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!
Your recipe was exactly what I was looking for! My daughter-in-law wanted pulled pork tacos for her birthday dinner! My only confusion was at the end when I took the fat off the juices and poured them over the browned meat. Do you just use the actual juice, or do you include all the bits of onion and stuff in the bottom of the crockpot? Thank you!
Hi Zella, so glad you found what you wanted! I just pour everything over. It’s been cooked for so long that it’s really soft and just blends right into the meat. But you can strain it if you want. Also it sinks to the bottom anyway so it’s really easy to avoid pouring it over the meat. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I only have bottled orange juice, how much should I use?
Hi Brenda! Around 3/4 cup will be just about perfect! 🙂
Hi! My mother-in-law is allergic to garlic. Do you think it would be okay to cook according to the recipe and then take a portion of the pork out for her and then add the minced garlic?
Oh dear, that’s a tough one! Garlic is a pretty key flavouring in this and it needs to be slow cooked. I would add 1 large onion, diced, instead of the garlic. Scatter it over the pork then slow cook. That’s the closest I can think of!
Seriously the best carnitas I have ever made. My family was crazy for them. Thanks for a recipe that was easy to make with just the right amount of spice and flavors we were looking for. Tacos tonight and nachos tomorrow. Thanks for sharing with us!
Thank you for your feedback Tracy! I am so glad you family enjoyed it! 🙂
HI! I’m wondering if you’ve ever started with a frozen pork shoulder?
Hi Kim! I have never made this from frozen because slow cookers take so darn long to heat up and for a big chunk of meat like a pork shoulder, it would take ages and I can’t guess how much longer you would have to cook for. I think cooking from frozen is also risky because the size of the pork means the inside will heat / cook up way after the outside starts to cook so you’ll end up with uneven cooked meat. I think it’s ok for smaller pieces of meat – like chicken breast – but not for big pieces like this. 🙂
I went ahead and threw it in 5 hrs ago. It was partially defrosted..but it’s an 8lb pork butt. The internal temp is currently just barely over 100. I’m thinking I might have to throw it in the oven to be done by 6 tonight.
Can you crank up the heat? Does your slow cooker have a pressure cooker setting??
No, low or high..it’s on old one. It actually did very well. I ended up cutting it in half, and then turning them to place the raw sides against the side and it was ready in time. Everyone loved them! So good! This recipe will definitely be added to my list of regulars. Thanks for posting!
So glad you enjoyed it Kim! I really love this recipe. I make it at least every couple of months so I have a stash of it in the freezer. So great for quick meals! I used it for frittata the other day. Endless possibilities! 🙂
Kim,
I usually always cook frozen meat in the crock pot. My poor dogs get to smell it all day! I start it before I leave for work and it is done when I get home, about 10 hours.
Deb
Thanks for the tip Deborah! What size frozen meat do you use, and do you slow cook on low or high? PS What torture for your dogs…..my dog can totally relate. He sits there silently drooling the whole time while I photograph!! 🙂
Sounds delish. Was wondering if the flavor of the pork will work well with different stir-fries. I use lots of vegetables in my meals, but very few grains, (flour, corn, rice, all the good stuff I used to put this style pork on).
Hi Cathie! The flavour of this is neutral enough to work with stir fries, I have most certainly used this in stir fries with vegetables but I especially like to use it in fried rice! It really works well with Asian flavours because the shredded pork is well seasoned and has flavour but it is not such a strong flavour that it cannot be used in many other dishes – Mexican, Tex Mex or otherwise! 🙂
I tried this recipe last night and everyone loved it! My local grocery store only had pork loin so I used that and cut the cooking time down by about an hour so it wouldn’t dry out. I also added an extra jalapeño and included the seeds from the peppers for a little added kick. I threw the carnitas on top of tostadas with cheese, avocado, salsa and onions for a fantastic weeknight dinner!
I look forward to trying more of your recipes, Nagi!
