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!
My family of 7, ages 4 through 44, ALL love this pork! That just doesn’t happen. The only thing that comes close is pizza and we still have to go to two places to make everyone happy! Cheap cut of meat, super easy to make, delicious in every way we’ve eaten it, and you can make a bunch of it without extra effort. Just amazing.
I bought a whole pork shoulder (about 8 1/2 lbs), doubled everything else, and cooked 12 hours over Sunday night. It lasted two dinners and the kids fought over it to pack for lunches. It was gone by Thursday night and everyone was disappointed not to have more on the weekend. The kids cheered when we came home from the store with another whole pork shoulder, this time almost 10 lbs. We’ve been drooling over it all day and can’t wait for dinnertime.
Thank you!
That is just the cutest visions, your cheering kids! Thank you for the lovely feedback! 🙂 N x
Hello. I have been looking through recipes and yours looks the best! I was wondering how long I would cook it if the boneless pork shoulder was 7lbs . Thanks again!!
Hi Brittney! I think 12 hours on low will do the job 🙂
Can’t wait to try your Carnitas recipe as my 1st recipe ever in my new crock pot!!
Now that is certainly an honour! I do hope you love it!! 🙂
Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I’m a novice cook. I want to try this recipe, but I’m confused about the orange juice. Does the pork not need to be entirely submerged in liquid to cook properly in a slow cooker? I’m imagining the pork shoulder sitting in the slow cooker with only an inch or so of juice around it’s base… is that the idea?
Thanks!
Hi Travis! That’s ok, there is no need to apologise, I am happy to help! The pork does not need to be submerged in liquid to cook. It’s quite key to this recipe that it is only siting in a bit of juice around the base as it helps with “caramelisation” of the surface in the slow cooker (even more in the oven!). The pork drops so much juice that you will be surprised how much liquid you end up with at the end that becomes the drizzling sauce! Hope you try it and love it as much as I do!! 🙂
We love, love, love carnitas. I just have one question, I can’t always get the meat to shred after taking it out of the crockpot. Ugh! What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lori! It just means that the pork hasn’t been cooked for quite long enough. It should shred quite easily! Just leave it in the slow cooker for 1 or 2 hours longer. 🙂
consider reserving the fat skimmed from the slow cooker. use this fat instead of oil when preparing to serve. yummm.
once misread the measurement for cumin and used 2 tbsp instead of 2 tsp. that was a happy batch and I use more cumin now.
That’s a good idea Armen! I never thought of doing that. I will try it!
Just found this about a month ago and have made it twice. Had it this past week when we had company and they all raved about it! Even my neighbor told me the next day that she could smell it cooking and it smelled amazing.
I’m so glad Julie! I’m a little obsessed with this myself 🙂 I make it at least once a month and I pretty much always have a stash of it in the freezer!
Hello! Forgive me if someone else has asked but, is it possible to do this at 4-5 hours on high in the slow cooker? The birthday party is Saturday afternoon.
I could let it cook over night, but I’ve always heard a dry crockpot is a dangerous crockpot and there really isn’t a lot of liquid in this recipe.
If I can’t do 4-5 on high, can I do the oven recipe in my cast iron dutch oven?
Thank you!
Hi Joelle! This takes 6 hours on high in the crockpot. Yes you can make it in the dutch oven, about 3 1/2 hours. The instructions are in the notes!
Hi Nagi!
I want to make this for a large group so am planning to do a roast about 16-18 lbs in size. How would this change the time/temperature in the oven?
Hi Jennifer! WOW that’s a LOT of carnitas!!! That’s about 3 times this recipe so bake it using the same temperature per Note 2 but it will take probably double the time! It is hard to guess because it depends whether you can fit them all on the same rack, in one giant pan etc. If you have one on the lower shelf, the top ones will finish first then just move the bottom on up!
Ok thanks. Assuming I should increase the rub/oranges accordingly. Was thinking to bake for 35 minutes per pound in a hotel pan. What do you think the uncovered/covered bake times should break down to? About 2/3 to 1/3 still? Thanks for all your help!
Hi Jennifer! Yup, multiply the whole recipe by 3 🙂 Baking it uncovered is mainly to reduce the liquid and get a bit of a crust on it (this is not as important because you pan fry the pork later anyway). For that quantity of pork, I would suggest keeping it covered until it is almost fork tender – maybe 4 1/2 to 5 hours? I’m assuming it is 3 pieces, all in one pan, one shelf in a very large (good!) oven. 🙂 Start checking it at 3 hours, every 30 minutes or so. This is a forgiving recipe because it’s slow cooked, so it’s pretty safe if you check it every so often. 🙂 Then once the meat is pretty tender, pull the foil off an finish it uncovered. If you end up with too much liquid, not to worry! Just stick the pan with liquid only back into the oven while you shred to reduce. So don’t stress too much about the covered v uncovered time. 🙂
Hi Nagi!
