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 used a pork loin since they were on sale and there’s a lot less fat. Super Good!!! I too was skeptical, but am sold now.
This was really delicious, the stage of browning the meat at the end was definitely worth it. Will make again. Thanks!
So glad you loved it Caroline! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know! <3
Hi Nagi,
Thank you for posting your recipe. This Saturday I am planning to make tacos for my birthday party. Besides Carne asada I would like to make carnitas. Pork neck (huge 10lbs piece) is on sale this week and I was wondering if I could use this cut to make carnitas?
Thanks!
Hi Kevin! Pork neck does not have quite the same stringiness as shoulder BUT it will still work well because it is ideal for slow cooking 🙂 So you know how the shreds in this are kinda long and thin? Pork neck will be a bit less thin and stringy, but it still shreds really well! Great flavour too – more flavour than shoulder 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply! That is good to know.
Also, in Europe slowcookers are not very popular. I have a Dutch oven pan that I would have to use on the stove. If I understand the recipe correctly, the meat will be slow cooking in it’s own fat, so I don’t have to add much liquid to it correct (unlike a beef stew)? Would it be an idea to cut the neck in smaller pieces to reduce cooking time?
Thanks again! 🙂
Hi Kevin! Pork neck is quite different to shoulder so I would recommend cutting it into baseball size chunks, if you can. That will also make the liquid amount easier to manage because the meat will fit more snugly in the dutch oven. The stove is a wee bit harder than the oven because you will need to watch the liquid levels. Add 1 cup of water to the dutch oven, bring to a simmer then turn down so it is simmering VERY gently and cook for around 2 to 3 hours – depends on how tough the pork neck is. Turn the pork every 45 minutes to 1 hour and to check the liquid – make sure there is enough so the pork is around 1/2 submerged in liquid.
That’s how I would make pork neck on the stove! Slow cooking is pretty forgiving so I’m pretty confident this will work. Just check it every 30 minutes or so!
Hi! Planning to make this the day before a party and store in the fridge. I read in a previous comment that you recommend browning just before serving, but when do you recommend adding the juices if cooking the day before and reheating/browning before serving? Before refrigerating? Or after browning?
Thanks!
Also any ideas for interesting toppings to go with it?
Thanks again!
Tara
Hi Tara! If you are making it the day before and NOT freezing it, I recommend pan frying first then pouring the juices over (warmed) after browning just before serving. Reason is that it maintains maximum crispiness on the brown bits by pouring the juices on last!
And YES, plenty of ideas for toppings! Diced avocado + tomato + red onions with a drizzle of lime juice, cilantro/coriander leaves, salt pepper and some olive oil. Or skip the avocado in that (so it’s a pico de gallo!) and make guacamole separately (I have a chef recipe on my blog – it’s SO good, a restaurant recipe!). Sour cream, more cilantro leaves and if you are making tacos, some shredded lettuce. Salsa sauce is also great (I have a restaurant style recipe on my blog!).
Then serve with tortillas / crunchy tacos or even with rice and beans!
I really should have a taco spread menu on my blog! Thank you for the question, I will do one 🙂
These were amazing! Most did not make it to the second step my 17yr old kept stealing it right out the crock pot! It was very very good. Thank you for this recipe.
Ha ha!! Teenagers! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Slap away the hand of your 17 yo next time – tell him it’s even BETTER once pan fried!!! 🙂
Hmmm… While I’m sure that this recipe is delicious, I must point out that traditional carnitas are cooked in lard. Before you scream in horror at all the fat, it is actually drained so you wouldn’t be eating much of it. I’ve made them in a slow cooker, came out great. So don’t be afraid to try a real carnitas recipe. All you really need is salt, pepper and a few bay leaves.
Hi Christina! I’ve been meaning to try Carnitas the traditional way 🙂 I’m not afraid of lard, it’s just that it takes more effort that this one!! N x
I was going to say, but you can buy lard at any Hispanic market… Then again you’re not in Southern California 🙂 … But it’s not that hard to make, you can make it in your slow cooker. You can also add a but of bacon fat >:)
I plan to try it!!! 🙂
These carnitas were superb. I have made other recipes before – and the one I liked most had pepsi or coke in it, which I really try to stay away from. I was so happy to find one with good wholesome ingredients. My husband is a huge fan of carnitas and his eyes rolled into the back of his head when he took his first bite We served them with rice and beans and avocado and sour cream – with a touch of Cholula. So happy we have three (x2) more meals in the freezer.!! Phenomenal – this will be my go to Carnitas recipe! I attempted to rate this 5 stars but for some reason it only allowed me to do 4 – FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY!