That’s wonderful Teghan! I am so glad you enjoyed it! Mmmmm….fully loaded tostados….you’re making me hungry!! 🙂
My boyfriend hates jalapeños. Could I subsitute this or omit it? Omitted would be better but I’m a ingredient follower. Not so much a exact amount follower.
Honestly, I would just omit it! It is a VERY subtle flavour at the end, I doubt most people would notice if you left it out. If you want a mild kick then add any other chili, even a bottle chili sauce would work! 🙂
We had this recipe at a friend’s home for dinner and it was AMAZING. Question: instead of oranges, can I substitute store bought orange juice?
You sure can! I’ve done it myself and a number of readers you will see in the comments used orange juice too and it works GREAT 🙂
Hi! I just made this and it smells delicious! After 9 hours in the crock pot on low, it fell right off the bone! And the prep was so easy! I am not serving it for another 36 hours. Do you think I should refrigerate it for freeze it? Thanks for your help!
Hi Caroline! 36 hours is fine in the fridge! Just pop it onto a stinking hot BBQ or pan with a splash of oil and it is going to crisp up FABULOUSLY! So glad you like it! 🙂
This looks delicious! One question- if I halve the recipe, should I reduce cooking time in oven or slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Katie! Yes, if you half the recipe you should reduce the cooking time by about 1 hour – not by half:) Same temps! 🙂
Hi Nagi! I’ve never posted a comment on anyone’s recipe blog regarding how the recipe has turned out, but I just have to because I am comment reader myself and people must know. And this recipe is absolutely delicious! Outstanding really. I used a bone in sirloin roast thingy and it turned out so much better than I could have imagined! I questioned the Orange juice because I’m not big on orange taste on savory food but your combination of spices work together unbelievably well!! So flavorful! And the juices….oh my. Thank you for this recipe!! I look forward to trying many more of your recipes! So happy I found you! Thanks again! Have a great day all the way from North Dakota to Australia!
Oh wow Lacey, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I’m truly grateful that you “came out” to share! I too had concerns about the orange juice when I first tried it all those years ago, but you can’t taste it at all by the end. 🙂 PS I’m a comment reader too….it’s where you get the real tips and questions from real people!! 🙂 Thank you again for taking the time to comment on this recipe, I truly appreciate it! 🙂
Hello! I’ve heard that you should brown prior to putting in the crockpot, but you brown after. Does it matter when to brown? Also, when browning, do you have to put anything in the pan?
Hi Monica! Browning meats before slow cooking is the “norm” to seal in juices and the stock gets more flavour by scraping up the browned bits off the pan and using it in the stock. If you are making this in an oven, I recommend browning first because meats dry out more in the oven, even if covered. Slow cookers seal all the moisture in so it is not as necessary and for this particular cut of meat and because this is made without the meat being fully submerged in liquid, it is not necessary. I brown it after to get the crispy brown bits which is what makes this particularly delicious! You an’t achieve the same result by browning under a grill/broiler. And if you were to brown before slow cooking, you lose all the crispiness during cooking AND you don’t get the crispy bits on every piece of shredded meat 🙂 Hope that helps!
We were snowed in today so I made this with what I had on hand. I had a package of frozen pork chops instead of the shoulder. Also, I subbed the onion for onion powder, the jalapeno for chipotle powder, and the oranges for bottled OJ. I also left out the salt due to a dietary restriction in the family. Even with all the changes, this recipe was amazing. You could not tell there was no salt, and the chipotle gave it a wonderful smokey flavor. We will definitely be making this again!
Melissa, that’s wonderful!! You did really well with the substitutions and you know what? It’s one of those recipes that you really can get creative with swapping out this and that, and it will still taste fab as long as the things substituted are similar to the ingredients the recipe calls for. You did great using the chops instead of the shoulder, that would work so well! Sounds so “romantic”, being snowed in and making do with what you have….but I am guessing it wasn’t that fun for you! I can’t say I’ve ever experienced that problem! Thank you for your wonderful feedback Melissa! 🙂
Thank YOU for the recipes! I actually love being snowed in, as long as I can stay home. It’s when I have to be at work at 6 am and dig through a foot of snow to get to the car that I don’t like!
