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!
Used 7lb bone in pork shoulder. Doubled everything else, cooked for 14 hours on low, Amazing! Onions soaked up juices, definitely worth a shot in the crock pot if you’ve had trouble with pressure cooker.
Wahoo! Perfect Jacob! N x
If I make this in the oven with a roasting pan do I need to to use a rack in the pan? I’m just wondering since it says that if I cook it in the oven I need to add 2 cups of water but the carnitas wouldn’t be touching the water if the rack is in there. 😩😩 help!
I have not tried it but based on what I have seen in other similar recipes involving the oven my take is that the water should touch but should not fully cover the pork. Let me know how it goes as I am interested in the oven method as well!
I actually went through the very old comments and the author replied to someone with the same question. The pork should be touching the pan and no rack is needed.
Love this recipe. I do wish there was a better definition of the size of a serving, i.e. how many grams per serving. Thank you!
in da crock pot but had ta go wit lemon and sugar mix no oranges. we will see gonna make pork enchiladas next
How did the lemon and sugar work out?
in da crock pot but had ta go wit lemon and sugar mix no oranges. we will see
I make this at least once every 2 weeks. I used to use a packaged mix for carnitas- never again. We all love this recipe and it’s good for several meals. Plus it’s EASY! I use the oven method so there’s no need to fly them after. I leave the lid off my terracotta roaster for maybe an hour after the initial cooking. Thank you!
Perfect Jessica, and great to make a big batch and freeze too! N x
Wow! Another fabulous recipe, Nagi. I slow cooked all day to have another spectacular dinner that was full of flavor with your dressed up refried beans. My husband even loved this when he isn’t even the taco lover of the family. That’s a real win for me! I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow. Thanks for all of the great recipes and many smooches to the pooch Dozer.
These Carnitas are the best I’ve tasted outside of Mexico. I can’t believe I made them! The recipe and accompanying information you provide made it possible. Thank you!
Made it tonight for dinner. Using slow cooker. It was amazingly good. My family are taco snobs & this is definitely as good or better than the carnitas we get at our favorite taco restaurants. Super easy to make. Next round will be using the pressure cooker to see if there’s any difference in flavor. Thanks!
Super excited to make this. I’m tempted to brown it first instead of after pressure cooking because it seems so much easier and less messy. I’m planning to make a double batch so it would be a lot to fit in a fry pan. But is there a good reason to fry the carnitas afterwords instead? Thanks!
Hi Katie, you fry it afterwards once it has been shredded as you have more surface area for more browning – plus you add the juices from the slow cooker. It just wont work the same way if browning first. N x
Thank you, sorry I didn’t realise I’d sent it twice
Sounds delicious is it too spicy with jalapeño? I’m not big on spicy things could I leave out the jalapeño,?
Jarred pickled jalapenos take care of this issue.
Also, a quick coleslaw, i use a prepackaged mixed together with a little mayo – pickled jalapenos with touch of the jarred juice – cumin – garlic and onion powder – and a touch of sugar. topped with a sprinkle of hot sauce,
So Great!!!
Hi Abby, it’s not spicy at all but you can definitely leave it out if you prefer! N x
Sounds delicious is it too spicy with jalapeño? I’m not big on spicy things and neither are the children only my husband is but I cook so I don’t tell him what goes in to it could I leave out the jalapeño,?
Absolutely delicious! I have made these off and on for 4 years now. It started when my wife and I moved into a new place and I wanted something that didn’t require a lot of work but that would be delicious for those who helped out with the move. And since I was in the mood for carnitas and found this recipe. Needless to say it has been an instant hit! We usually make extra and freeze the remaining to have for later, and it still comes out just as good! I usually use lemon juice instead of the orange juice and it still turns out just as good! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Hi Nagi. Is it hot or Spicy as Some do not like anything hot. Thanks
Hi Marian, it’s not spicy at all! 🙂 N x
Just found this recipe and really want to cook it tonight for dinner tomorrow…but I don’t have oranges! Can I just substitute Minute Maid orange juice lol?
Did you make this with orange juice? I have same dilemma.
Love love love this recipe. I cook mine in an 8Qt Intantpot on high for 90 mins. As a slight variation after removing the pork butt. Turn the instant pot on sauté and stick blend the onions and garlic (I removed the pepper) and let the sauce simmer and reduce down. Then add that back to the pulled pork and pan sear before serving
I love this recipe have made it half a dozen times with 8+ lb pork shoulders. It always impresses and is super easy, thank you Nagi you have perfected the art of food blogging. I even like your personal stories they are unpretentious and mostly about your cute dog.
I used tortilla chips with a bit of sour cream on top of the pulled pork. Delicious!
YUM!! Sounds great Sandra! N x
Huge hit. Best carnitas which I make often. Fresh pico de gallo. Everyone crushes it. The pan fry to make it crispy is the key
Yes the crispy bits are the BEST Doug, I’m so glad you love it! N x
Hi Nagi, thank u for this recipe, I stumbled over it the other day after hours of research to find what I felt was the easiest, most authentic dish. I cooked it tonight and it was amazing.
I followed ur recipe to a T, accept that I brought a small jar of Mexican paste over the weekend that I hadn’t tried before, so I added 2 tsp’s of that to the rub mix. I don’t think it made much of a difference in the big scheme of things, the flavours in your recipe would’ve been just fine. I’m new to pressure cooking, so I did check the pork after 1 hour, but as per ur recipe, it needed the extra 1/2 hour, so ur 1.5 hrs pressure cooking is on point.
Pan frying the pork is definitely the game changer, absolutely delicious, the only negative, is my son loved it so much, he ate 4 whole tacos himself, same with hubby, and I only got to have 2. Hehe
Can’t wait to eat the leftover pork through the week, thank u again.
Super easy… I did it with pork tenderloin shrink wrapped from the supermarket. Delicious. I added lime juice, which I think added a dimension.
And by the way.. I skipped the crisping part to save calories..