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!
Made this today and it is outstanding! I’ve spent a good deal of time in Mexico and am very happy with the authentic flavor profile in this recipe. I used a little green chile sauce and some chopped pineapple along with the onion and cilantro as a taco toppings. Thanks for a terrific recipe!
Thanks George! High praise! 🙂 N x
Is this enough liquid to pressure cook this for or 1h 30 m in a pressure cooker on high ?
Hi Holi, yes there is 🙂 The pork leeches so much liquid!
Thank you, this a great dish. I enjoy how you write your recipes with excellent notes and hints.
Everyone who’s tried my version, raves about it.
I made exactly as recipes calls for, twice now and a third time I added juice of one lime while reducing OJ to a smaller orange. Hard to tell the difference but I like what the lime offers.
Simple ingredients and easy recipe to perfection.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it lJocko, thanks for letting me know! N x
As a native San Diegan, comparing this carnitas to OTMC’s carnitas means this is a MUST TRY recipe! I’m headed to the grocery store after work! 🙂
I am honestly weak in the knees remembering the OTMC carnitas!
The only pork shoulders I can easily get are huge — hovering around 10 pounds. They do fit in my slow cooker, if just barely, and I have had success in general in adapting recipes for them, but I should ask, what would you do? Double the recipe?
EML, tonight I bought some pork butt shoulder for this recipe that I mean to try tomorrow, and my grocer’s meat & seafood department had no problem cutting one of their already-sealed 9 lb shoulders down to 5.5 lbs. Maybe your grocer can do the same for you.
Definitely double the recipe! Or you could cut them into smaller pieces 🙂
fabulous. I’ve never made carnitas before, so I followed the recipe word for word. Turned out great. Simple and fantastic.
thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Brent, thank you for letting me know! N x
This recipe is a keeper. Your website in general has many MANY recipes that i will enjoy trying. I’m so glad ive stumbled across it. Thank you. From my family and I 🙂
Thank you Lily! So glad you are finding recipes you like! N x
I made these today with just a rolled pork roast from out local butcher. I have never had pulled pork before but have always loved the look of it. This recipe totally delivered! It was delicious and super easy. My kidlets loved being able to make up their own Mexican wraps and hubby went back for 3 helpings! Will definitely make this again!
Yay! So glad everyone enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
I lived in Mexico for 7 years. After I left, I yearned for good Carnitas. This recipe is perfect!!!!
Woah, that IS a compliment!!! Thank you Kitty!
Love this recipe! I never have had any leftovers. It’s only my Husband and I. I have eaten this for breakfast! It’s that good! I just wanted to thank you!
Fantastic! Followed recipe to the t and love the results! Delish! Thank u!
Virtual high five! YESSS!! So glad you enjoyed it Patricia! N x
My daughter is allergic to oranges, could I substitute the o.j. with lime juice or other citrus juice. If so how much? I look forward to trying your recipe!
Hi Ann! I would use pineapple juice! 🙂 Same amount as OJ N x
This looks amazing! I would like to make this for a party and need to be able to make about 40 soft tacos. If i double this recipe will that be enough? If i use two shoulders i would probably need to have them de boned and put them in a large baking tray. Does this sound ok to you? Just double all the ingredients? Thank you
Hi Renee – thought: if you debone them, you can probably squish them into a large slow cooker 🙂 If necessary, cut in half so they fit better and yes, double the ingredients. 🙂
This sounds amazing. I need to cook for a small party. When you say ’10 servings’ would that be 10 or 20 taco’s? I need enough for about 40 tacos… Would you recommend 2 shoulders in one big tray in the oven? I assume i won’t get 2 shoulders into a slow cooker. Will boneless shoulders still deliver the flavour? Thanks
Hi Renee, so sorry for the late response. I mean tacos for 10, it makes around 25 – 30 tacos, definitely not 40 though. To be safe, definitely make 2! I would still use a slow cooker but do them separately rather than trying both in the oven, just because it’s easier and keeps really well. Bones will still deliver on flavour, it is just that bone in is a bit juicier straight out of the slow cooker, but by the time you finish pan frying you probably won’t know the difference!
I’ve slowcooked pork tenderloin before and it turned out fine as shredded pork. I’m experimenting a bit with your recipe today, I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of jalapeno and peach nectar instead of orange juice. I also used 5 Guys cajun fry seasoning as my rub because I was lazy and had some left over. Anyways thanks for the recipe even if I hardly followed it!
I’m going to have to disagree with you on the use of pork tenderloin. It shreds up amazingly well!
Here’s a photo of those luscious shreds from tonight’s carnitas meal. http://imgur.com/a/IMbrF
It was in the crockpot for 10+ hours on low, I laid one strip of fatty bacon along the top of the tenderloin, I also added the juice of one lime, 1 tsp of chili flakes instead of the jalapeno, and 1/2 cup of chicken stock since I had to go to work and knew it would be in there for a very long time.
The meat came out beautifully, and tasted amazing, I cut the loin in half before shredding it so the pieces wouldn’t be too long. We use white corn tortilla’s that my hubbie lightly fried up before we sat down to eat.
Thanks for an awesome recipe!!
WOAH! That’s TENDERLOIN??? You must have the world’s most juiciest fattiest tenderloin in the world, I have never seen tenderloin that doesn’t dry out after 10 hours even in a crockpot! I am so glad you enjoyed it, it looks wonderful Dawn, thank you for sharing the photo!
Hi Nagi,
Can you pls explain how to bake it in the oven? What kind of dish should I be using and should I put the orange, onion, etc.. underneath the pork?
Thanks!
Hi Christina! I have oven directions in note 2, just follow the recipe but plonk it all in a roasting pan! 🙂
Hi Nagi! for our family reunion I made this wonderful recipe. I did everything suggested in the recipe except browning it.we were running late and had a 2 hour drive to get there. I bought some rolls and had made a spicy orange BBQ sauce for pulled pork sandwiches. Everyone loved the pulled pork! Thank you so much for this recipe, even if you don’t brown in a pan it’s still awesome.
Debura
This is seriously amazing. I added 2 jalapeños and a lime because I had it in the fridge. I can’t wait to put it on tacos. I almost ate the whole crockpot while shredding!
YESSSS! Welcome to the Carnitas fan club! 😉 N x
Wonderful carnitas recipe! But … while I was crisping up the pork, some family members got impatient and made their tacos straight from the crockpot. After tasting both the crisped and uncrisped versions, I have to say I preferred the less authentic uncrisped. Browning the pork just dried it out, even after adding the juice back in. Slap it straight from the pot into a double corn tortilla with shredded cabbage, avocado, queso fresco and lime for taco perfection!
So glad you enjoyed it MJR! 🙂 I think you’re the first person to say that you prefer it UN-crisped, but I’m glad you enjoyed the flavour of it!