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–+ servings
Two carnitas burritos cut in half and laying on a sheet of parchment paper.

Carnitas Burrito

easyhealthyrecipes.com/carnitas-burrito/
A great meal-prep option for a busy week, and a fun choice for entertaining.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 3 hours 15 minutes
Total: 3 hours 30 minutes
Recipe makes approximately 6 burritos

Equipment Needed

  • 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

Ingredients Needed

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)

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.
    2 pound pork shoulder coated in spice rub.
  • 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.
    Seared and seasoned pork shoulder in large pot with oil.
  • 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.
    Guacamole in small white mixing bowl with a fork.

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.
    Shredded pork carnitas in a large dutch oven.
  • 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.
    Carnitas burrito on a white plate.
  • 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.
    Carnitas burrito on a white plate.

Recipe 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 Info (Approximate)

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