This carnitas recipe is incredible. It makes the most pull-apart tender, juicy pork that’s perfect for tacos, burritos, bowls, and anything else you love.
Carnitas (meaning “little meats”) is Mexico’s beloved answer to pulled pork. Traditionally, pork shoulder is simmered low and slow in a rich bath of lard, transforming it into incredibly tender, moist, and deeply flavorful meat.
We slowly cook the pork in the oven with fragrant aromatics and just a few tablespoons of oil, guaranteeing that every bite is unapologetically porky, unbelievably juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Key Ingredients
- Pork: Buy boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (it doesn’t matter which) with a good amount of fat left intact. It is the fat that keeps our pork moist and tender. This is the same cut of meat we use for our American-style pulled pork. Other names for pork shoulder are picnic roast, Boston butt, blade roast, and pork butt.
- Salt and Pepper: We don’t have a particular carnitas seasoning blend, so stick with simple salt and pepper. The pork and aromatics will provide plenty of flavor.
- Oil: I use a high-heat cooking oil for this recipe (usually avocado oil), but lard is also an option.
- Aromatics: Inspired by authentic carnitas from central Mexico, we use fresh orange, onion, garlic, a bay leaf, and a cinnamon stick. The combination is delicious and doesn’t take over the pork’s natural flavor.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Carnitas
Tip 1: Season the pork. Generously season the pork shoulder all over. Then place it in a Dutch oven or baking dish with orange halves, onion, garlic, a cinnamon stick, and a bay leaf. The seasoning is simple, but it adds an incredible amount of flavor as the pork cooks.
Tip 2: Add a little oil. Traditional carnitas are cooked in lard. At home, I use oil to keep things simpler. When placing it into your pan, arrange the pork with the fattier side facing up so the fat slowly renders and bastes the meat as it cooks.
Tip 3: Cook low and slow. Bake the pork low and slow until it is fork-tender. I use 300°F, which usually takes 3 to 4 hours. You can also make carnitas in a slow cooker, and I’ve included notes for that option below the recipe.
Tip 4: Reserve the cooking liquid. When the pork is done, there will be flavorful cooking juices in the pan. Strain the liquid and set it aside. You’ll use some of it to moisten and season the shredded pork later (it’s incredible).
Tip 5: Shred and crisp. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and spread them onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of the reserved cooking liquid, then broil until the edges are browned and crisp. It only takes a few minutes, and it makes a big difference.
Serving Suggestions
I love carnitas tacos made with homemade corn tortillas, cilantro, and raw white onion or pickled onions sprinkled on top. Adding a drizzle of our roasted tomatillo salsa verde is also amazing. A bowl of tortilla chips with homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, or queso is always a good idea, too.
For more of a plate meal, think about a side of black beans or refried beans and rice. I love this Mexican rice or this cilantro lime rice.
More Pork Recipes
Epic Pork Carnitas
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
How to make carnitas that are unapologetically porky, juicy, and tender with crisped-up edges. This Mexican slow cooked pulled pork is surprisingly simple to make and delicious. I use an oven, but tips for using a slow cooker are below the recipe.
I love these served in homemade corn tortillas with fresh cilantro and chopped raw white onion on top.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
4 pounds pork shoulder with the fat left on, use bone-in or boneless (1.8kg)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons avocado oil or melted pork lard
1 medium orange, halved, or 2 use clementines
Half large onion, quartered
5 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
Directions
1Adjust an oven rack towards the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
2Prepare the pork: Add one tablespoon of the oil to a wide, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot (like a Dutch oven). If you do not have a Dutch oven, see the tips for using a baking dish below.
3Season the pork on all sides with the salt and pepper, and then place it into the pot with the fattiest side facing up. Squeeze the oranges over the pork. Scatter the squeezed orange halves, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf around the pork.
4Bake the pork: Drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of oil over everything. Cover the pot with its lid and slowly bake in the oven until the pork is fork tender, 3 to 3 ½ hours.
5Pull the pork: Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cool until you can handle it. Pull the pork with forks or your fingers. Depending on your preference, you can separate the meat into larger chunks or smaller shreds. Discard the bone (if there is one), any connective tissue, and larger clumps of fat. I like leaving a few smaller bits of fat.
6Strain the cooking liquid: Pour the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve it for later. Discard the onion, oranges, and spices.
