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 see people making a lot of comments about TBSP of salt, but the recipe says TSP. Just making sure so I don’t under or over salt! Thanks!
Hi Kate! Yes definitely TSP. 🙂 I adjusted it ever so slightly to account for the difference between TBSP measures between countries, saying 2 1/2 tsp rather than 1 tbsp is more consistent for people no matter which country they are in. 1/2 tsp of salt does not make much of a difference with the quantity of carnitas this makes, and it is always better to under rather than over salt! When you sneak a taste test out of the skillet, you can always add salt if you would like it saltier. Also depends on what sauces / toppings you are using for the carnitas!
How well dies this work when using a pressure cooker? I am using the same fast slow cooker device that you mentioned.
Works GREAT! Just used pressure cooker last weekend for a cooking show 🙂 1 hour 30 mins on high!
Do you have cooking instructions for a lid on Dutch oven cooking in the oven method?
This recipe was the hit of my party! I used the slow cooker method for this and thought I would lose my mind waiting 8 hours because the aroma as it cooked was amazing! Thankfully my slow cooker runs hot and it was done in 6 hours. Yay! I used a leaner cut of pork roast bcuz that’s all Trader Joe’s had, but it had a decent fat cap. It turned out PERFECT. Terrific flavor, tender & juicy, falling apart. I followed the advice to save the juices, then fry the pork to get it a lil crispy in places & pour juice over top. I served it from the slow cooker with a platter of various tortillas & fixings like cilantro, peppers, avocado, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, limes, hot sauces and fresh pico. Plus rice, beans and tortilla chips on the side.
AND a cooler of mexican sodas and beer. 🙂 Some guests made super burritos, some made tacos, some made quesadillas and some made killer nachos. Super easy party & everyone is STILL talking about it!! Thanks for this awesome recipe! It’s the only one I will ever use for carnitas!
Another winner, Nagi!
I didn’t use the jalapeno, garlic and half the pepper but it still tasted wonderful!
I made it the night before, storing the shredded pork separate from the juices. The next day, I simply fried a handful until crispy, added a spoonful of juices and tossing briefly.
This recipe, if made a day or two early, is great for those that eat in shifts – between practices, etc. It literally took 4 minutes to get delicious tacos on a plate.
Thanks again, Nagi!
I did this today for myself, The Missus, and a fussy 5 year old.
After my first mouthful, I wanted to stand up and shout “I’m Spartacus”.
Missus and child both declared it “lush” and my picky offspring asked when we could have it again. Result!
On top of the taste, a very rough calculation came out at £1.40 per person for the whole meal including this recipe, salad, salsa and tortillas.
This is going in the weekly rota. Thanks Nagi!
I literally burst out laughing when I read this! SPARTACUS! Ba ha ha!!!! So glad you enjoy these, love that you did the maths on cost per head, you ROCK! N x
Hello Nagi! Let me first say thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe, I fell in love with it about a year ago and I almost always have some of your carnitas stocked and ready in the freezer.
Anywho, this time around the smallest pork butt I could find was 6.24 lbs. Now I’ve upped the measurements of everything by just a little, but I only have 2 oranges still. Should I add a bit of water, or maybe even juice of one lime wedge? When you squeeze out two oranges, how much does that usually give you? (I’ve made the assumption that when you said 3/4 cup orange juice, you were talking about the store bought concentrated kind?) I know it probably won’t make a huge difference since the pork itself produces so much juice whilst cooking. Just wanted your expert opinion 🙂
Oh and I think I’m gonna add a bit of brown sugar to the mix (maybe 1tbsp) to give it a bit more of a caramelized flavor! I saw some other recipes that included it and it sounded delish, but still didn’t wanna stray too far from your recipe since its the BEST!! 🙂
Sorry for the late reply Kim! 2 oranges should be just fine 🙂 Around 1/2 – 3/4 cup of orange juice (fresh or concentrated) is what I use. Maybe add the juice of 1/2 a lime + 1 tsp sugar 🙂 That will sort of replicate the sweet citrus juice of orange. So glad you love this recipe too Kim! N x
I’ve made this twice now, and it is fantastic. We had company for dinner both times and everyone loved it. I followed the recipe and instructions with the exception of adding a tbsp of granulated garlic to the rub, and I apply the rub and refrigerate overnight for 12 hours before cooking. This recipe will become a new staple in my kitchen.
