Every tortilla dreams of being stuffed with Carnitas. Picture seasoned pork slow-cooked into tender submission, gently shredded and pan-fried to golden, crispy perfection. Carnitas has that elusive combination of juicy and crispy that’s so irresistible. The best part of this Carnitas? 5 minutes prep!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Carnitas
Is there anything better in this world than pork slowly cooked until it’s crazy juicy and fall apart tender, then crisped to golden perfection?
Yes.
When it’s inside a taco. 😂
Carnitas is one of my specialities. I make this recipe often – for everyday purposes, a freezer standby and for taco-bar gatherings with friends!
The one and only Pork Carnitas
I went through A LOT of Pork Carnitas recipes before settling on this as The One. I’ve been loyal to it for over a decade because it ticks all my boxes:
✅ Extremely quick 5 minute preparation
✅ Made with easy to find natural ingredients
✅ Enough flavour to eat plain (and you will pick it out of the pan!)
✅ Subtle enough flavour so it can be used in any Mexican dish (over salting and over spicing is a common problem);
✅ Perfect caramelized brown bits while retaining the incredible juiciness from slow cooking;
✅ Perfect freezer food – reheats 100% perfectly; and
✅ Excellent food for gatherings – big batch recipe, stays fresh even hours after cooking it
What are Carnitas?
If you’re new to Carnitas, let me be the first to welcome you to your new addiction.
Carnitas are Mexico’s version of pulled pork. It’s the first thing you seek upon landing in Mexico. It’s why we trawled the back streets of Mexico City in torrential rains, hunting down a hole-in-the-wall carnitas joint that was popular with locals.
Made by slow cooking pork fully submerged in lard, this confit method of cooking yields pork that’s unbelievably rich and tender with loads of crispy golden bits.
Unfortunately for most home cooks, a huge cauldron of lard isn’t viable or practical.
But fortunately, it is possible to make carnitas that tastes very similar to authentic Pork Carnitas without gallons of lard. And it’s unbelievably simple.
How to make Pork Carnitas
Best Pork Cut for Pork Carnitas – for ultimate juicy pulled pork full of flavour, you can’t beat pork shoulder, aka pork butt. Bone in or out, it needs to be skinless so it can be rubbed with the Carnitas seasoning
Carnitas seasoning – rub pork with a simple spice mix of oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.
Flavour for cooking – top pork in slow cooker with onion, garlic and jalapeño, then pour over orange juice (the secret ingredient!). It sounds so simple, but with hours of slow cooking, mingling with the pork juices, it transforms into the most incredible braising broth that more than makes up for the absence of gallons of lard.
Slow cook until the pork is pull-apart tender and infused with incredible flavour
Pan fry until golden, doused with the juices from the slow cooker. Pan frying is so much better than broiling/grill or oven!
Can Carnitas be made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker?
Yes! The outcome is exactly the same – no one can the difference once browned in the skillet. I make this in a pressure cooker when time is of the essence!
The BEST Pork Carnitas are browned in a skillet!
Don’t skip the step to brown the Pork Carnitas! This is the key that makes this the best Pork Carnitas you will have outside of Mexico.
Hand on heart, it is as good as the carnitas I had at a really authentic Mexican joint called Old Town Mexican Cafe in San Diego which is famous for its Pork Carnitas.
So if you think you’ve had great carnitas before, but you haven’t tried browning in a skillet, this is going to be a game changer!
What to serve with Pork Carnitas
While I have a great fondness and tendency to favour Tacos de Carnitas (Pork Carnitas Tacos), pork this juicy and full of flavour is highly versatile – plus it freezes 10000% perfectly.
I use Pork Carnitas to make Enchiladas, Burritos, Quesadillas, Sliders, Mexican pizzas. I toss them into my Mexican Fried Rice (don’t laugh, this is a firm favourite with many readers!), and I make Carnitas Plates – pile Carnitas over Mexican Red Rice with a side of Pico de Gallo or Guacamole, and steamed corn.
