Name: Carnitas Tacos with Salsa Verde
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 h
Total time: 12 h 38 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 4 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into the slabs specified by the guide; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 6 garlic cloves, peeled; 1 cinnamon stick, broken; 2 bay leaves; 1 orange, quartered; Salt; 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus more as needed for browning; 16 small corn tortillas; 1 cup salsa verde; 1 small white onion, finely diced, for serving; 1/2 cup chopped cilantro; 2 limes, cut into wedges

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Last updated Oct 20, 2026

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Prep: 20 min
Bath: 12 hours
Total: 12 hr 38 min
Yield: 8 servings

Main Courseporktacoscitrus

From the guide

Cooking settings

This recipe follows one reviewed setting from the Carnitas (Mexican Pork) guide.

Bath setting: 165°F
Bath time: 12 hours
Check before finishing: 145°F
Rest after final heat: At least 3 minutes
Best for: You are cooking 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder in intact 2-inch-thick slabs, fully thawed and refrigerator-cold, with the stated onion, garlic, spice, and orange mixture

Use 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder cut into intact 2-inch-thick slabs, fully thawed and refrigerator-cold. Every slab must be measurable through its thickest center. Toss the pork with one roughly chopped onion, six garlic cloves, one broken cinnamon stick, two bay leaves, and one quartered orange with its squeezed juice, plus salt. Divide among bags in one layer without overlap and seal using a method suited to liquids. Fully submerge each sealed pouch in a verified, preheated circulating bath, leaving water space around every bag. Start timing at immersion and complete the full listed time without interruption. Cover the bath and monitor the water level throughout the long cook. The listed time covers the bath stage. The thermometer check, any additional cooking needed to pass it, and the finish are separate. Check the thickest center of every piece, avoiding bone, fat, and gristle; check several places in large or uneven pieces. Every measured spot must reach 145°F before finishing. Cook any cooler piece further in a skillet or oven and recheck it. Bath time, color, texture, and browning do not replace this check. Use clean utensils, discard all pouch liquid, and keep cooked food away from raw-food juices, used bags, and utensils that touched raw meat. Discard the pouch aromatics. Dry and brown the intact slabs in a hot oiled skillet, supporting softer pieces with a wide spatula. Keep every piece intact through the check and finish, then rest at least 3 minutes after the final heat before cutting, pulling, or serving. Cube or pull the pork only after the rest, then serve immediately. Browning whole slabs gives a crisp exterior; it does not crisp every shredded edge. These methods cover immediate service only. Frozen starts, chilling, storage, reheating, and holding need separate methods. Other pork cuts, whole roasts, bone-in, rolled, tied, stuffed, injected, cured, or unmeasurable meat are excluded. Do not shorten the long cook to a heating estimate. Read the food safety guide.

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Ingredients

4 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into the slabs specified by the guide
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cinnamon stick, broken
2 bay leaves
1 orange, quartered
Salt
1 tbsp neutral oil, plus more as needed for browning
16 small corn tortillas
1 cup salsa verde
1 small white onion, finely diced, for serving
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut into wedges

Method

Prepare

Keep the pork in intact, measurable slabs and follow the size and starting conditions below.
Squeeze the orange over the pork, then add the squeezed quarters, roughly chopped onion, garlic, cinnamon, bay, and salt. Toss and divide among bags without overlapping the slabs.
Seal with a method suited to liquids. Keep the diced serving onion and other garnishes separate.

Cook

Set the water bath to 165°F.
Use 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder cut into intact 2-inch-thick slabs, fully thawed and refrigerator-cold. Every slab must be measurable through its thickest center. Toss the pork with one roughly chopped onion, six garlic cloves, one broken cinnamon stick, two bay leaves, and one quartered orange with its squeezed juice, plus salt. Divide among bags in one layer without overlap and seal using a method suited to liquids. Fully submerge each sealed pouch in a verified, preheated circulating bath, leaving water space around every bag. Start timing at immersion and complete the full listed time without interruption. Cover the bath and monitor the water level throughout the long cook. The listed time covers the bath stage. The thermometer check, any additional cooking needed to pass it, and the finish are separate. Check the thickest center of every piece, avoiding bone, fat, and gristle; check several places in large or uneven pieces. Every measured spot must reach 145°F before finishing. Cook any cooler piece further in a skillet or oven and recheck it. Bath time, color, texture, and browning do not replace this check. Use clean utensils, discard all pouch liquid, and keep cooked food away from raw-food juices, used bags, and utensils that touched raw meat. Discard the pouch aromatics. Dry and brown the intact slabs in a hot oiled skillet, supporting softer pieces with a wide spatula. Keep every piece intact through the check and finish, then rest at least 3 minutes after the final heat before cutting, pulling, or serving. Cube or pull the pork only after the rest, then serve immediately. Browning whole slabs gives a crisp exterior; it does not crisp every shredded edge. These methods cover immediate service only. Frozen starts, chilling, storage, reheating, and holding need separate methods. Other pork cuts, whole roasts, bone-in, rolled, tied, stuffed, injected, cured, or unmeasurable meat are excluded. Do not shorten the long cook to a heating estimate.
Cook for 12 hours if you are cooking 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder in intact 2-inch-thick slabs, fully thawed and refrigerator-cold, with the stated onion, garlic, spice, and orange mixture.
Near serving time, prepare the salsa, diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges. Warm the tortillas.

Check before finishing

At the end of the bath, open the pouch and transfer each piece intact to a clean surface with clean utensils. Discard the pouch liquid and any sauce that touched raw food.
Use a clean food thermometer. Check the thickest center of every piece, avoiding bone, fat, and gristle; check several places in large or uneven pieces.
Every spot you check must reach 145°F. If any reading is lower, keep cooking with a method hot enough to reach this temperature and check each cooler spot again. Complete this check before finishing.

Finish

After every slab passes the temperature check, discard the pouch liquid and aromatics and pat the pork dry.
Brown the intact slabs in a hot skillet with the oil, working in batches and adding a little more oil as needed. Support the softened slabs with a wide spatula. Keep them intact for the rest below.

Rest

After the final heat, rest every piece for at least 3 minutes before cutting, pulling, or serving.

Serve

After the rest, pull the pork with clean forks and fill the tortillas.
Add salsa verde, diced onion, and cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Want another texture or thickness?

The complete guide has all reviewed settings, safety context, and finishing options.

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