7Make crispy carnitas: Spread the shredded carnitas on a baking sheet and pour enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten them. (If your cooking liquid has solidified, rewarm some of it in a small saucepan before adding it to the pork.)
8Broil the pork: Set an oven rack 4 to 5 inches below the broiler and preheat it. Slide the pork underneath and broil until the pork crisps and caramelizes, 2 to 5 minutes. As you broil, stir once or twice, and keep a close eye on them, as they can burn or smoke quickly.
9Serve carnitas in tacos, burritos, salads, rice, or with your favorite sides.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I like storing the pulled pork and the cooking liquid in separate containers so that when it’s time to reheat, I can use some of the liquid to moisten the pork.
- Freezing: You can freeze them for up to 3 months. I add the pork to one freezer-safe container and the leftover cooking liquid to another, then freeze both. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium heat, adding a little reserved cooking liquid to keep them moist. Or reheat in a 350°F oven in a baking dish with a splash of cooking liquid. For crispy carnitas, after reheating, place them under the broiler (explained in the recipe above).
- No Dutch oven: Cut the pork into 2-inch chunks and arrange it in a large baking dish. Place the other ingredients around it, and then cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Slow Cooker Carnitas: Season the pork and place it fat-side-up in your slow cooker. Squeeze over the orange and scatter the orange halves, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf around the pork. Drizzle the oil over the pork, close the lid, and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. When the carnitas are fork-tender, shred them and then crisp them up using your broiler (as explained in the recipe).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I make carnitas fairly regularly, but I just found your recipe and tried it. I followed recipe exactly, amd I will always use your recipe in the future. It was amazing!!! Perfectly tender yet crispy and the flavor profile was perfect. I made this for company and everyone loved it, including my husband who never gets too excited about pork 😂 thanks for sharing!!
Absolutely amazing recipe, thank you!
You are so welcome! 🙂
Does the orange give any kind of sweetness?
The orange contributes a subtle sweetness, but it’s more about the bright citrus flavor that balances the richness of the pork. It also adds a delightful, complex aroma to the carnitas.
Just curious if you guys were able to try this out in a instapot/ pressure cooker? If so (please say you have, oh pleaseeee say you have lol) could you let me know the times and pressure settings used exp: high/low pressure. Thanks so much for the great recipes. I’ve so far in just the first day of finding your site was able to make peanut butter, chocolate version minus the choco chips, granola bars with the peanut butter, added figs and raisins on top! I can say this for sure, I’ve never liked cooking, mainly because almost every online recipe I’ve ever tried has turned out awful. Usually because of a typo the drastically changes the outcome exmp: oven temp, time needed to cook or a vital ingredients just missing altogether. After trying your simple recipes I am so happy to be able to say I not only wasn’t half bad at the but I rather enjoyed myself as well. so thank you so much for more then just the great content but for the huge confidence boost as well. <3
Hi Hannah, Thank you for such a kind comment!! We have included instructions for cooking carnitas in a slow cooker in the article above.
I saw instructions for slow cooker, oven, Dutch oven… But nothing for a instantpot…. Did you remove it?
Hi John, I’m sorry about that, but we want to test this method more thoroughly. Best! Joanne.
I do my carnitas in a stovetop pressure cooker…40 minutes high pressure, natural release. Delicious. Trying this one tomorrow.
I loved your recipe pancakes. Thank you so much 😊
Hi Joanne, love the sound of this. Is the cooking temperature for conventional oven or fan assisted? Thanks so much.
Hi Esther, the cooking temperature is for a conventional oven setting.
Can this be done in a slow cooker? What would be the cooking time?
Yes, it should work. Just cook the pork on low or high until fork tender. For our slow cooker pulled pork we cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6.
You are the very best!! Even though us Mexican are very special about our recipes, you guys do our cusine with a lot of respect! Love all your baking recipes but with this types of recipes, I love you even more!! The only thing I would add, its some Salsa Verde with your taco Carnitas!!. Keep up the awesome work!! you guys rock!!
Hi Mayra,
That means a lot to us! We top these with salsa verde all of the time. We almost always have some of our homemade salsa verde in our fridge.
Hi. I want to try this, but my husband is allergic to oranges and tangerines. What would be a good substitute? He is not allergic to lemon, lime or grapefruit – just oranges and tangerines. Thank you!
Hi Joanne, Lime is an excellent substitute. Many carnitas recipes actually call for lime instead of the orange.