I agree re: pepsi and coke!! I’ve tried it and couldn’t see what the fuss was about 🙂 I love this version, it’s my favourite. So glad you enjoyed it Lisa! thanks for sharing your feedback – and love the visions of your hubby with his heads rolled back in his head!! 😉
I’m excited to make this for a potluck party on Friday evening. Yay! I have plans to double the recipe. Do you think it will be okay to do it all in one batch or should I make two batches. I have a large slow cooker. My fingers are crossed for 1 batch. 🙂 Thank you, Nagi.
Hi Emily! One batch should be fine but you’ll need to cook it for longer. Not double the time – I think 12 hours on low (instead of 8 to 10) should do it. Just make sure you place the pork in side by side (on their side if necessary) rather than on top of each other. That will help with cooking them evenly at the same time! Hope you love it!
I am excited to try this. Would it work well with pork tenderloin? I already have a couple of those and would like to use them. Thanks
Hi CC! I’m sorry but this won’t work as well with tenderloin, it is too lean and doesn’t shred well. 🙁 However, I have a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin on my site which is perfect for it!! Super simple to prepare and crazy delicious 😉
Aloha Nagi from Kona Hawaii! I made my first batch of this carnitas recipe about 2 weeks ago, it turned out more amazing than I could have even imagined!! My boyfriend, who grew up in southern California, even said its the best carnitas he’d ever had. Needless to say I’ve got my second batch in the crockpot now! Mahalo for bringing such an easy and delicious meal to my family!
Hurrah hurrah! I’m so honoured and delighted that you loved it! ESPECIALLY your boyfriend because those So Cal boys certainly get their fair share of great Mexican food! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you loved it! N x
Hi Nagi
日本語でもいいでしょうか？ 作ったばかりで、質問があります。
I just made this recipe as a dry run for my daughter’s first birthday in a few weeks. I’m so thrilled you have put the freezing instructions in, thinking of making 3 batches over the next few weekends then pulling them out the day before to thaw, then doing the pan fry just before serving. I have 2 questions which don’t appear to have been addressed previously:
1. The fat cap is pretty thick on my piece of pork, but I left it on to add flavour as suggested. What I am not sure about is, do I leave it on the pork while pulling it with the forks, or remove it first? I wasn’t sure if it was meant only for flavour in the cooking process or if you leave it in to add flavour to the final product too.
2. My onions and jalapeños are still chunky after cooking – some are still on top of the meat and some are in the juices. Do I just leave them in with the meat as I am pulling it or remove it prior to pulling? And do I strain them out of the juices or leave them in?
We have sampled some already which accidentally jumped out of the bowl and into our mouths , we are planning on serving them with soft shelled tacos and sriracha slaw, I’m really excited!
Thanks heaps,
よろしくお願いします。
Janine より
Hi Janine, konnichiwa! Message wo arigato gozaimasu. Unfortunately my Japanese is very rusty so I will respond in English. 🙂 I am so glad you are making this! It is perfect for making ahead and freezing and I’m especially glad that some of it jumped into your mouths!!!
In response to your questions:
1. It’s entirely up to you whether you want to scrape/cut the fat cap off before shredding. The fat gets shredded too, in a way, so there ends up being very little of it throughout the mound of shredded pork. Also when you brown it, the fat mostly melts.
2. I leave both the jalapeño and onion as is. I leave it in the juice and it gets mixed throughout the shredded pork when the juices are poured on. As with the fat, the amount of the jalapeños and onion in proportion to the considerable mound of shredded pork that is made is quite small so it’s not really noticeable. But you could strain it if you wanted to – I never have.
I hope your daughter’s 1st birthday goes well!! Though I presume she herself won’t be sampling any of it!! He he! – Nagisa
Hi Nagi
I really appreciate you getting back to me so quickly! Thanks for the tips, it has made me very confident that I can do it either way and not worry about spoiling it.
The carnitas tacos with sriracha slaw were seriously epic. We were going to freeze the remainder of the meat for the party but could not bring ourselves to – after two nights of tacos we made the rest into quesadillas, mixing the pork with red kidney beans, capsicum, coriander and shallots, then adding cheese. Oh my, were they amazing! My husband who normally thinks my cooking sucks was so impressed!