And of course, I eat it straight out of the skillet. 😂
And the best part?
• You’re just 5 minutes away from getting this Pork Carnitas in your slow cooker, pressure cooker or oven.
• It can be frozen without any loss of quality.
• There are easy ways to pan fry to golden perfection and still be juicy and fresh hours later – even after refrigerating.
There’s a reason I am rarely without a stash of Carnitas in my freezer!!! – Nagi xx
Mexican recipe favourites
Mexican Fiesta Menu and recipes
Carnitas
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
Is that a pressure cooker in the video??
Yes and no! My slow cooker (Breville Fast-Slow Cooker) is like an Instant Pot. It’s multi-functional, a pressure cooker and slow cooker in one. Hence why it looks like a pressure cooker with the twisting top. The slow cooking function is no different to any standard slow cooker.
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooker Pulled Pork)
Ingredients
- 2 kg / 4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt) , skinless, boneless (5lb/2.5kg bone in) (Note 1)
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 onion , chopped
- 1 jalapeno , deseeded, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)
Rub
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
- Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
- Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don’t worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
- Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 7 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods)
- Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
- Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard.
- If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside – don’t bother straining onion etc, it’s super soft.
To Crisp:
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side – you don’t want to make it brown all over because then it’s too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
- Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) – don’t crowd the pan.
- Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos (see notes for sides, other serving suggestion and storage/make ahead).
Recipe Notes:
1.5 – 3 kg / 3 – 6 lb: Cook time per recipe.
3 – 4 kg / 6 – 8 lb: Use large oval slow cooker, 12 hours on low. 2. Other cooking methods: Electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot: 1 h 30 minutes on high. Let pressure release naturally. Proceed with Step 5 of recipe. Stove pressure cooker: use a rack or balls of scrunched up foil to elevate it from the base OR add 3/4 cup of water. Cook 1 h 30 minutes. Proceed with Step 5 of recipe. Oven: Follow recipe but put pork in roasting pan. Add 2 cups water around pork. Cover tightly with foil, roast in 325F/160C oven for 2 hours, then roast for a further 1 to 1.5 hours uncovered. Add more water if the liquid dries out too much. You should end up with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid when it finishes cooking, and you can skip the pan frying step because you will get a nice brown crust on your pork. Shred pork then drizzled with juices. 3. Taco Fixings: Diced avocado or make a real proper Guacamole, Pico de Gallo or Restaurant Style Salsa or even just sliced tomato, grated cheese, sour cream. Sliced lettuce or pickled cabbage / red onions would also be great, but unlike other tacos, you don’t need it for the texture because the carnitas have the crispy bits! Also see this Carnitas Tacos dinner spread. 4. Other Ways to use Carnitas: Burritos (switch for the beef), Quesadillas (baked version here), Enchiladas, Sliders, with Mexican Red Rice, in Taco Soup or Enchilada Soup. 5. Storing / Make Ahead: Crispiness is retained very well, main thing is loss of moisture as meat cools (happens with all meat, shredded meat cools faster). a) Best way to store: Shred pork but don’t pan fry. Keep pork and juice separate, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months (for freezer, I put pork in containers/ bags and put juice in ziplock bags in the same container). Gently reheat juice to make it pourable (congeals when cold). Pan fry per recipe, drizzling with juice. b) Storing leftovers after pan frying: Keeps extremely well, but tends to lose juiciness when it cools down. Just drizzle with juice, cover with cling wrap and reheat – the crispy bits hold up very well. It’s not quite as crispy as when cooked fresh, but still seriously tasty. c) Brown pork a few hours ahead / keep warm: Works extremely well. Brown pork per recipe, then transfer to slow cooker on warm setting or food warmer and drizzle generously with juices to keep it moist. Cover loosely. As long as the pork is warm when served, it’s really juicy. The crispiness holds up extremely well. 6. Source: This is a recipe I’ve been making for over a decade now, with minor tweaks over time so I can’t remember the exact source. I want to say Rick Bayless but I can’t find the recipe, however, I did find this one from Food Network which is very similar. However, I’m not sure when it was published. 7. Nutrition per serving, pork only, assuming 12 servings. Calories is higher than it actually is because it does not take into account discarded fat.