YAY! So glad you enjoyed it Ryan, thanks for letting me know! N x
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I followed your directions exactly and this is hands down the best pork roast recipe ever! My whole family loved it including my ten year old that claimed she didn’t even like pork. She does now!
Thank you Melissa, I am so thrilled you and your 10yo-pork-hater enjoyed this, and thanks for coming back to let me know! N x
Love your recipe,looks yummy.
Thank you Daniel!! 🙂
Oh, my, god!! These were absolutely amazing! I love how crispy the pork came out! Put it in a soft taco topped with fresh homemade salsa and homemade guacamole. Even my picky kids asked when I would make it again! Thank you!!!
I’m so glad to hear that Jessy! Thank you for letting me know! N x
I’ve made this 3 times now and I can’t seem to get the crunchy bits that come from the pan frying. I am using olive oil, high heat and pressing down with the spatula. How long should I do this? I feel like I am literally squeezing all of the juice out of the meat.
Hi Tonya, that is so weird! You made this with Pork shoulder / butt? Is it not going golden at all, like what you see in the photos??
I get a little browning but usually after frying for quite a while. Wasn’t sure if I should be frying for 2-3 minutes or like 5. I think what I used was labeled as a “chef’s prime roast”.
Did you preheat the skillet with oil before adding the pork??
When I use a “teflon” coated skillet browning occurs minimally. I would bring out the cast iron skillet (or similar) for this task, perhaps you can try it.
I would like to serve this at a picnic and keep it warm in the crockpot during the event. Do you have any suggestions so that it doesn’t dry out?
Hi Jeri! Brown it and place in crockpot to keep warm, keep some juices aside to pour over just before serving 🙂 The pork used in this recipe is lovely and fatty so the pork will stay juicy even when made ahead. 🙂
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I made it for my son and daughter-in-law. They wanted recipe. It was so easy to make and just simply tasty! Would definitely make again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for trying it and coming back to let me know! N x
Hi
Can’t wait to try this recipe…..I’m a huge an off your website. Just wondering have you tried this using a pressure cooker. Does it come out just as good? I want to do this for a BBQ but will be strapped for time.
Hi Maro! Yes I’ve tried this in a pressure cooker and it works great. Obviously as with ANY pressure cooked recipe because there is less time for flavour to infuse, it is not 100% the same. But the key step in this is the browning of the pork after shredding it and when you do that, it makes it so delicious anyway that the slight loss of flavour infusion is barely noticeable 🙂
Sorry… Huge fan of your website…oops
🙂 Thank you Maro!! (I figured it out! 😉 )
My husband just smoke a pork shoulder roast. I so much pulled pork, I don’t know what to do with it. THese recipes look like they might work. What is your take? By skipping the slow cooker for the pork since it is already cooked.
Hi Jane! I have a whole collection of recipes using pulled pork you have browse through! https://promotown.info/category/pork-carnitas/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This was so delicious! I made this over the weekend. I added a little extra garlic and some garlic powder (clearly, I love garlic), and my family thoroughly enjoyed it. We enjoyed it so much that I’m making it again today. In fact, it’s in the slow cooker as I type this. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Thanks for trying my recipe Michelle! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Hi Nagi! I tried your pulled beef last week which was the best thing ever! Today im trying out this pork recipe as it’s the first time I’ve ever attempted pulled pork! Do you shred the fat cap after as well or discard it as I’m a little put off with so much fat. It’s still quite thick and white. 3 hours to go? and then it’s burrito time.
Hi Jess! My fat mostly melts away so when it’s shredded and pan fried, it all disappeared. But you can definitely remove it if you have excess fat! 🙂
I made the carnitas as directed but I did not fry them. I cooked on low for 6 hours because my crock pot cooks very hot, but it came out great! My husband said they were the best carnitas he has ever had! My two boys ate it up and said the flavor was great and it smelled good while cooking. They kept asking when it would be done. i will definitely make this again. Thank you!
So glad Melissa! Thank you for trying my recipe and for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it! N x
Nagi, I’m back after making this recipe for the fourth time. I finally settled on the quantities for my two added ingredients: 1 tsp cardamom and 4 cinnamon sticks. And I use 1 tbsp salt for a 3 1/2 to 4 lb pork shoulder (I have a 5 qt. slow cooker). I just tasted the result, and it’s the best I can imagine. Now my friends have to once again put up with my bragging about your recipe for another week.
Woah! You ROCK Michael! Thank you for letting me know your extra additions, I’m going to try it too! N x