Ground pork gets quick carnitas on the table in 15 minutes
Traditionally, carnitas are made by cooking pork shoulder low and slow in its own fat before searing the shredded meat to create a browned, crisp crust. The meat is tender, supple and rich, perfect for eating out of a warm tortilla. It’s also an hourslong process best suited for a weekend project. But if you’re craving carnitas on a weeknight, there’s a shortcut you can take for similar flavor and texture in about 15 minutes. It starts with ground pork.
Cooking ground meat like a giant hamburger creates better browning
Ground meat is a perfect weeknight shortcut — it cooks through in a matter of minutes. The only downside is that it can be difficult to brown. Ground meat almost immediately releases its own juices into a warm skillet, causing the meat to steam instead of sear. To prevent this from happening, you’ll want to treat the meat like a giant hamburger patty.
Heat oil in a large skillet (the heavier the better — if you’ve got cast iron, this is a great use for it) and then add the meat in a single thin layer. Don’t touch it or season it yet! Let the pork cook undisturbed until you start to see pools of juice forming on the top of the meat. Use a spatula to lift the patty and peek at the bottom. It should be well-browned. At this point, you can add seasonings and break the meat up into bite-sized pieces, stirring to ensure that the pink parts cook through. It’ll steam a bit, but since you’ve already developed browning flavor, you don’t need to fret.
This process takes longer than the usual 3 to 5 minutes it takes to cook ground meat while stirring, but the extra several minutes are worth it.
Lime, garlic and oregano bring carnitas-like flavor to ground pork
So, how do you bring the carnitas experience to ground pork? Seasonings. Finely grated garlic, dried oregano and both lime zest and juice add depth of flavor and acidity to the meat. Add all three, along with kosher salt, right before you break up the meat. A few minutes in the skillet will be plenty to draw out their aromatic notes and cook off the raw garlic flavor.
Lots of fresh cilantro is an easy topping for quick carnitas
Carnitas don’t need a lot of toppings, but having one or two on the table is a nice touch. I like to serve these quick carnitas with chopped fresh cilantro — it’s quick to prepare and adds a nice green color. You could also serve the carnitas with sliced radish, finely chopped onion or a jarred salsa if you prefer.
Quick Carnitas
- 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- On the side: Tortillas or tostadas, for serving
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lime zest, salt and oregano.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the pork and press into a large patty. Cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is very brown and the pork’s juices have begun to pool on top, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle the garlic mixture over the pork, then use a wooden spoon to break up the meat and stir the seasonings into it. Continue to cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
- Serve the meat on tortillas or tostadas, topped with cilantro.
Serves 4.