Pork Carnitas
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This homemade Pork Carnitas recipe is juicy, tender, and packed with bold flavor thanks to a simple homemade seasoning! Slow cooked until perfectly tender, then crisped up for that irresistible texture, this Mexican pulled pork is perfect for tacos, nachos, or making Chipotle copycat burrito bowls. It’s easy to make in the oven or in a slow cooker and it tastes so delicious!
Why this recipe is the best
I live in San Diego, right on the border of Mexico, which means my cooking is heavily influenced by the amazing Mexican food right in my backyard. In Mexico, carnitas is traditionally made by simmering pork in it’s own fat, lard or cooking oil.
For this recipe, I lightened up the dish a bit, while still keeping the incredible flavor that we all know and love! The pork is still seared in oil and slow cooked until tender, but instead of fat, I used a small amount of broth and citrus juice to add wonderful flavor to the pork.
After eating carnitas tacos all over San Diego and Mexico, and making carnitas at home dozens of times, this is my tested and perfected recipe that I know you’re going to love, and here’s why!
- It’s easy to make. With just 20 minutes of hands-on time, it’s easy to make this carnitas recipe for everything from a weeknight meal to a backyard fiesta. You can slow cook it in the oven or in a slow cooker, whichever is easiest for you!
- It’s so flavorful. I recently made this recipe for a dinner party and everyone raved that it was the best carnitas they’d ever had! Years of practice helped me craft this recipe so that it tastes amazing and is full of flavor.
- It’s versatile. Traditionally carnitas is served in tacos, but you can use this Mexican pulled pork in a variety of different ways. I love to make a big batch of this carnitas over the weekend, then use it throughout the week in tacos, quesadillas, and burrito bowls.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this pork carnitas recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Boneless pork shoulder – this is the cut of pork that I recommend for making carnitas. It might also be labeled pork butt at the grocery store. This cut has enough fat in it that will slowly cook down and make the carnitas juicy, tender and flavorful. You can use a bone-in pork shoulder, but if you do, you will not be able to cut the pork into large chunks for seasoning and searing. In this case, I recommend keeping the pork shoulder whole, seasoning it generously on all sides, then searing it. I would also recommend adding 30 minutes to the cook time for a whole bone-in pork shoulder.
- Carnitas seasoning – my homemade seasoning mix combines chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper to make a simple, yet flavorful rub for the pork.
- Avocado oil – or another type of vegetable oil with a high smoke point, like canola oil.
- Lime juice and orange juice – I recommend fresh squeezed juices for the best flavor.
- Chicken broth – or you can use a Mexican lager for a light, crisp flavor.
- Cinnamon stick
- Bay leaves
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season the pork. Cut a pork shoulder into large chunks. Season all sides of the pork with carnitas seasoning.
- Sear the pork. Heat a large oven-safe pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over high heat. Pour in avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned pork in a single layer. Sear on all sides for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. You’ll probably have to do this in two batches to make sure the pork gets seared evenly on all sides.
- Add the liquid and aromatics. Pour chicken broth, lime juice and orange juice into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, add a cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
- Slow roast the pork. Cover the pot with a lid or tight-fitting piece of foil. Transfer to an oven preheated to 325°F and roast for 3 hours.
- Shred the pork. After 3 hours, remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. Use tongs to remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the pot and discard them. Use the same tongs to remove the pork from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Using two forks to shred the pork. It should be fall-apart-tender, so this should be really easy.
- Crisp the pork. One of the signature steps in making carnitas is to crisp it up at the end in it’s own juices. To do this, you can sear a little bit at a time in a skillet on the stove, but I’ve found that it’s easiest to crisp up all the pork at one time on a baking sheet in the oven. Turn the broiler on the oven to high and arrange an oven rack approximately 6-8 inches from the heat source. Spread out the shredded carnitas in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle 1/4 cup of cooking liquid from the pot it was cooked in over the pork on the baking sheet. Place in the oven under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly crispy.
Ways to serve it
- Tacos: warm up corn or flour tortillas, then fill them with the crispy carnitas. In a taco shop, you’ll find them topped with diced onions and cilantro, with salsas and hot sauce on the side. Feel free to add the toppings of your choice. I love to serve the carnitas topped with my 10 minute homemade salsa verde.
- Burrito bowls: make a Chipotle copycat at home by serving the carnitas on top of cilantro lime rice, with either pico de gallo, corn salsa, or guacamole.
- Quesadillas: replace the carne asada in this quesadilla recipe with carnitas.
- Nachos: use the carnitas in this recipe for the ultimate pulled pork nachos.
Storage and reheating
Store leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the carnitas in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.
I recommend reheating the carnitas in a little bit of oil in a hot skillet on the stove. It should only take 2-3 minutes to warm up the carnitas over high heat.
To reheat frozen carnitas, first thaw the pork in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Reheat it in oil on the stove using the instructions above.
How to make it in a slow cooker
If you prefer to cook the carnitas in a slow cooker or Crock Pot, instead of the oven, follow the recipe to season and sear the pork on the stove. Transfer the seared pork to a slow cooker, then add the lime and orange juice, chicken broth, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
Slow cook the pork for 4-5 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. After the cook time, follow the recipe as instructed to remove the pork from the slow cooker, shred it, then crisp it up in the oven.
More Mexican recipes
If you love this authentic carnitas recipe, then I know you’re going to love these other tested and perfected Mexican recipes!
Carnitas
Ingredients
Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder, or granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon onion powder, or granulated onion
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Carnitas
- 4 pound boneless pork shoulder
- ¼ cup avocado oil, or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth, or a 12 ounce Mexican lager
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the carnitas seasoning in a small bowl.
- Cut a the boneless pork shoulder into large chunks. Rub the seasoning mix on all sides of the pieces of pork.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large dutch oven on the stove over high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned pork and cook on all sides for 2-3 minutes per side or until the pork is browned on all sides. You’ll probably have to do this in two batches to make sure the pork gets seared evenly on all sides.
- Add lime juice, orange juice and chicken broth. Bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
- Cover the dutch oven with a lid or tightly with a piece of foil and transfer it to the oven to cook for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, remove the pork from the oven and turn the oven from bake to broil on high. Arrange one rack in the oven approximately 6-8 inches from the top.
- Use tongs to remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the pot and discard them.
- Use the same tongs to remove the pieces of pork from the liquid and place them on a cutting board.
- Use two forks, or meat claws, to shred the pork, then transfer it to a large rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Pour ¼ cup of the liquid from the dutch oven over the pork on the baking sheet.
- Place the pork under the broiler in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly crispy.
- Serve in tortillas with your choice of toppings, or make nachos, burrito bowls, or quesadillas with the pulled pork carnitas.
Notes
- One pound of boneless pork will give you approximately 2 cups of shredded carnitas. Using this measurement means you’ll end up with approximately 8 cups of carnitas if you’re using a 4 pound boneless pork shoulder.
- If you prefer to make the recipe in a slow cooker, after you’ve seasoned and seared the pork, transfer it to a slow cooker with the lime juice, orange juice, chicken broth, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Slow cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. After the cook time, follow the recipe as instructed to remove the pork from the slow cooker, shred it, then crisp it up in the oven.
Nutrition Facts
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