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.
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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!
I searched the net after picking up some pork on sale…….Found your post of this recipe and you had me once you said San Diego as that is my native city with exceptional Mexican food…hehe. This is by far the best pulled pork for Mexican dishes (and other things like BBQ sandwiches) I have had in years!!!!!! exceptionally tasty and versatile from tacos to burritos, you name it. I am land bound in the middle of the U.S. so finding your post is a God send culinary wise. Thank you so very much! 🙂
Ray II.
I LOVE HEARING THAT!! *Sorry for shouting* 😂
Can I use a crock pot for this?
You sure can! That’s what a slow cooker is! 🙂 N x
Yes, that is what a slow cooker is 🙂
Will a crock pot work? Looking forward to making this next weekend.
Yes! Same thing as a slow cooker! 🙂
Hi. I’m allergic to oranges so was wondering what I could use instead? I’ve seen some recipes use Coca Cola. Thanks!
Hi Lauren! I must confess I am not a fan of using Coke in my recipes because of all the artificial additives in them 🙂 Any fruit juice like apple or mango or pineapple will be great because once it’s cooked, you can’t really taste any orange at all. It’s more for the sugar 🙂 N x
Ah brilliant, thanks so much!!
I want to make this sometime this week! Can I use bottled Orange Juice?
Yes!
I cannot say enough about this recipe! It is so easy and the results are restaurant quality. For those of you who did not fry the meat, please just let me say, you should try it at least once! It elevates the meal to a higher level. I cannot quit eating the meat when I make this. It holds up well for leftovers too. I am making it for a potluck tomorrow and I am so excited for everyone to try it! Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe!
That’s terrific to hear Joy! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
I questioned the ingredients but after reading the reviews I am so glad I made this! Made a few minor adjustments because I can never help myself…I added adobo to the salt and pepper rub, added a tsp of chili powder to the spice rub, used 2 chipotles in adobo instead of jalapeno (only bc I forgot the jalapeno and had chipotles in the pantry), and I also added the juice of 1 lime…because…why not?
PAN FRY YOUR MEAT!!! The crispy brown coating adds so much flavor its unreal.
I lightly charred my corn tortillas on my gas stove right over the open fire and turned them every few seconds until they started getting a few blackened areas…also added tons of flavor and stopped the wraps from falling apart from all the juicy meat.
I used corn tortillas and served with a buffet of toppings such as: avocado with lime squeezed on it, hand shredded Manchego cheese, and I raided Trader Joes for Salsa Verde, Corn Salsa, and Double Roasted Salsa. Next time Ill add minced red onion and shredded cabbage as well!
My family raved about this meal, even the picky little ones! We were sending pictures to friends and family and calling and texting people to tell them about it…we all love good food and feel the need to share greatness when we discover.
This meal was a definite winner and I will be sharing the recipe and making it again and again.
Thank you for sharing your awesomeness!
“PAN FRY YOUR MEAT!!! The crispy brown coating adds so much flavor its unreal.” <--- I so want to quote you on this in the post!!!! N xx
I made this in my crock pot with a 7-lb piece pork butt and increased the seasoning accordingly. I was a bit worried that the jalapeno would be spicy for my daughter’s taste, but it came out delicious and she loved it. It was easy to make, and I have enough to make two days of dinner with the meat. I didn’t brown the meat, but both husband and daughter enjoyed it even the second day. Thanks for the easy and very flavorful pork recipe! I’ve tried a few other recipes on your site, and they all turned out beautifully. I think I found a new favorite food blogger, Nagi 😉
Love hearing that! So glad you enjoyed this Yvonne! N xx
Spectacular dish cooked on low in the slow cooker and following all the instructions as given by Nagi. (we do change the rub a bit per one of the commenters who added smoked paprika, ancho Chile powder, garlic powder and it really turns out fantastic.)
