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!
Thank youuuu for these instructions!
I live in AZ and have always wanted to recreate what our local restaurants serve up so deliciously. I was working with a 9lb bone-in pork shoulder, and adjusted the measurements accordingly. I’ll say that along with the oregano and cumin, I rubbed in some smoked paprika before the slow cook- I love me some deep, smoky flavors. I’m planning to use this for everything from stuffed anaheim peppers to pulled pork sandwiches, and couldn’t have done it without you.
Cheers!
Great to hear you enjoyed this Kaylyn! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
This recipe is amazing and easy. My family truly enjoyed it, even the finicky eater. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it Trish! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Hi Nagi,
One more question please, when I first made this recipe, you made a big point about the salt. I see the recipe now says 2 1/2 tsp salt. Is that table salt? I usually use sea salt. Should I use the 2 TBS sea salt from the original recipe you had posted? Or is it best to use 2 1/2 tsp table salt/finely grated sea salt?
Again, I live in San Diego and have been to Old Town Mexican Cafe and several other authentic Mexican restaurants, but this recipe is to die for!
Thank you,
Beth
Hi Beth! That’s a good question, I originally posted this with sea salt but it was confusing people 🙂 Just use ordinary salt – table salt or cooking salt, but not flakes or rock salt or any fancy big chunks of salt. Just normal small salt grains. 🙂 N xx PS I MISS OLD TOWN MEXICAN CAFE!!!
Hi Nagi, I Live in San Diego and I have to say this recipe is FABULOUS! Thank you for sharing.
Two questions please,
1) Can I put the pan fried bits back into the slow cooker and add some juices to keep it warm until I’m ready to serve it? Or will it go soggy?
2) Can I do it overnight in the crockpot and then leave it on the warm setting and then shred and pan fry just before serving?
Thank you!
Beth
Hi Beth! I LOVE San Diego, had a blast there! In response to your question: 1) Yes it stays pretty crisp because the golden bits are quite crispy – so if you did this the way other recipes do which is spread out on a tray and broil, it doesn’t go anywhere near as crisp and golden and it goes soggy in the slow cooker warmer 2) YES that’s what I do when I’ve entertaining. My favourite way is to cook overnight then leave on warm setting all morning, then shred (or shred first thing then leave in liquid) then crisp it up on the BBQ because I can do loads at the same time and the boys always take over anyway. 🙂 N xx
I rarely leave comments on anything, but I had to tell you that this recipe was one of the best meals I have ever made. I have tried other recipes for carnitas, but have been disappointed often due to not enough flavor. This recipe/method is fantastic and flavorful. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I’m so pleased to hear this met your expectations Tony! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
Having grown up in San Diego, Old Town Mex’s carnitas are a family favorite! Can’t wait to make these now that I live in Seattle. With a small tweak (lime juice instead of orange, but with orange zest for flavor), this is perfect for my Ketogenic lifestyle!
Seriously they were the BEST carnitas I’ve had outside of Mexico! I want to go back to SD just to go to Old Town Mexico Cafe again. 🙂
Hi Nagi,
This is for sure now on our dinner rotation! I used adobo powder, and I did not have an orange so I used a fairly sweet grapefruit. Turned out amazing!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Tina 🙂
That’s fantastic to hear Tina! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N xx
I’m to the point where I’m making this at least once a month. It’s so good that even my girlfriend that hate pork devours them.
After I pull out the pork and shred it is take my immersion blender and blend up all the onions/jalepenos, etc and then pour it over the meat. Talk about a flavor bomb!
Damn skippy, liquify the left over veggies and stir into juice reduction.
BTW this juice reduction can of course be repurposed as a roux or base for a variety of sauces, I did an eggs Benedict with the carnitas on a homemade biscuit, poached egg, sautéed some mushrooms into which I blended the carnitas juice, added a dollop of sour cream (I almost used Greek yogurt) and with which I covered the Benedict.
Now THAT is just about the greatest compliment you can get!! 🙂 N xx
I’ve made this recipe several times now! A couple of times for tamales, and a couple of times for sandwiches.
Instead of fresh jalapeño, we use chipotle peppers diced very fine, almost in a paste.
