Carnitas Burrito
Posted: 04/25/23
Updated: 12/11/24
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A fully-loaded carnitas burrito is one of my favorite meal prep dishes that’s also great for freezer meals, parties, or family dinner nights. With slow-cooked shredded pork, easy homemade guac, tender white rice, and all the best burrito mix-ins, this simple recipe is full of flavor. I’ll even walk you through a totally foolproof method for rolling perfect burritos every time.
🌯 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- These carnitas burritos are tender and full of flavor. The rub is simple, using a handful of pantry staple spices, and the braising liquid imparts so much flavor with just a little orange juice and aromatics. You’ll have restaurant-shredded carnitas in just a couple of hours, with very little effort!
- Like any burrito, a carnitas burrito is totally customizable! You can add or omit any toppings to please any picky eaters or meet any dietary restrictions. Level up your meal by pairing your burritos with some delicious restaurant-style queso.
- This is a fun and easy way to feed party guests. Once the pork shoulder is cooked and shredded, all you have to do is set out toppings. Your guests can customize and make their own burrito or taco bowls, making it a fun and interactive meal. Everyone will love these carnitas burritos!
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- A delicious, low-carb option for this recipe is to make taco bowls, or use romaine lettuce leaves in place of tortillas. It’s also less messy than handling full burritos- which is great for little ones!
- For more flexible tortillas (that are less likely to tear while you’re rolling the burritos), just steam them first! Layer damp (not sopping wet) paper towels between each of the tortillas on a plate. Cover the top tortilla with another damp paper towel, then pop the stack in the microwave. Microwave in 30-second bursts until the tortillas are warm and soft. Just don’t let the paper towels get too dry, and don’t leave any sections of the tortillas uncovered at all.
- This is a great way to meal prep! Cook and prepare your burritos, then wrap each individual burrito in aluminum foil. They’ll last 2 to 3 days in the fridge, 3 to 4 months in the freezer. You can also place any leftover pork in an airtight container and use it later in the week for breakfast tacos, salads, and even sandwiches.
🥘 More Delicious Recipes to Check Out
- Tuna Ceviche
- Achiote Chicken
- Keto Tacos with Homemade Keto Tortillas
- Cheesy Shrimp Enchiladas
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake
- Burrito Suizo
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Carnitas Burrito
A great meal-prep option for a busy week, and a fun choice for entertaining.
burritos
Ingredients
For the Carnitas
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 teaspoons salt divided
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 pounds pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado oil, olive oil, etc.
- half of one onion chopped
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper stem and seeds removed, pepper minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
For the Guacamole
- 2 medium avocados pit removed, peeled
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
For the Burritos
- 6 12-inch flour tortillas
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 2 cups pico de gallo or salsa
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 cup pinto beans or black beans, drained
- chopped fresh cilantro to taste
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Cutting board
- Paper towels
- large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- Tongs
- Small mixing bowl
- 3 forks or 2 forks and 1 potato masher
- large plate
Instructions
For the Carnitas
- Add 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon chili powder to small bowl. Mix spices together until well blended.
- Place 2 pounds pork shoulder on cutting board and pat shoulder completely dry on all sides with paper towels. Generously coat all sides of pork shoulder with spice mixture, making sure to rub spice mixture into meat. Set cutting board aside.
- Heat large pot over medium heat. When pot is warm, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and swirl pot to distribute oil across surface. Continue heating pot until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, place seasoned pork shoulder in pot. Sear pork until golden brown crust forms, then turn pork over and repeat. Continue until pork shoulder is seared on all sides.
- Once pork is golden brown on all sides, add half of one onion, ¼ cup orange juice, 3 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeño pepper, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice to pot. Stir to mix ingredients, then cover pot with lid and reduce heat to low.
- Simmer pork shoulder, covered, 2 to 3 hours or until pork is fork tender.
For the Guacamole
- Add flesh of 2 medium avocados, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt to small mixing bowl.
- Mash ingredients together with fork or potato masher until fully combined and desired consistency is achieved. Set aside.
To Fill and Roll the Burritos
- When pork shoulder is fully cooked, remove pot from heat. Use 2 forks to shred pork into small or large pieces as desired. Set aside.
- Place one flour tortilla on clean, flat surface. Spoon ⅓ cup cooked white rice into horizontal line across center of tortilla.
- Flatten line of rice, then top rice with hearty amount of shredded pork, ⅓ cup pico de gallo, ⅓ cup shredded cheese, ⅙ cup drained beans, spoonful of guacamole, and chopped cilantro as desired. Be careful not to place toppings too close to edges of tortilla.
- Lift edge of tortilla farthest from you and fold edge down and over filling to meet bottom edge of tortilla. Lightly press on filling, then unfold tortilla. Filling should now mostly cover bottom half of tortilla.
- Fold left and right edges of tortilla in toward center, covering filling as much as possible without overlapping tortilla edges.
- With sides of tortilla folded toward center, lift bottom edge of tortilla (edge closest to you) and fold tortilla up toward center, covering filling. Tuck bottom edge of tortilla under top edge of filling.
- Gently but tightly roll tortilla away from you, holding sides together as needed, until burrito is completely rolled.
- Set rolled burrito on large plate, seam down, and repeat process with remaining tortillas until all 6 burritos have been rolled. Serve rolled burritos warm with additional toppings as desired.
Notes
- Make it Dairy Free: Use dairy-free shredded cheese.
- Make it Low Carb: Use low-carb tortillas. Replace the cooked with rice with steamed cauliflower rice.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1burrito | Calories: 764kcal | Protein: 39g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0g | Total Carbs: 79g | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Net Carbs: 70g | Vitamin C: 23mg | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 2972mg | Potassium: 978mg | Calcium: 446mg | Iron: 6mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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