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Mexican Carnitas – Slow-Braised Pork with Crispy Edges
Pork shoulder braised in lard and orange juice until fall-apart tender, then crisped in its own fat.
⏱ 165 min🔥 380 kcalEasy
★4.9(34,100)
🇲🇽
Mexican Pork Recipes
18 recipes using pork — Tacos, enchiladas, mole and vibrant chilli-spiced dishes.
These 18 mexican pork recipes are ready in about 164 minutes on average, with 310–720 kcal per serving, and 6% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
18
recipes
164 min
average time
468 kcal
avg per serving
6%
easy recipes
How Mexican cuisine cooks with pork
Mexican cooking is layered and vibrant — toasted chillies and charred aromatics built into salsas and slow-cooked dishes of real depth. When Mexican cooks work with pork, they reach for dried chillies, cumin, lime, coriander, garlic and tomatillos, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, steaming, boiling and roasting.
A mild, sweet meat that spans quick chops and bacon to long-cooked shoulder and ribs. In this collection it's most often cooked with garlic, dried oregano, cumin, onion, achiote paste and white vinegar. The dishes here span mexican classics ready in as little as 45 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Mexican Carnitas – Slow-Braised Pork with Crispy Edges is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 34,100 ratings.
18 Mexican Pork Recipes
✨ Newdinner
Pozole Rojo
A hearty, spicy Mexican stew with hominy and pork.
⏱ 140 min🔥 450 kcalMedium
★4.8(13,000)
✨ Newdinner
Tacos al Pastor (Spit-Roasted Pork Tacos)
Mexico City's iconic street tacos — marinated pork with dried chillies, pineapple and achiote on small corn tortillas with onion, coriander and salsa.
⏱ 60 min🔥 420 kcalMedium
★4.8(1,000)
✨ Newdinner
Chiles en Nogada (Stuffed Poblano Peppers in Walnut Cream)
Mexico's most patriotic dish — roasted poblano peppers stuffed with pork and fruit picadillo, topped with creamy walnut sauce, pomegranate and parsley.
⏱ 105 min🔥 520 kcalHard
★4.8(1,000)
soup
Mexican Pozole Rojo
A hearty Mexican stew of hominy corn and pork in a rich red chilli broth — served with shredded cabbage, radishes and lime.
⏱ 150 min🔥 440 kcalMedium
★4.7(1,234)
dinner
Chiles en Nogada
Stuffed poblano peppers with walnut sauce and pomegranate — Mexico's national dish in flag colors.
⏱ 105 min🔥 580 kcalHard
★4.9(1,840)
dinner
Tacos al Pastor
Mexican marinated pork tacos with pineapple, cilantro, and onion — Mexico City street food perfection.
⏱ 55 min🔥 480 kcalMedium
★4.9(4,820)
✨ Newdinner
Chiles en Nogada (Mexican Festival Dish)
Mexico's patriotic dish — poblanos stuffed with picadillo, draped in white walnut cream, scattered with pomegranate and parsley.
⏱ 150 min🔥 720 kcalHard
★4.9(480)
✨ Newdinner
Cochinita Pibil (Yucatecan Pit-Roasted Pork)
Yucatecan slow-roasted pork — pork shoulder marinated in achiote-citrus paste, wrapped in banana leaves, and braised until shreddable.
⏱ 960 min🔥 480 kcalMedium
★4.9(2,840)
soup
Red Pozole (Pozole Rojo)
Rich Mexican hominy stew with pork in a deep red chile broth — a festive Mexican tradition.
⏱ 180 min🔥 460 kcalMedium
★4.8(9,400)
dinner
Traditional Pork Tamales
Masa-wrapped pork in red chile sauce, steamed in corn husks — the soul of Mexican holiday cooking.
⏱ 210 min🔥 310 kcalHard
★4.9(11,200)
✨ Newdinner
Cochinita Pibil
Yucatecan slow-roasted pork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, wrapped in banana leaves.
⏱ 210 min🔥 440 kcalMedium
★4.9(10,800)
dinner
New Mexico Chile Verde
Tender pork shoulder braised in roasted green chile and tomatillo — the pride of New Mexico.
⏱ 150 min🔥 420 kcalMedium
★4.8(8,900)
snack
Gorditas de Chicharrón
Thick masa cakes stuffed with crispy chicharrón and salsa verde — Mexico City street food at its finest.
⏱ 45 min🔥 380 kcalMedium
★4.6(6,200)
✨ Newdinner
Chiles en Nogada
Poblano chiles stuffed with spiced meat and fruit, topped with walnut cream and pomegranate.
⏱ 85 min🔥 410 kcalHard
★4.8(1,560)
✨ Newdinner
Spiced Pork Skewers Mexican
Spiced Pork Skewers Mexican with toast, chile, corn sweetness and layered savor.
⏱ 65 min🔥 461 kcalHard
★4.9(2,739)
✨ Newlunch
Mexican Torta Ahogada-Style Sandwich
A crusty roll stuffed with pork carnitas and drowned in a tangy, spicy tomato-arbol chile sauce, Guadalajara street food style.
⏱ 45 min🔥 520 kcalMedium
★4.5(38)
✨ Newdinner
Al Pastor-Style Pineapple Burger
A juicy pork burger seasoned with al pastor spices, orange, and ginger, topped with grilled pineapple.
⏱ 64 min🔥 560 kcalHard
★4.3(38)
Choosing & preparing pork
How to choose
Look for pink-red, firm flesh with a little marbling. Loin and tenderloin are lean and fast; shoulder (Boston butt) and belly are fatty and made for slow cooking.
Prep & storage
A brine keeps lean cuts juicy. Render fatty cuts low and slow to turn the collagen silky; sear first for a flavourful crust.
When is it done?
Modern pork is safe at 63°C / 145°F with a short rest, leaving the centre faintly pink and juicy; shoulder and ribs go to ~90°C+ for pull-apart tenderness.
Nutrition
A good source of protein, thiamine and B vitamins; choose loin cuts to keep saturated fat lower.
Classic flavour partners: apple, garlic, fennel, sage, soy sauce, mustard
Mexican Pork Recipes — FAQ
How long do Mexican pork recipes take to make?
Most of these 18 Mexican pork recipes are ready in around 164 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Gorditas de Chicharrón, takes about 45 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 960 minutes.
How many calories are in Mexican pork dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 310 to 720 kcal per serving, averaging 468 kcal — Traditional Pork Tamales is the lightest option at 310 kcal.
What is the easiest Mexican pork recipe for beginners?
Mexican Carnitas – Slow-Braised Pork with Crispy Edges is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 165 minutes. 6% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with pork in Mexican cooking?
In these recipes, pork is most often paired with garlic, dried oregano, cumin, onion, achiote paste and white vinegar. Mexican kitchens also lean on dried chillies, cumin, lime, coriander, garlic and tomatillos.
How do I know when pork is properly cooked?
Modern pork is safe at 63°C / 145°F with a short rest, leaving the centre faintly pink and juicy; shoulder and ribs go to ~90°C+ for pull-apart tenderness.
More Mexican Recipes by Ingredient
Pork Recipes from Other Cuisines
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