I also always keep the fat! It’s the best if you’re making dough for tamales. It’s also gIves wonderfully rich flavor to dishes and a little goes a long way.
I also find it makes a lot more liquid than i can use for the pulled pork. I take the meat out of the pot, strain the remaining liquid, and refrigerate it to make the fat easy to separate from the stock. It keeps well for a long time (several weeks) in the refrigerator until use.
The stock makes some really tasty soup!
What a FANTASTIC idea to use the stock for soup!!! So glad you enjoy this Rachel, I am pretty obsessed with it myself! N xx
Just made these for the first time. WOW! They are absolutely amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!!! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
Just want to say this is by far the best pork recipe I have ever tried! Followed the recipe exactly (halved all ingredients since I had a 2lb roast) and it came out so perfect. Very flavourful and made the best tasting tacos with it. Everyone in the house told me I better save the recipe because they don’t want my boring ground beef tacos 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe
Wow what a compliment! Thank you Meja! ❤️
Hi Nagios, thank you for the wonderful recipe. My daughter made it and it was delicious. Now I want to make it for church for 40 people. I used the slider scale to adjust to 40 servings and it says to use a 40 pound pork shoulder with 10 teaspoons of salt. Just wanted to check in with you to make sure 10 teaspoons of salt is right. I don’t want it to be too salty by mistake. Thank you so much!
Hi Eunice! I just tried it and it said 20 lb of pork with 10 tsp of salt (for 40 people) which is the correct scale up from the base recipe. 🙂
Thank you, Nagi! Sorry for the multiple typos in my comment. It was late in the night! Really appreciate you! Can’t wait to try it for church this Fri. Have a blessed week!
Hi Nagi – thanks so much for the great recipe. On the first Sunday of each month, we have a family dinner with our adult children and their spouses and children. Yesterday I made your carnitas and everybody loved them. The house still smells amazing. Just wanted to say thanks!
Ohhh! I love hearing that Tricia, the family coming together regularly! ❤️
Hi Nagi – only just found your blog a couple of weeks ago and this pulled pork dish was my second recipe I’ve tried of yours. Lovely flavor and will certainly make again. I substituted the shoulder for 1kg scotch cut – adjusted the rub and liquid content accordingly and also adjusted the cooking time to 6 1/2 hour slow cook. The edges pulled quite easily and it cut beautifully but I did end up having to slice rather than pull the entire cut apart before the frying step. I’m wonder if that is because of the pork cut I used or I’ve maybe underdone the time in the slow cooker? Thanks Kate
Hi Kate! When you use a smaller cut, the cook time doesn’t necessarily reduce in proportion. 🙂 I would have still done it for around 8 hours on low. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavour though! N xx
Naturally…your flavors inspired me 🙂 And I used my new fancy Instant Pot to create these carnitas modeled after your flavors!!! Thanks for inspiring me friend! http://girlandthekitchen.com/mexican-instant-pot-pulled-pork-carnitas/
I’m SO HONOURED!!! SHARING NOW!!!❤️
This was super easy and absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much.
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed it Aimee! Thank you very much for your message – N xx
That looks like a pressure cooker in the video not a slow cooker…..which one is it?
Hi Anna! Just above the video, I explain it’s a slow cooker that is also a pressure cooker.
You’d never put this in a pressure cooker for an hour and a half. So based on the written instructions, I’m going to say slow cooker, for sure. The recipe also says “slow cooker” in the description !
Hi Laura! Actually this recipe also works in the pressure cooker and it is 1.5 hours!! 🙂
Hi what you use is shoulder or butt and do you prefer bone in or boneless.? In the video I did not notice any bones. Thank you
What a terrific pick up Sherry! You can use boneless or bone in (weights are in the recipe for both), shoulder is also known as butt (and also as boston butt) 🙂
This is my first time with the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Only found a 2.5 lb pork shoulder. Do I reduce the pressure cooker time to 1 hour at high setting?
Hi Arty! I think 1 hr 15 will be needed. 🙂 Don’t worry, shoulder is very forgiving re: overcooking. It’s more irritating if undercooked because it takes time for the pressure cooker to come up to temp!
Im about to make this tomorrow. I dont have a slow cooker, can make it in a cast iron pot?
Hi Caroline! There are directions in the notes to make this in the oven 🙂