This Pork Carnitas recipe is tender, flavorful, and perfect for serving in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tamales or salads. The best part is you can make carnitas in the oven, slow cooker or instant pot.
Don’t miss my other favorite slow cooker, or 30-minute meals I can throw together easily on a busy weeknight.
I love making International cuisine from home and Carnitas (Spanish for “little meats”) is one of the tastiest and easiest additions to our taco night! Carnitas pork is similar to pulled pork but flavored with Mexican spices and oven roasted after slow cooking.
Why I love this recipe:
- 5 Minute Prep and let the oven, slow cooker or instant pot do all the work.
- Versatile – Serve them in just about anything from tacos, burritos, tamales, quesadillas or burrito bowls.
- Freezer Friendly – save the leftovers for another meal.
How to make Carnitas (Slow Cooker Method):
Season Pork: Trim and discard excess fat from the pork. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper then generously season the pork on all sides.
Add Onion, Garlic and Citrus: Place the seasoned pork in the bottom of the slow cooker then add garlic, chopped onions, orange juice, and lime juice around it.
Cook: Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Shred: Remove pork from the slow cooker, shred the meat, then return it to the pot. Taste and add more seasonings or salt and pepper, if needed.
Broil (optional): At this point you can eat the pork as is or, to be make it more authentic, you can place the meat on a baking sheet and broil it for 2-3 minutes until the edges are crispy. For carnitas tacos, serve inside warm corn tortillas, garnished with cilantro.
Instant Pot Carnitas:
Prepare and season the pork the same, inside the instant pot then add an additional cup of water or chicken broth to the pot. Cook on Manual/High pressure for 70 minutes. When timer beeps, allow the pot to naturally release pressure, about 15 minutes longer. Remove lid then shred the meat. Broil if desired.
Oven Carnitas:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F then cut the pork into 4 pieces (this will allow it to cook faster and more evenly in the pot). Season the pork on all sides and place in pot then add an additional cup of water/broth to the pot. Prepare and season the pork the same, but cut it into a few large chunks to fit evenly into a dutch oven pan or oven-safe pot. Bake for 3-3/12 hours, until tender.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Add everything to the pot, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days before cooking (depending on the freshness of your ingredients).
To Freeze: Allow this easy carnitas recipe to cool completely, then store in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To rewarm, spread the meat on a baking sheet with a little of the juice and reheat at 400 degrees F until warm, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve with Mexican recipes, like:
- Mexican rice
- Refried Beans
- Salsa or Pico de gallo
- Guacamole
- Corn salad
- Horchata
- Sopaipillas
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Recipe
Carnitas
Equipment
- instant pot (optional)
- Slow Cooker (optional)
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb pork shoulder
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons Dried oregano
- 2-3 teaspoons salt or more, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 onions roughly chopped
- juice from 2 large oranges
- juice from 2 limes
Instructions
- Trim and discard excess fat from the pork.
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Generously season the pork on all sides.
- Add the seasoned pork to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add garlic, chopped onions, orange juice, and lime juice.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Remove pork from the slow cooker, shred the meat. Taste and add more seasonings and salt and pepper, if needed.
- At this point you can eat the pork as is, or for a more authentic taste, place the meat on a baking sheet and broil it for 2-3 minutes until the edges are crispy.
- For tacos, serve warm inside warm corn tortillas topped with salsa or pico and cilantro. Serve with a side of Mexican rice and refried beans.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe March 2017. Updated March 2020 and July 2023.
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This has become an absolute staple in my household. I do it in a dutch oven, though I rarely add more liquid than the orange and lime provide, and it turns out great. Also, I usually use equal parts cumin and oregano, and much more than a tablespoon of each. I actually have a spice bottle of just the two mixed and use that to fully rub down each quarter of the shoulder. Doing the broiling step isn’t completely necessary, but I find it’s the perfect way to heat up the meat if you don’t braise it the same day you eat it. It gets served with soft tortillas and whatever toppings we’ve got around. Particular favourites are guacamole, fermented turnips (like what goes in a falafel or shawarma wrap) and pickled onions.
Yum! This recipe was a hit with everyone. I served it over a Cuban rice base. I did the Instant Pot version and did do the oven broil step to get the crispy bits which takes it over the top.
This is a fresh take on pulled pork. The citrus flavors really come through. This is a winner I look forward to doing at my next potluck.
I accidently bought a bone in roast. Should I do anything different with it?
Hey! No worries at all—you can totally use a bone-in roast for this recipe! Just cook it the same way in the slow cooker, but keep in mind that the cooking time might be slightly longer since there’s a bone. Once it’s done, just shred the meat off the bone and follow the rest of the recipe as usual. It’ll still turn out delicious! Enjoy!
-Stacy
If cooking in oven, should the pot be covered?
This was so good! I cooked it in the crockpot and then after shredding broiled it in the oven to make it slightly crisp. The flavor was wonderful. I served it with flour tortillas, slices of avocado, pico and lime. My family gobbled it up. No need to make any changes to the recipe it’s great as is
We loved it ❤️ smelled like roasted pineapple while it was cooking
Excellent recipe! I have done both crockpot and oven versions. I actually prefer making it in the oven.
Absolutely amazing flavor! My first time ever make carnitas or cooking pork for that matter and this came out perfect. I did the oven version 🙂