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!
Lors says
Made this last night, oven cooked it, felt there was something missing and realised I didn’t do the pan frying step at the end, should I have?
Brust says
Great recipe! I served this over several days. When I crisped up the meat a deglazed with some Marsala wine. Added a level of sweetness to balance heat and savory!
Ben says
This is a great recipe! The first time I tried it, it turned out really well. The pork shoulder I used was about 3.4 lbs, and I think next time I will adjust the slow cooker time better to account for the size because I slow cooked it for 10 hours and the flavor came out great but the texture was a little on the mushy side. Also, it is already very oily, so I would like an alternative to pan-frying with added oil– either broiling or pan-frying with the existing oil.
Beverly says
These were amazing. Never made carnitas before and they were a big hit. Really rich (because of the fat) but a delicious treat and everyone loved them. Thanks for the recipe. It worked exactly as described and was easy to execute even for a first timer.
Nancy Cibrian-Perry says
I’m Mexican and you have my seal of approval! Came out delicious and without the need for milk or cola. I made them in the instant pot and then broiled in the oven for a bit. Finger-licking good!
Lisa says
Nagi, the only thing available at my store was pork shoulder steaks. Do I follow the recipe the same way or do I need to make any adjustments?
BOAS says
Hi Nagi,
already made your pulled beef, everyone in our family loves it :). I’m busy preparing the carnitas but realized that I don’t have oranges or orange juice. Can I also use pineapple juice?
Greetings from Germany
Johnny says
When I make this in addition to the recipe I braise in oven at 285 (3lbs) for 8 hours and 2 to 3 cups of chicken stock…..I add more if needed1/2 way through…this is an incredible recipe…this lady’s recipes are wonderful
Lianne says
I LOVE this recipe and have recommended it to so many people.
Its so easy, I put it in the slow cooker overnight and forget about it. Tastes amazing.
Lupe says
Hi there,
Delicious carnitas without all that traditional lard!!
I always seem to run out juice for pan frying. What else can I use to pan fry and is there anything else I can add to the juice I have left, so I can have enough for the rest of carnitas?
Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe!!💕
Cathy says
Use oil to fry, top with the reduced “juice” when serving to add flavor!
lupe zamora says
Excellent recipe!!
I’ve made this several times.
I sometimes seem to run out of juice to fry pan the carnitas.
What other kind of juice or broth can I use when pan frying ?
Jamie says
I usually like Nagy’s recipes, but this one just didn’t do it for me. Maybe I’m spoiled because we have great Mexican food in the US, but this just didn’t have much flavor. The meat was very tender, and I enjoyed the crispy texture, but next time I would add seasonings to the pork again after shredding it. As is, it just tasted like plain pork, and that’s even after topping with salsa verde, chopped onion, and lime juice. With additional seasonings, I think it has the potential to be very good.
Cathy says
Jaime, we fry it with oil and add seasoned salt during this process. When serving we add the reduced broth on top. Comes our delicious
Nagi says
Wait – did you add the juices from the slow cooker when you were pan frying?? because that is the step that adds LOADS of flavour!!!! Definitely not just plain pork when you do that step 🙂 N x
Jamie says
Sorry, Nagi! I didn’t realize I had spelled your name wrong until after I submitted my comment.
Another suggestion I forgot to mention—I think this would be also be awesome mixing a can or two of chipotle salsa into the shredded meat. The brand I use in the US is San Marcos. I’m not sure if it is available overseas, but another would probably work fine.
Betty Stewart says
Do you add more liquid if using the pressure cooker-Insta Pot?
Trying this recipe tonight.
Kasia says
Hi, is there any chance to cook only 1 kg of this?
Nagi says
Yes you could do a 1 kg piece Kasia! N x
Kathy says
Help!! I have a huge surplus of pork tenderloin in my freezer. I cook for a multigenerational blended household with various food allergies sensitivities and preferences. It’s very difficult to find dinners that work for everyone. You are a culinary Goddess!! Your recipes are loved by all!! I was super excited to see this delicious recipe and then…dang! Is there really no way to make this with turn out well with tenderloin? I cook for my family…don’t like meat myself..and this recipe had me drooling! Please let me know if there is a way to adapt this to help me use up the loads of tenderloins in my freezer.
Almost all of my family faves are from your site…Thank you!!!
Rebecca L Auguston says
I make it with tenderloin all the time because that’s what I prefer and it turns out great. To keep it from being dry, I slow cook it the day before and then pour the juices over the shredded meat. I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. The pork reabsorbs all of those juices. And then pan fry or stick under the broiler before serving
Kathy says
Jimmy and Rebecca…thank you for the great tips!
Jimmy Moore says
When I cook venison,I add 1/2 a cup of oil,or lard,to a crockpot of meat.Just like tenderloin,deer is very lean.When you finish cooking it,there will be hardly any oil left -the meat absorbs it and the meat is Tender.
Marion says
Hello
I just made this recipe and I wanted to know if it would be okay to place the meat fresh from the slow cooker with juices still on it in the refrigerator. I didn’t have time to separate the meat form the juice since I needed to go to work.
Nagi says
Yes that’s fine Marion. N x
Razel G. says
This carnitas is sooo delish! 😋 My husband and I loved it! Thanks for sharing! 💓
Nagi says
Yippee!! I am glad that you liked it Razel! N x
Stephanie says
I doubled the recipe. It was too spicy for me and not salty enough. Also, I think lime will make it taste better.
Stephanie says
I don’t know why but it will not allow me to edit this comment. I cooked an 8 lb pork shoulder and my first piece, only 1 peice was too spicy, so it was just odd. Only my first bite was too spicy, every bite after that was fabulous! I had to cook my pork 14 and a half hours but it was bone in. You were so right about not skipping the fry step and browning. Very very delicious!
Nagi says
Thanks for that feedback Stephanie!! N x
Robyn says
Question- when doing batches of the pan frying step, do you re-add olive oil and/or wipe out the pan in between each batch? Thank u!
Terri says
Can you use orange juice instead of oranges?
Nagi says
Yes you could Terri! N x
Nagi says
Yes I do Robyn as you don’t want the little bits left in the pan to burn and taint the flavour of your second batch! N x
David says
Hi .
My 15 year old slow cooker just died so I was looking at buying what you have. Never had a pressure cooker before so my question is with this recipe does the pork come out identical with both slow cooking and pressure cooking or is there subtle differences between the two. Eg , tenderness , the ease of tearing apart with forks, taste, are the flavours developed the same with long and fast methods.
David says
Oh . And can you fit four lamb shanks in your appliance?