Carnitas Burrito Bowl

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You know how much I love a good Chipotle Burrito Bowl Recipe. Well I have taken the chicken version made some changes and present to you my Carnitas Burrito Bowl!! 

Carnitas Burrito Bowl from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)


 

You guys are all WELL aware of my love for carnitas.

I’ve been obsessed ever since I made my first batch about 10 years ago in culinary school. Carnitas are soft and tender / fall apart in your mouth, and have a little crispy char to them to give you all the different textures. They are also downright delicious and apart from baby back ribs… hands down my fav cut of pork! I’ve made you carnitas a few times before but let’s add one more to the bunch!

I’ve been working with The National Pork Board the last few months because hi, is that not the most on-brand partnership you’ve ever heard of. Truly a dream!! If you remember about a month ago, I woke up at the crack of dawn for a Satellite Media Tour to spread the work about The United States of Pork. Basically here’s the deal…. The National Pork Board did a survey across America to see the #1 pork dish in each state. Check out the results here and the Carnitas Burrito was the #1 recipe for California. SURPRISE SURPRISE….

We live for a Carnitas Burrito here in LA! And I know I can access any number of incredible Carnitas Burritos around the state. Anyways… I wanted to put my spin on the Carnitas Burrito and turn it into a bowl. IF you’re anti-bowl (are you feeling ok??) You can easy wrap this up in a large pliable flour tortilla and it will be equally as delicious! 

Carnitas Burrito Bowl from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

A few things to note when it comes to making carnitas: 

  • Pork shoulder goes by several names at the grocery store including picnic roast, Boston butt, blade roast, and pork butt. 
  • Common cooking methods for pork shoulder include braising, smoking, roasting, grilling, and slow cooking.
  • If you’re using a slow cooker: Cook pork shoulder on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. It’s important to use a meat thermometer to make sure your pork shoulder reaches an internal temperature of 170°F.  

Alright guys… have at it! 

Carnitas Burrito Bowl

Author: Gaby Dalkin
4.8 from 12 votes
My all time fav Carnitas Burrito Bowl! All of the toppings, yummy rice, and the best carnitas you'll ever make!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Tex Mex, Southwestern
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

For the Carnitas

  • 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder cut into 2 inch cubes
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 10 oz chipotle salsa
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

For the Rice

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup white basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
  • kosher salt to taste

For the toppings

  • 1 cup black beans warmed
  • 1 cup frozen charred corn warmed
  • Guacamole
  • Pico de gallo
  • Shredded Monterey jack cheese

Instructions
 

For the Carnitas

  • Place the pork in a large dutch oven with the orange juice, lime juice, salsa and salt. Add enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer with the lid on for 2 hours, at which point the pork should be falling apart to the touch. Turn the heat up to medium high, and continue to cook the pork for 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring every once in a while, until all the liquid has evaporated and the pork fat has been rendered. Parts of the pork should be caramelized and golden brown. Remove the dutch oven from the stove and season with salt as needed

For the Rice

  • In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the white rice and lime juice and sauté for 60 seconds to toast the rice. Add the water and bring the rice to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Add in the cilantro and fluff rice with a fork. Taste and adjust salt and lime juice as needed.

To assemble

  • Arrange equal parts of the white rice and carnitas in 4 bowls. Top with equal parts of the beans, corn, guacamole, pico and cheese. Season with salt and pepper as needed and serve immediately.

Notes

These carnitas are amazing - if you have leftovers you can use them on potatoes, nachos, or wrap them up in tortillas.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 828mg | Potassium: 1263mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 291IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @WhatsGabyCookin or tag #whatsgabycooking!

27 Comments

  1. Based solely on the fact that I only tried the juice of the pork after 2 hours of cooking, I am completely sold on this recipe I cannot wait for it to render down and eat it in some corn tortillas. Thank you for the recipe. It’s amazing.
    The only change I made is that I prepared my own salsa Verde from scratch at home, and I love it!

  2. 5 stars
    This is so incredibly delicious!!!! Already looking forward to making it again. The whole family devoured it!

  3. 5 stars
    Holy…. Why have I waited so long to make this! I’ve had it pinned to my board for so long. It’s amazing!!! Pork is so tender and has amazing flavor and the rice too!!

  4. 5 stars
    this is seriously delish, easy to make, and impressive to serve! Have made 3 times in the last 2 weeks for various gatherings and always a hit! Thank you Gaby!

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