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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.
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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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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe March 2017. Updated March 2020 and July 2023.
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I cooked mine in a crockpot. Meat was tender falling apart in the crockpot. I tried to drain as much liquid as I could and separated it, it says to boil down the juices in a pot to drizzle over pan sheet broil ?
I feel like mine could use more seasoning but once you make a pico de gallo and some hot sauces on a wrap It would spice it up .
do you suggest pan, baking it and then freezing it or keeping it moist and then when you’re ready to use it on another occasion, you would bake it?
Hi! Just to clarify this recipe doesn’t include boiling down juices. That might be a different carnitas recipe!
For freezing: I recommend keeping it moist with some liquid and skipping the broil until you’re ready to eat. When reheating, spread on a baking sheet and reheat at 400°F for 10-15 minutes, then broil 2-3 minutes for crispy edges.
You’re right about the seasoning. carnitas are traditionally mild and get their flavor from fresh toppings like pico de gallo and hot sauce. That’s the authentic way! But feel free to add more spices to the meat if you prefer.
Sorry your right I had looked at another recipe as well . There was a lot of fat in the juices so I had discarded this as about 1 inch thick on top of the bowl of juices. Maybe I should’ve kept it .
Thank you for clarifying how to freeze .I pan fried mine in cast iron to crisp it up but the rest of it I’ll try on the baking sheet
Tastes very yummy thank you so much!
Will freeze some for my kids at university
This was one of the best pork carnita recipes I have ever made! I left the entire oranges and limes in though (I like what it adds to the flavor)
Hello, should this be cooked covered or uncovered in the oven? I had 2.8kg of pork shoulder and used juice of 3 oranges and limes and 1 cup of water. I put in the oven at 325 (in a Dutch oven), I cooked covered for the first 2 hours and uncovered for 1.5 hours. I thought it was too watery and the taste lacked punch. Should I have cooked it uncovered the whole time? (I used 1.5x spices used except for 1 tbsp of chili powder as some family members are super sensitive to heat.) Will redo again, though, and try other meats.
You added too much liquid! The recipe for oven carnitas calls for citrus juice PLUS 1 cup water/broth, but you used 3 oranges + 3 limes PLUS 1 cup water way too much. Stick to 2 oranges, 2 limes, and 1 cup water/broth. Cook covered the whole time at 325°F for 3-3.5 hours. Then shred and broil uncovered to crisp it up. Also, use the full amount of spices for better flavor!
I made this with chicken thigh instead as I cannot eat pork and covered with foil in the oven for 3.5hrs and broil at the end and cannot understate just how amazing this is! It pulls apart perfectly and tastes divine, I used the amount of chili suggested and it was perfect – if you like spicy probably use 50% more or use hot sauce? It stores well, reheats well and stays nice as a cold meat so this will become a staple go to meat in the fridge for anything! <3