Or how to make quick tacos

Refrigerated, ready-to-heat prepared meats, are great to keep in the refrigerator (their expiration date is usually months after you buy them) for when you need a last-minute meal. You can add some tortilla and salsa to this one and make some quick tacos, or use them as a filling in a sandwich. Of all the ready-to-heat meats out there, I think Del Real carnitas might be my favorite.

The carnitas are pretty flavorful, though I’d characterized the marinade as mild. They are a bit on the dry side, but I do appreciate the lack of big chunks of fat (at least in this package). They do work better if you add some moisture to them, either through condiments in a sandwich or salsa/sour cream/guacamole in a taco or burrito. They do not have charred/roasted pieces, which I sort of miss, but there are overall a good product.

They are pretty quick to ready. They come in a pouch which you microwave for a few minutes before opening into the provided plastic bowl.

I usually buy them when Safeway has them on sale for $5 (off the $13 regular price). At that price they are a bargain, even though the package suffers from shrinkflation and only offers 15 oz.

Del Real is a majority owned by Guatemalan investment corp Corporación Multi Inversiones.

See other reviews of deli items.