As promised here is the update: made a 16 lb roast in the oven. Baked at 325 degrees for 35 min/pound so for about 9 to 9 1/2 hours. Tripled the ingredients accordingly and left uncovered for the last 2 hours of roasting. Shredded and transferred with same of the juices to crock pots for about 2 hours before the party.
Made this for my daughter’s fiesta themed first birthday party and it was a huge hit. All the guests raved and this was better than the carnitas served at the best taqueria in town.
Thank you so much for your help and for being so prompt with your responses! Good luck to you in your endeavors.
Best, jennifer
YES!! I am SO GLAD to hear it went so well! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. You made my morning! N x
Tried your pork carnitas Mexican slow cooker pulled pork recipe over the weekend. The instructions were great, super helpful and clear, and I have to agree that what makes these carnitas AHHHHHh-mazing is the crisping of the meat after it is shredded. SO delicious. My family enjoyed the carnitas in corn tortillas with cabbage, cilantro, sour cream, salsa and some beans. very simple and yet a huge hit with everyone. This one is now bookmarked and will be on my regular rotation. Thanks for the recipe.
YAY! I’m so glad! Thank you for taking the time to come back and share your thoughts Greta! N x
Great recipe!
Thanks so much Monique! 🙂
Can you use a pork butt instead of shoulder
Hi Chad! Yup, you sure can. Actually pork butt and shoulder are the same thing. Thanks for the question, I’ll update the notes!
When do you pan sear the pork? Before or after putting on the rub? I didn’t think it was clear in the instructions. Thanks!
Hi Corinne! You sear the pork after it is cooked and shredded 🙂 The flavourings gets put on the pork before cooking it! 🙂
I am making this *again* today! So easy and incredibly delicious! This recipe has become a favorite. Today’s batch will get Hubz and me through the long weekend–some in tortillas, some in arepas, some by itself on a bed of greens. When I visit my grands, I like to leave something in the slow-cooker for their family when I leave. I made this one a few months ago, and it has been requested every time since then. The only thing I add is a little zucchini or yellow squash–it completely disappears in the shredding, but counts as a sneaky vegetable 🙂
Thank You! We all love this recipe!
YAY!! So glad your whole family loves it so much! You’re so sweet to leave homemade food behind for your grands! 😉
Can you make this in a Dutch oven? If so, what temp, how long…any other modifications?
Thanks…salivating over all the comments:)
Hi there George! Yes, you sure can. Please refer to the notes for directions for how to make this in the oven!
I am using a turkey roaster, should I use the same method as the slow cooker or as if it was being done in the oven.
Like a slow cooker but add 1/2 to 1 cup water or broth
Hi Tracy! I’m sorry, I am not familiar enough with turkey roasters to know the answer to this! Does it work similar to an oven? If so, I would use it like an oven. I did a bit of a google but I don’t know the answer for sure. Sorry to be of such limited use!
This was excellent – although I had to leave out the jalapeno so my kids could eat it 🙂 I sauteed some bell pepper and mixed it with the onions from the crockpot, and served it all over spanish rice. Definitely was missing that jalapeno flavor but still a very good base recipe! Any substitutes you could recommend that wouldn’t add too much spice?
Hi JT! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Actually, the jalapeño does not make it spicy at all. There is such a small amount for the volume of pork you end up with, and also the slow cooking cooks out the spiciness too! 🙂
I just put this in my slow cooker for a teen taco party later today!
Very excited as I love carnitas but never made them before. I have a question, how does it cool with no liquid to speak of? The oranges amount to maybe 1/4 of a cup of juice…thanks!
Hi Meredith! That’s part of the beauty of this recipe!! The Pork drops a lot of juice while slow cooking so it sort of ends up cooked in its own juices. Amazing flavour because of this!! It is not at all dry because it is made with a fatty cut of pork. Hope you love it! N x
Cook not cool oops…
I made this recipe and loved it! Thank you!
Biggest problem for me is my family won’t eat pork. Any idea if chicken can be substituted for the pork… Such as thigh meat?
So glad you enjoyed it Al! You know, I can’t believe I haven’t tried this with chicken. I will give it a go and report back! 🙂
I did tonight! Before browning the chicken but after the slow cook, it tasted pretty good. The browning process seemed to really kick up the flavor and sodium too much, so I am going to add some unseasoned shredded chicken tomorrow to dilute it down. Next time I am going to cut the salt in half for chicken carnitas. But in my experiment I would say this will work with chicken but eager to hear your result!
Thanks again for a great recipe Nagi.
Ooh! I’m excited now, I will try it soon! Thanks Al! N x
Just put this in the slow cooker with the exception of the OJ, have to run to the store. Does the juice actually give it an orangie taste? If so, can I use a combination of other citrus juice?
Hi Dianna! The OJ is definitely part of the flavour base in this. It doesn’t give it an OJ flavour, but it is part of the flavour! Do you have any fruit juice in stock??
Can you use pinapple orange guava juice instead?
Hi Jennifer! The flavour won’t be exactly the same but I think that will work very nicely! Love to know what you think if you do try it! N x