You live in a world I can’t imagine 🙂 Never get snow here in Sydney! 🙂 It sounds romantic but I imagine it can be a challenge at times!
Such a simple and easy to follow recipe that is delicious!!
Thanks Kylie!! It really is delicious. My freezer is NEVER without a stash of these!!
Hi, I’m really looking forward to trying out this recipe, however, attempts at buying a pork shoulder cut in the small town I live in proved to be fruitless.
What alternative (if any) would you recommend?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
Hi Gavin! Pork butt is fab for this. I live in Australia and we don’t get Pork butt here, only pork shoulder (shoulder is the pork butt and what is known as the “picnic”, which is the arm of the pig). Hope that helps!
Hi, thanks for the response!
We can’t get that around here either unfortunately. Would some Pork leg work OK?
I know not to use loin as I heard it will dry out too much.
Thanks.
Hi Gavon! Leg will work OK as long as it is a fatty cut. Not just fatty on the outside, but fat throughout (like shoulder has). I have made it with pork leg and once it was divine (you wouldn’t know it was leg rather than shoulder) but the other time I suspected it would not be as moist because there wasn’t as much fat and I was right.
The taste will be great though! And leg will shred too.
Hope that helps! 🙂
That’s brilliant, Cheers!
Although non conventional, I have used a venison neck roast with excellent results. My family loves both equally and my husband who is not a pork lover, loves it even more!
Oooh, I can totally imagine it with venison neck roast!! It would shred well after slow cooking and the slow cooking would also take alot of the “gamey” flavour out. Very honoured to hear that your non-pork-loving husband even enjoys this!! 🙂
Hi, when cooking in oven, you state to cook in 160C. Is this for conventional or fan forced oven? Thanks.
Hi Julie! This is for conventional so if you have a fan forced oven, reduce the temperature by around 10C / 50F. Thanks for the question, I’ll update the recipe!
Fat cap up or down ?
Hi Carol! Fat cap up. Thanks for the question. I’ll update the recipe!
Would a pork brisket work?
Hi! I haven’t tried it with pork brisket but honestly, I can’t think why it wouldn’t work because I have made shredded beef brisket before (a different recipe). Brisket shreds well and it’s juicy so I think it will work! If there is a thick layer of fat on it, I would trim it a bit because all the fat on the meat “melts” into the sauce (which adds to flavour but too much fat makes the sauce far too oily!). Love to know if you try it!
Dear Nagi,
Since finding this UNBELIEVABLE recipe we ALWAYS have bags of pulled pork in our freezer! WE LOVE IT and I love making. I have served so many different ways, but our favorite is adding BBQ sauce to the pork for sandwiches. I have told so many friends about this recipe, and with the quantity of pork you end up with after slow cooked, it is cost effective! I do not own slow cooker- GASP!- so I use the oven while changing temps and times, and my stainless steel pot always does the job. I would encourage everyone to try this as it is so simple, and you can use the pork in so many different ways when done. THANKS again for another terrific recipe and for taking the time for sharing knowledge with us. Happy Holidays to you and I WILL be making your gingerbread mason jars and chocolate truffles! From PORTLAND Oregon- Lisa.
Lisa, thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! It IS so cost effective, and I too always have bags of pork carnitas in my freezer!! I use them in all sorts of ways that people probably wouldn’t expect, even in fried rice! You know, I didn’t own a slow cooker until about 5 years ago, I too used to slow cook on the stove top or oven! Then I got lazy 🙂 I am so glad you enjoyed this – thank you again for your lovely feedback!! PS I would love to hear how the gingerbread boxes and mason jars turn out! I am obsessed with them, I’ve made them 3 times in the last week to give out as gifts!!