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Overhead shot of Jerk Carnitas Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa and lime wedges on a gray plate; with a pale purple linen underneath the plate.
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5 from 5 votes

Pork Carnitas Tacos

Tender, succulent Jerk Carnitas generously stuffed into tacos and topped with a sweet and spicy pineapple jalapeno salsa.
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time2 hrs 35 mins
Total Time3 hrs
Course: entree, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: carnitas, chicken tacos, Easy Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork, jalapeno, jerk, pineapple, salsa
Servings: 8
Calories: 384kcal
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

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Set a Large Dutch Oven, or large sauce pot, over Medium – Medium High Heat.
  • 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.
  • Repeat browning process, adding one tablespoon of oil before browning each batch, until all Pork Cubes are browned and removed from pot.
  • Deglaze Pan with Beer, Orange Juice, Beef Stock, and Lime Juice; scraping up brown bits from bottom of the pan.
  • Add Onion, Garlic, Bay leaves and remaining Carnita ingredients. Add browned pork cubes and any accumulated juices back to pan.
  • 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.
  • Use a slotted spoon to transfer Carnitas to a baking dish, or sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.
  • Strain cooking liquid into a large bowl or container. Set aside.
  • Place Oven Rack on Upper-Middle Rack and preheat oven to high broil.
  • Add ½ Cup of the strained cooking liquid to the Carnitas and toss to coat.
  • Broil Carnitas 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip and again toss to coat with liquid. Continue Broiling an additional 4-5 minutes.
  • Serve Carnitas tossed in additional strained sauce or use two forks to shred meat to desired consistency.
  • 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.

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

Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 3347mg | Potassium: 791mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 31.8mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2.7mg