Nutrition Information:
Carnitas recipe originally published 2014. Updated with new photos and video in 2018, and some housekeeping in March 2019. No change to recipe, I wouldn’t dare! This has been one of the all time most popular recipes since I first published it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pork tenderloin? Sorry to say it’s not suitable for this recipe. Tenderloin is too lean so the long cook time will dry it out. Also, it does not shred into strands well.
Just to confirm – no liquid other than the juice from the oranges?? Really? YES, really. 🙂 The small amount of liquid from the oranges is all you need to keep it from drying out while it comes to temperature, then while it cooks the pork will drop juices. When this finishes cooking you will have more liquid than you started with.
Will it taste of oranges???? Nope, not at all! It magically turns into the most incredible broth that is then poured over the shredded pork.
Can I cook a frozen pork? Please don’t! This will mess with the cook time a lot because it will take sooooo long for the middle of the pork to cook, by which time the outside will be overcooked and when you shred it, it will almost look like mush! The pork must be defrosted!
After I skim off the fat, do I include the onions garlic and jalapeños when topping the meat, or do I discard these and only use the juices? It is up to you! Because it’s been slow cooked, the onion etc is really soft and it just melds into the pulled pork. I don’t bother straining it, but you can if you want to.
Will this work with pork stew chunks? It will definitely work and still be tasty but won’t be quite the same because smaller pieces of pork will cook faster so you won’t get quite the same amount of flavour. 🙂
Just to confirm – no pan frying to brown the pork before putting it in the slow cooker? That’s right! You brown the pork AFTER it is cooked and shredded.
What size slow cooker do you use? Mine is 6 quarts / 6 litres. I use this Breville Fast / Slow Cooker (I’m in Australia) which I love because it’s a pressure cooker and slow cooker in one, plus it has a saute setting! It’s basically an Instant Pot – but without one touch cook functions (like rice etc).
Life of Dozer
I first published this recipe back in 2014, when I was new to blogging. I took sooooo long with the photos – prolonged torture for Dozer!
So I made your recipe a few weeks ago, and have had request every since to make it again. Request granted!!! Today I am trying this in my Instant Pot (on SlowCook) and can not wait. I take the finished meat and fry it up outside in my giant Disk Cooker. OMG you nailed this one, definitely looking for more of your recipes!!
That’s great Steven!!
I made this for Cinco de Mayo and it was a BIG HIT (no leftovers! which was sad for me :() Excited to make it again tomorrow for a Taco Night!
Definitely do a double batch next time!
You are the most excellent recipe writer! As someone who is not a “natural” in the kitchen, (although I really enjoy cooking!) ai rely HEAVILY on recipes. Your layout is so straightforward and clear. I love how you’ve thought of all the scenarios that a home cook might be facing when recreating your dish, and preemptively answered questions! It makes a reader/cook feel so equipped to get in the kitchen and make your recipe perfectly! Thank you for taking the time to be thorough as well as enjoyable to read.
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback Skyler, I truly appreciate it!
How long for 6lb roast?
Hi Jaxene, the different times are in the recipe notes. You can scale the ingredients by hovering your mouse over the servings and adjusting it to show 6lb of pork. I hope you love it!
And are the ingredients the same amount?
Hi Jaxene, they will adjust when you change the serving size – N x
I’m making this for a large family gathering and taking the time to crisp the carnitas on the stove top isn’t a really good option. Has anyone tried /had success spreading the carnitas out on a cookie sheet and putting them under the broiler to crisp?
Hi Tammy,
I was just browsing through the reviews and found this old question from you. I make this recipe at least once a month, and we always make about double what the recipe calls for. That is just too much to brown in a skillet, so I use a cookie sheet and the broiler. It works just as well that way.
