Tinga vs Carnitas
Tinga tacos are chicken stewed in tomato and chipotle; carnitas tacos are pork confit: simmered for hours in its own lard, then crisped. Same corn tortilla, different meat and different technique, so they taste and eat nothing alike. Order tinga when you want crema and a richer bite, carnitas when you want the lighter one.
The difference is the filling: Tinga uses chicken, Carnitas uses pork.
What are tinga? · What are carnitas?
Questions
What is on a carnitas taco?
Pork shoulder simmered slowly in its own fat until tender, then crisped, chopped or shredded onto a corn tortilla with white onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and salsa. Sometimes a little pickled onion or a slice of pineapple.
What is the difference between carnitas and asada tacos?
Carnitas is pork, slow-cooked in fat and then crisped. Carne asada is beef (skirt or flank steak) marinated and grilled hot and fast, then chopped. Carnitas is soft and rich; asada is charred and beefy.
How are carnitas traditionally cooked?
In a wide copper pot (cazo) over a flame, the pork submerged in lard with a little milk, orange, bay and salt, cooked low for a couple of hours until it falls apart, then the heat is raised to crisp the outside. It comes from Michoacán.
What does carnitas mean?
"Little meats", a reference to the small pieces the crisped pork is chopped into.
Last updated August 31, 2026. Venue details refresh with each data import.