I am now off to buy more shoulders so I can get to work on the meat for the party.
While I was waiting for your reply I was looking at the rest of your blog and have decided it is my new favourite website and that my cooking is going to become much more interesting because of you!
Thank you so much 🙂
どうもありがとうございます。
Janine (a Japanese speaking Aussie in Sydney)
Oh Janine! Reading this makes me so happy! I’m SO glad you enjoyed it so much!!! Where did you learn Japanese?? 🙂
Wanting to try this awesome sounding recipe. Just a few questions: first, can you brown the meat first if u don’t have time for the last frying step? Also, is orange juice ok if you don’t have oranges? Lastly,how long would you cook in the oven at what temp?? Can’t wait to try this …
Hi Vickie! Unfortunately you won’t get the same result browning the meat before you cook it. It needs to be cooked and shredded before browning it. I promise it is worth the effort. And it’s really quick – a few minutes over high heat! OJ is definitely ok and there are directions in Note 2 for making this in the oven. 🙂 Hope you love it as much as I do!
This dish looks amazing! I am thinking of trying it for a large crown (upwards of 80 people). If I brown the meat in batches and throw it all back into the crock pots, will it lose crispiness if it keeps warm for about an hour before serving?
Hi Linnea! Nope, 1 hour is FINE! I’ve made this for about 50 (not 80 – wow, I am impressed!) and had it piled into a couple of slow cookers. 🙂 Have a fabulous party!
Hi! This sounds delicious! I noticed there is a jalapeno in the recipe…are the carnitas spicy?
Hi Nicole! Not at all, it is more the flavour. You can easily omit it if you want!
Oh. My. God. This was so good! I have to say that browning the meat in the pan after taking it out of the crock pot is a must! And the juices…. Ohhhhh the juices! Even the very picky hubby loved it. Can’t wait to make it again!
I know! Aren’t the brown crunchy bits the BEST?? I don’t get those recipes that say to stick it under the broiler, all it does is dry out the meat!! I’m SO GLAD that picky hubby loved it too!! Thanks for coming back to let me know you and Picky Hubby loved it!! 🙂
THIS IS WONDERFUL!!!! My kids (10/11yo) can’t wait for me to serve this! And it’s only 4:00 PM!!! I used a 5 lb. boneless pork shoulder in a 7 qt. crockpot, and it only took 8 hours. AND I never had to turn or stir it!! I was really skeptical about using the squeezed orange juice as the only liquid, but we have the perfect meat to liquid ratio. THANK YOU!!!!
Hi Jennifer! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. And YES the OJ is the key!! It makes a huge difference to the flavour of the juices! 🙂
Forgot to rate the recipe!
Too yummy for word!
THANK YOU JEN!!! <3 🙂
I have this in the slow cooker now and it smells so good in here =) a few more hours to go!
oooh! I hope you love it!
this was my first time ever making carnitas and it was soooo yummy! making this again soon, my husband was drinking the “broth” out of the slow cooker. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe =)
Hi Lindsey! I’m so glad you loved it!! I know, that broth is brilliant isn’t it? Best sauce ever for tossing the carnitas in! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you loved it 🙂
I found this recipe searching google for a pork carniatas recipe and decided to give it a try as your picture and description were so great. It is so amazing! My son who hates all mexican food was coming back for seconds and his friend that was over asked for the recipe so he could have his mom make it too. We loved it so much we are making it again tonight. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Amber! And your son too 🙂 I guess because it has such a neutral flavour, rather than the usual strong Mexican spices? Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you loved it!
Although I live in the southwest, I’ve hesitated to make carnitas…but your descriptions left me drooling! After following your instructions to the letter I am carnitas crazy and already planning to make a double batch to freeze (the first batch won’t last long enough to make it to the freezer).
I served it with Taco Slaw.
Thank you for convincing me!
Hi Teena! Must be HOT where you are at the moment! I’m so glad you loved it!! I am obsessed with carnitas. My friends tell me it is my “thing”, and I’m happy to own that! Thank you so much for letting me know you loved it!! Re: double batch, just make sure your slow cooker is big enough to fit two! If it is, I’m jealous because mine isn’t!! 🙂
LoL! It is definitely hot here. As to having a large crockpot, I have two. Once we turn the AC on I refuse to use my oven so if it can’t be made in a slow cooker or on a panini press it doesn’t get made in my kitchen until cooler weather. Thank you for type incredible site!