I am excited to be making this recipe, I dont have a slower cook so will need to oven bake. How long would you suggest for a smaller joint of 1kg without the bone
Hands down, best Carnitas I’ve made so far. That orange juice really does the trick!
Wahoo, thanks so much Lyn!!
I made this for the first time last week. We had sliders one night and enchiladas the next. Both were delicious! I bought another pork butt on sale today and am cooking it tomorrow. The first one was so good it left us wanting more. Hopefully, I will have enough left to freeze this time for future meals, but I’m not betting on it! Thanks for such a good and easy recipe.
That’s great Lynn, it’s the perfect freezer meal!
Awesome recipe, just got done these tonight and I still want more, these have to be the best tacos I have had since I was in Mexico last year.
That’s awesome to hear Dale, thanks so much for the feedback!
Excellent recipe. Super Easy. Made this last night. It was amazing!!!
Woot! thanks Sherie
I made these for my son’s graduation party. We had lots of compliments on the food, and the leftovers warm up great. We used them for nachos for the party, and have them as tacos too. I usually make homemade corn tortillas for the tacos. Really good recipe! And absolutely brown it in a pan. Last time I let it go a little long while not paying attention and I think they were even better!
Hi Momofsix, yes it’s all those golden crispy bits that totally transform these carnitas, I’m so happy they were a hit at your party!!!
Hello. I am currently cooking this roast and it smells amazing. Can I use the broth to cook another 4 pound roast Without adding the ingredients again?
Hi Justin, I prefer to re-do so all the flavours are absorbed into the pork – N x
I am making this in the instapot. The liquid from the oranges is enough for that as well?
Hi Krista, sure is!
Hello, my first question didn’t post correctly… Do you have to use jalapenos, I can’t eat hot stuff anymore now that I’m older, thank you, Kathy
Kathy, I have made this recipe MANY times, and the small amount of jalapeño adds flavor more than actual heat. I have served the carnitas to all of the small kids in my family with no scorched tongues!
But, if you’re worried, you can omit it, I’m sure! It just won’t taste quite the same!
Do you have to use jalapeños, I can eat not stuff now that I’m older, thank you, Kathy
would like to know if we can leave out the jalapeno also!
Hello I just cooked the pork shoulder on high for 6 hours in the crockpot and it’s not shredding. Should I just leave it in longer?
Hi Laura, sounds like it hasn’t cooked long enough, just cook it longer until tender – N x
Sitting here waiting for the timer on crockpot to go off. Smells so good. This is the second time making this recipe. It was so easy and so unbelievably delicous.. We live in San Jose CA and can get great Mexican food anytime. This is as good if not better, than most of the restaurants. It’s only 2 of us, so we made separate serving size ziplocks of meat & containers of juice and froze them. Each time we made it, just as good as eating it the day we made it. Your instructions & tips were incredible. Other recipe sites should learn from you. Thank you!
Thanks so much Diane, I’m so glad you loved it!!!
Great recipe!! I have made this several times for family and we love it.. I use the oven method and love how the outside crisps up. Follow the recipe exactly accept we leave out jalapeño, as we don’t handle spice well!! Thank you so much for a great recipe!!
Thanks so much Kristen!!!
Should have been 5 stars!! I couldn’t go back and correct!!
I’ve made this in a slow cooker, an instapot and even a roaster. Delicious every time and now my sister-in-laws beg me to make it for almost every big family get together! So good every time! I started to add lime in with my oranges and it adds an extra zing.
I was wondering about adding a little lime. How. Uch did you add?
Delicious!
I made this recipe last night, it is so good and easy to make. My son and bf love it! I will make this recipe over and over again.
That’s great Connie!!
How long would you recommend cooking in the oven for only 1-1.5 lbs pork?
Hi Samantha, you really can’t go wrong here, I’d check at 1 hour and if it needs cooking longer, just leave it in until shreddable – N x