How to make Jerk Pork Carnitas Tacos recipe👇

5 from 5 votes

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Jerk Pork Carnitas Tacos {with Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa}

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs 35 mins

Total Time

3 hrs

 

Tender, succulent Jerk Carnitas generously stuffed into tacos and topped with a sweet and spicy pineapple jalapeno salsa.

Course: entree, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: carnitas, chicken tacos, Easy Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork, jalapeno, jerk, pineapple, salsa

Servings: 8

Calories: 384 kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Ingredients

JERK SAUCE:

• 2 Scotch Bonnet Chiles – stemmed, deseeded & roughly chopped (can substitute habaneros)
• 5 Scallions – both white and green parts, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 small Sweet Yellow Onion – roughly chopped
• 5 cloves Garlic – peeled and smashed
• ½ Bunch of Fresh Thyme – leaves only (about 1 TBS)
• 2 fresh Bay Leaves – stalks removed
• 1 tsp Ground Allspice
• ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 TBS Coarse Kosher Salt
• 2 TBS White Wine Vinegar
• 1 TBS Honey
• 1 TBS Dark Jamaican Rum
• 3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil , or more as needed to thin out sauce

CARNITAS:

• 3 pounds Boneless Pork Butt – Cut into 2’’ Cubes
• 2 TB Salt
• 3-4 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or as Needed for Browning Pork Cubes)
• 1 (12 oz) Lager Beer
• 1 Cup Orange Juice
• 1 Cup Pineapple Juice
• ½ Cup Beef Stock (unsalted)
• ¼ Cup Lime Juice
• 1 Yellow Onion – Peeled and Halved
• 3 Cloves Garlic – Peeled and Halved
• 2 fresh Bay Leaves – stalks removed
• 1 tsp Cumin
• ½ tsp Dry Oregano
• 2 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Pepper
• ¾ tsp Chili Powder
• ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

PINEAPPLE JALAPENO SALSA: (yield approximately 2 cups)

• 1 ½ Cups Fresh Pineapple – coarsely diced
• 1 Jalapeno – stemmed, partially deseeded and finely diced
• ¼ Red Onion – diced (about ½ cup)
• ¼ Cup Cilantro Leaves , packed – roughly chopped
• 1 Scallions – thinly sliced
• 2 TBS Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1 tsp Dark Rum
• Splash OJ
• Sea Salt , to taste
• For Serving: Corn Tortillas, Shredded Cabbage, Avocado, Jalapeno, Lime Wedges

Instructions

1. Make the Jerk Sauce: Place chiles, scallions, onions and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process until all ingredients are minced. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. If sauce is too thick add more oil, more tablespoon at a time, until a smooth pourable sauce is achieved.
2. Place pork cubes in a large nonreactive baking dish or Ziploc bag. Pour in jerk sauce and roll/stir pork around until thoroughly coated. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, turning pork occasionally.
3. Make the Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa: Combine all the salsa ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. To Cook Carnitas: Remove pork from refrigerator and transfer to a colander to drain of jerk sauce/marinade, discarding sauce. Allow pork to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Set a Large Dutch Oven, or large sauce pot, over Medium – Medium High Heat.
6. Add ONE Tablespoon of Oil to Pot. Add Pork, in batches and being sure to not over crowd the pot. Brown in oil, about 2 minutes per side, for a total of 6-8 minutes. DO NOT disturb Pork Cubes while they are cooking on each side. After all sides are browned, use tongs to transfer to a plate and set aside.
7. Repeat browning process, adding one tablespoon of oil before browning each batch, until all Pork Cubes are browned and removed from pot.
8. Deglaze Pan with Beer, Orange Juice, Beef Stock, and Lime Juice; scraping up brown bits from bottom of the pan.
9. Add Onion, Garlic, Bay leaves and remaining Carnita ingredients. Add browned pork cubes and any accumulated juices back to pan.
10. Bring to simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low – medium low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook Pork 2 Hours, or until are fork tender.
11. Use a slotted spoon to transfer Carnitas to a baking dish, or sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.
12. Strain cooking liquid into a large bowl or container. Set aside.
13. Place Oven Rack on Upper-Middle Rack and preheat oven to high broil.
14. Add ½ Cup of the strained cooking liquid to the Carnitas and toss to coat.
15. Broil Carnitas 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip and again toss to coat with liquid. Continue Broiling an additional 4-5 minutes.
16. Serve Carnitas tossed in additional strained sauce or use two forks to shred meat to desired consistency.
17. For Taco Assembly: Top each tortilla with a small amount of shredded cabbage, carnita meat, sliced avocados, pineapple salsa, jalapeno rings and a drizzle of reserved strained cooking liquid. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

*To Cook Carnitas in the Oven: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Bring Pot to simmer as indicated as above, once simmering, cover, and transfer pot to preheated Oven. Continue with directions as stated in recipe.
*To Prepare Carnitas in Advance:
1. Prepare carnitas through step 10.
2. Remove Carnita meat to a container and allow to cool slightly before covering and transferring to the refrigerator. Strain the cooking liquid and transfer to a separate container with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate.
3. When ready to use- allow the carnita meat and liquid to come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Toss the cold carnita meat with 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Warm in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and proceed with recipe as directed (step 13).

Nutrition Facts

Jerk Pork Carnitas Tacos {with Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa}

Amount Per Serving

Calories 384 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 102mg34%

Sodium 3347mg146%

Potassium 791mg23%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 33g66%

Vitamin A 305IU6%

Vitamin C 31.8mg39%

Calcium 51mg5%

Iron 2.7mg15%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.