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This easy, melt-in-your-mouth carnitas recipe is unbelievably juicy and has irresistible browned crispy bits. As the pork cooks low and slow, your kitchen will smell amazing!
Try my Creamy Chicken Enchiladas or Fish Tacos next.
Why you’ll love it
“Carnitas” literally means “little meats”, which is very endearing. This fabulous Mexican pulled pork is braised to get it ultra tender and flavorful, then it’s crisped up for the most incredible texture along with ample richness. And carnitas are straightforward to make!
The meat is fall-apart tender, and it’s seasoned with a beautiful medley of everyday seasonings and paired with a punch of citrusy brightness from orange and lime. You can use carnitas meat in many ways (gimme all the tacos!), and it also freezes very well.
What you’ll need
- Pork shoulder – we’re using boneless pork shoulder and not trimming the fat; rendering the pork in its own fat is what makes carnitas so delicious when it melts and braises the meat as the collagen breaks down.
- Seasoning – my blend includes chili powder (it’s normally mild), dried oregano, ground cumin, and salt & pepper
- Chicken broth – more moisture and another layer of flavor
- Citrus – juice squeezed from an orange and lime adds acidity and freshness
- Onion and garlic – savory goodness in each bite
- Jalapeño peppers – for the signature kick
Pro tip
Boneless pork shoulder is sometimes labeled as picnic shoulder or picnic roast. You could also use pork butt (Boston butt). It’s fattier than pork shoulder, but they come from the same general area, the shoulder.
Helpful tips
- I recommend making the recipe as-is before trying any adjustments. It has a pretty classic flavor profile.
- Traditional Mexican Michoacán carnitas recipes confit the pork in a copper cauldron of lard since rendering fat is an essential part of the process. I don’t have a vat of lard handy, so that’s why we don’t trim any fat prior to cooking it here!
How to make carnitas
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven, and cut the shoulder into four smaller pieces. Mix together the spice rub, and coat the pork. Add to a Dutch oven, followed by the onions, jalapeños, garlic, broth, and juice from the orange and lime. Cook according to specifications below.
Place the pork on a baking sheet, and shred it with two forks. Ladle some of the leftover cooking liquid, and toss to coat it. Crisp it up for those golden edges using either the skillet or oven method below. Serve as desired, and don’t discard the juices!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I braise these carnitas in my 5.5 quart Dutch oven.
- Black nitrile gloves are super useful when chopping the jalapeño and coating the pork in the spice rub. I mince the garlic with a garlic press.
- It’s easy to dish ’em up with a pair of cooking tongs.
What to serve with carnitas
- I love to make these into carnitas tacos. Try them with my Pico de Gallo, avocado or restaurant-style Guacamole, salsa verde or salsa roja, Quick Pickled Red Onions, chopped cilantro, Chipotle Ranch Dressing, sour cream, queso fresco, etc.
- There are so many possibilities for this shredded pork! Put it in burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or tostadas.
- Make a rice bowl and serve carnitas with Mexican rice, refried beans, and a wedge of lime.
Leftovers and storage
- I store any leftover carnitas with their cooking juices to keep them moist in the fridge for 3-4 days. The liquid will congeal when it’s cold.
- My favorite way to warm up carnitas is to add the meat straight from the fridge to a skillet over medium-high heat. The lard from the cooled juices is the perfect amount of fat to fry up the carnitas and make them crispy again. Don’t overcrowd the pan.
- To freeze, let the leftover meat cool down in its cooking juices. Portion in individual containers and freeze for 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
More Mexican-inspired recipes
If you made this pork carnitas recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I love hearing from readers. Or tag me on Instagram stories!
Carnitas
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds boneless pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder see note
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt see note
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- Juice from 1 large orange
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers chopped finely
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- For serving: warmed corn tortillas, lime wedges, red onions, avocado, cilantro, etc. optional, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300F. For slow cooker method, see notes below.
- Cut the pork shoulder into 4 smaller pieces. If there's any string around the roast, remove it. Don't cut any of the fat off.
- In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Coat the pork pieces in the spice mixture, and add them to a Dutch oven.
- Add the onions, jalapeno peppers, garlic, chicken broth, orange juice, and lime juice on/around the pork.
- Cover and cook for 2 hours, then uncover and cook for another 1.5 hours or until it's fall-apart tender.
- Take the meat out of the Dutch oven and place it on a baking sheet. Shred it with two forks. Ladle about a cup of the leftover cooking liquid over top and toss to coat. You can either serve it as-is or proceed to the next step to crisp up the meat (recommended!), using one of two methods.
- Method 1 (Oven): Move the rack to the top third of the oven and set your oven to broil. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and broil until you've got some nice crispy bits. I typically check after 5 minutes and then pop it back in for more time as needed.Method 2 (Skillet): Add the meat and some cooking juices to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until one side is crispy. The juices should have enough fat, but if needed, add some oil or lard (I reserve bacon grease when I cook it and keep it in a jar in the fridge). Do the skillet method in batches.
- Serve in tacos or as desired.
- For leftovers, I don't discard the remaining cooking juices. I just mix them in with the rest of the shredded pork as it helps to keep it moist. The juices will congeal when cooled (creating lard), which is great for when you want to reheat leftovers. See blog post above for more leftovers/storage/reheating tips.
Notes
- Chili powder is a blend of spices that’s typically fairly mild, but it can vary from brand to brand, so be sure to double check yours if heat is a concern!
- If you’re not using sea salt or kosher salt, start with 1 teaspoon and add more salt when serving if needed.
- If you don’t own a Dutch oven, use a large, deep roasting pan that has a lid.
SLOW COOKER METHOD:
The recipe is largely the same, so follow it as indicated, but use a slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven. Use the same ingredients except skip the chicken broth. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. The meat should be fall-apart tender and shred easily with two forks.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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