Just one question – I know it has been asked several times but the answers have me confused: we have a new Instant Pot and I’d love to try cooking the pork shoulder in it but when commenters asked on which function, in one instance Nagi said on slow cooker, in another on pressure cook, and neither clarified whether you release the pressure naturally after the 1.5 hour cook time. So before experimenting… Nagi, can you please let us know? As a new IP owner I’m not comfortable guessing:-)
Hi Beatrice! You can use the slow cooker or pressure cooker directions for this recipe using the respective function in your IP. If you have the time, let the pressure release naturally but if you are in a rush, wait about 15 minutes then release by pressing the release valve. I hope that helps! – Nagi
I want to feed a crowd and not be cooking while they are here. Can I pan fry with the juices then put back into slow cooker on “keep warm” setting so that I can enjoy my guests?
Yep you sure can!
Absolutely perfect! I only used a 3lb roast and adjusted everything per your scale. I used Simply Orange OJ instead of fresh oranges and it was still perfect. We made taco’s with corn tortilla’s charred over the gas stove and they did not need anything but the pork. Will definitely be making this again and again! Thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear Jess! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
OMG Nagi….this is an absolute winner…easy procedure and the outcome was insanely excellent…….Thank you
That’s wonderful to hear Tess! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Just delicious! I made it for tomorrow and my daughter couldn’t stop eating it (even before it was fried). I had a 6 pound boneless shoulder and I upped the spices but didn’t up the time enough in the pressure cooker. Most of it was shreddable but the center isn’t. That’s fine, though, because I got plenty to use tomorrow and I’ll put the chunk back in the cooker for a while and that’ll be for the freezer!
Also, I didn’t use garlic or jalapenos. I can’t stomach either. And it is still fabulously tasty!
Thanks, Nagi. Another winner!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Kelly! Thanks for letting me know – N x
This is my go to carnitas recipe. I usually use boneless pork loin or boneless picnic roast. I have an Instant Pot and keep forgetting to try this recipe in it. I use my slow cooker. My fiancé is Mexican and he loves this. His mother and father love when I make these also. I brown the meat under a broiler though.
I LOVE HEARING THAT!! N x
I made this today and it was SOOOOO good! I didn’t do the frying part of the meat. It didn’t need it! I cooked it all day in my slow cooker and the meat was pull apart fork tender and moist. I did cut down on the salt because I only cooked about 4 lbs of meat so I only used 2 tsp of salt. Other than that, I followed this recipe exactly .THANK YOU! It’s a keeper.
That’s so great to hear Anne! Thanks for sharing your feedback – N x
Have you ever blended the sauce at the end (onions and jalapeños)? I got lazy chopping the onions so the pieces are a bit large (read: 8 month old getting into everything necessitates short cuts). I have this in the slow cooker right now and we’re so excited for dinner!
I haven’t but it will be super tasty because they are so soft!
I am wishing to make this a night ahead of time. Im a little confused with this step: keep the juices separate, refrigerate, then pan fry to make it golden and reheat the meat. Do we pan fry the juices to make it golden or is it talking about the meat?
Thanks
Hi Adam! Pan fry the meat and pour over juices 🙂
Perfect as written. I cut down on the salt…and then found it needed more salt at the end – doh. Next time I will follow the directions. But it was DELISH and my family loved it. Served with cilantro, avocado, pico de gallo, and lime. A keeper!
We’ve made this several times now. We use 1/2 the recipe for just the 2 of us, and the other 1/2 of the pork shoulder gets made into the wonderful Vietnamese Caramel Pork (https://promotown.info/vietnamese-caramel-pork/%3C/a%3E%29.
I made it for a friend, who insisted on the recipe. I forgot to warn him to be out of the house while it’s cooking. He texted me: “Mother of God! Every time I walk (past the kitchen) I’m STARVING!” I think they enjoyed it too.
That’s terrific to hear Edward! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
Fantastic, my daughter keeps in a journal what she considers the best of the best recipes and she kept this one.
Thanks,love how well explained it was, every important detail.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Olga! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x