“Mexican torta” is an umbrella term to describe a wide variety of sandwiches that you may find while walking the streets in Mexico. Tortas are made with a crusty roll called a bolillo or a telera. Bolillo rolls can be compared to a kaiser roll or a French baguette and in fact, if you can’t find a bolillo, feel free to use either of these—the taste and texture will be almost identical. Telera rolls are a little softer and have a round or slightly oblong shape with two indentations running the length of the roll.
There is great variety in the world of tortas. There’s the torta Cubana, an “everything torta” with beans, cheese, fried beef or pork cutlet, sausage, Spanish ham, egg, and toppings; torta milanesa features a fried meat cutlet, beans, cheese, and toppings; and a torta ahogada is “drowned” in a thin, spicy sauce.
What’s more, the kind of torta you’ll encounter most depends on the region you’re traveling—in Mexico City, it’s the pambazo, in Guadalajara, it’s the torta ahogada, and in the Yucatán, it’s the torta de cochinita pibil (suckling pig marinated achiote and sour orange and cooked wrapped in banana leaves).
Tortas de carnitas are seen throughout Mexico and are, of course, incredibly delicious. The main trick to this recipe is to slow-cook the pork in its own lard, or manteca, until very tender and deeply browned.
Once you have the carnitas prepared, you can assemble your torta in just about any way that fits your fancy. That said, typical toppings include sliced onion, avocado, tomato, and salsa, which you can make spicy or mild.
- When cooking the carnitas, don’t rush the process. The meat should cook at a very slow simmer in order to cook and become crisp on the outside and tender, not dry, on the inside.
- Blackening the tomatoes in the skillet not only adds a subtle smokiness to the finished salsa, it also takes the raw edge off the tomatoes, deepening their flavor.
- The lard from making the carnitas can be saved and reused to make more carnitas, or use it in refried beans, cornbread, or anywhere you want a rich pork flavor. Allow the lard to cool slightly until no longer hot but still liquid. Strain it through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove any particles. Then transfer the lard to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 6 months.
- 1 1/2 pounds lard
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
- 3 whole valencia oranges
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fine salt
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 10 chiles de árbol
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 4 bolillo or telera rolls, sliced in half
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
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Gather the Ingredients.
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Place the lard in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Do not put a lid on the pot, as this can cause condensation to accumulate and fall into the lard, causing it to pop and sizzle and possibly burn you.
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While the lard is heating up, cut the pork into 2-inch cubes.
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When all the lard has melted, carefully slide the cubes of pork into the pot or use tongs to place the pork in the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the pork cook for about 30 minutes, or until it begins to turn golden.
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While the carnitas are cooking, juice the oranges.
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Once the carnitas have begun to turn golden, add the orange juice and salt.
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Let the carnitas cook for another 30 minutes, until very tender and well-browned.
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When the carnitas are done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the carnitas to a metal colander to drain. If you don’t own a metal colander, place the carnitas on several layers of paper towel to help absorb the extra fat.
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Gather the ingredients.
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Place a comal or heavy skillet over medium heat. Place the 3 tomatoes whole onto the comal or skillet. Roast them, turning occasionally, until lightly blackened all over.
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Meanwhile, separate the stems from the chiles, discarding the stems.
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When the tomatoes are almost ready, add the chiles onto the comal or skillet. Toast both chiles and tomatoes to your preference, then remove them from the heat. Avoid blackening the chiles.
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Place the chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and salt in a blender and blend, adding as much water as needed to blend the ingredients together but not enough to make the salsa watery. Add more salt to taste, if needed.
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Gather the remaining ingredients.
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Separate the carnitas into 4 portions, placing them onto one side of a sliced bolillo.
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Add avocado, onion, and cilantro as desired, finishing the torta with a drizzle of salsa. Place the tops of the bolillo rolls back on and cut the sandwich in half to serve.
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- While not traditional to a torta de carnitas, pickled red onions are a delicious addition. Or try escabeche.
- You can experiment with different salsas. Try salsa verde, chipotle salsa, or another salsa of your choice.
- If you would like to add cheese, use queso fresco or quesillo.
Leftover carnitas can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat them, spread them on a sheet pan and broil on the bottom rack of the oven. This will help crisp them up without burning. Alternatively, reheat them in an air fryer set to 375 F until heated through and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Leftover salsa can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
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