Carne Frita is seasoned pork chunks, that are then fried until tender on the inside and crispy on the corners.
In Puerto Rico, Carne Frita is a very popular Puerto Rican street food that can be found everywhere from chinchorros to restaurants.
They’re usually sold with a buttery mofongo or crispy fried tostones with a mayo and ketchup mix. It is so popular that it is sold in Chinese restaurants with Puerto Rican fried rice.
I like my carne frita very tender and I will show you my trick to do it this way.
I like to serve these fried pork chunks in a tray full of other foods that we call picadera, like small appetizers. I also like to serve it with any yellow rice or white rice with coconut milk.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- The pork meat will be super tender!
- It is a good finger food to make at any party or gathering.
- This is a recipe that you can make ahead, and then finish in 10 minutes or less!
Recipe Ingredients
- Pork Chunks- You can get your pork pre-cut from the supermarket. But what I like to do is buy a whole pork butt with one half as a roasted pernil and the other half as fried pork.
- Seasonings- The seasonings are a simple combination of onion powder, sazón with culantro and achiote, adobo, and ground thyme. You can always change up the seasonings to your liking.
- Oil- I used vegetable oil but you can use whichever you normally use to fry.
How to make Carne Frita
- Photo 1: First you have to cut your pork into cubes about 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. Of course, you can buy it already cut and save some time.
- Photo 2: Then season your meat. You can leave your meat time to marinate but there is really no need.
- Photo 3: Cook your meat for 45 minutes covered so it can cook on its juices. Halfway through separate the meat chunks because they tend to stick.
- Photo 4: Fry for 10 minutes or until they have a nice golden color. Remember that your meat is fully cooked, you’re are only frying to give it a nice crust and more flavor.
Recipe Tips
- After cooking your meat in the first stage, you will have some fat in the pan. Don’t throw it away, save this and you can make delicious rice with it.
- You can eat the pork meat after the first stage of cooking, we call it Carne de cerdo al caldero.
Frequently Asked Questions
To get your pork tender every time the secret is to first cook it in its juices. As it cooks it will start releasing its juices which will act just like a stock to boil your pork in.
The fattier the cut, the better. I like to use pork butt or pork shoulder. I have even used pork ribs and they turn out delicious.
Great Sides For This Recipe
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Carne Frita | Fried Pork
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut your pork into 1 ½ to 2 inches thick pieces. While cutting leave some fat on as this will help with the cooking. You can skip this step by buying the pork already cut.
- In a large pan add the meat, sazón, adobo, onion powder, ground thyme, and mix everything. Cook the meat for 45 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally so your meat won't stick together and cook evenly. Remove the meat to a container until you are ready to fry it.
- Over a large saucepan add 1 cup of oil and set to medium high heat. You need to cook your pork for about 10 minutes or until they have a nice golden color. Serve right away and enjoy.
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Recipe Notes
- Reserve the fat you get from cooking the meat to make another recipe like rice.
- After the first stage, the pork is cooked fully and is safe to consume.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Stephenie says
Thank you Mickey for giving the recipe a try and for the support. I’m glad your family loved the recipe.
Mickey says
Amazing recipie. My family loved it, sazon and all. Don’t let getto JD discourage you from making this delicious recipie.
Stephenie says
Hi Julia, thank you for visiting us! I have to agree, sazon is one of the pillars of many latin dishes.
Julia says
Love the recipes and agree sazon can enhance any meal my bff is Dominican and she puts it on all her meats.
Stephenie says
Roy, thank you so much for your kind words. I am glad you like the recipe.
Roy Ortega says
Great recipe, with or with out sazon, far from “ghetto.” Now the way their comment is written, that’s improper English, get it together before you call someone’s work “ghetto.”
Stephenie says
Thank you for visiting, I am glad that you like the recipe!
MR says
Great recipe. It is a shame that somebody “ghetto” left a one star review because they disagree with an ingredient in the recipe.
Food Metamorphosis says
Thank you for visiting us! In my family, we always put sazon in different types of meat. But you can omit it if you like.
JD says
Tradicional fried pork in Puerto Rico have NO SAZON. Save sazon for beans, stews, etc. Not for fried meats. That’s ghetto!