Carnitas is a fabulous dish in Mexican cuisine that usually uses pork. Type of pork used is often front sections of the hog or pork shoulder. These cuts are braised or roasted for a long time, sometimes the length of a day. Cooking the pork fully is only the beginning preparation for carnitas. The pork is then shredded or pulled and cooked in lard, which creates very crispy meat with a tender, melt in the mouth center.

You’ll find carnitas served in a variety of ways. One method is to serve it similar to the way we eat fajitas. It can be placed on a dish and accompanied by salsas, fresh veggies, beans and guacamole. People can then use tortillas to create wonderful on the spot carnitas tacos or burritos.

Due to the popularity of this meat, it is frequently made in Mexican restaurants and will be used as a filling for things like burritos or tacos. You can order up a carnitas taco or enchilada in plenty of places. The dual process for creating crispy soft pork is often easier when you can make huge quantities of it in a restaurant setting.

The lengthy cooking process of this dish means that in many families, carnitas is only made on special occasions. Some Mexican-American families enjoy having it around the Christmas holidays. Others will prepare it for special events like children’s birthdays or anniversaries. Of course, skilled cooks may prepare it more often when they have the time to do so.

There is some dispute about the way meat should be shredded when you make the dish. Some prefer meat to be chunkier instead of very small shreds. It’s really up to personal taste how much you’d like to break down the meat before frying it. Just remember, carnitas translates as "little meats" in Spanish, so you should not be serving up huge slabs of it.

Frying pork in lard may stop some people from enjoying this food favorite because they don’t want to add additional fat to their meals. There are plenty of recipes that skip this step and suggest cooking spiced pork in slow cookers or for a long time over the stove. You won’t get the crispy texture, but when you add spices like marjoram, cumin, bay leaf, garlic, onion, oregano and thyme to slow cooked pork, you will approximate the flavors of carnitas. You can use lower fat pork cuts too for a lower fat meal. If you serve up this low fat version with multi-grain or whole-wheat tortillas, fat free beans, and plenty of fresh veggies, it will become a healthier meal.