By SHARON ROSE
Chipotle's Barbacoa Vs Carnitas: How Different Are The Flavors?
With 53 delicious ingredients in each restaurant, Chipotle's customers can be spoiled for choice. Two tasty shredded meat options are spicy beef barbacoa and sweet pork carnitas.
Chipotle's punchy barbacoa incorporates familiar Mexican herbs and spices, including chili peppers. It also features cloves, which give the beef sweet, yet slightly bitter notes.
Reminiscent of the traditional method of cooking the meat in leaves, Chipotle sous vides barbacoa for tenderness, then braises it in high-heat rice bran oil to ensure juiciness.
Chipotle’s carnitas are flavored with juniper berries. This pungent, piney, and citrusy spice pairs perfectly with pork and is complemented by thyme, black pepper, and kosher salt.
Carnitas are typically cooked with chillies in pork fat lard. However, Chipotle’s versions are flavorsome but milder, as the chain opts out of the chillies and uses sunflower oil.