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This Mexican Pork Carnitas recipe only takes 5 minutes of prep, then let the slow cooker, oven, or Instant Pot do the rest! It's tender, flavorful, and the perfect meal prep protein. Pile it into tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tamales, bowls, or salads!
Carnitas Made Easy from Home!
This Mexican Carnitas recipe is one of my go-to’s because it gives you big, bold taco-night flavor with almost no effort. Literally just a quick seasoning rub, toss it in the slow cooker (or oven/Instant Pot instructions are down in the notes of the recipe card), and it turns out unbelievably tender and flavorful every time. I also never pass up that quick broil at the end to get those crispy, caramelized edges that make it taste like it came from your favorite Mexican restaurant. You can use pork carnitas to make tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, or salads.
To make your tacos to the next level, try my homemade corn tortillas. or flour tortillas.
Try all of my favorite Mexican recipes, like Tamales, Pork Chile Verde, Mexican Rice, Tacos Al Pastor, Birria Ramen, Chilaquiles, Smothered Burritos,
How to make Carnitas (Slow Cooker Method):
Cook Roast: Stir together chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Trim any excess fat from roast then cover with seasoning on all sides. Place roast in a slow cooker then add garlic, chopped onions, orange juice, and lime juice. Put lid on and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours.
Shred Meat: Take pork out of the slow cooker and shred the meat on a cutting board. Add shredded meat back in pot. Taste and add more seasonings, to taste.
Broil (optional): You can eat it now or to make it more authentic, broil it on a baking sheet for 2-3 minutes to make the edges crispy. In my opinion, this step is absolutely worth it!
Serve: For tacos, serve inside warm corn tortillas and garnish with cilantro. Serve with Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, Horchata, and a piece of Tres Leches Cake if you want to go all out!
Mexican Carnitas Recipe
Equipment
- instant pot (optional)
- Slow Cooker (optional)
- Baking Sheet (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, July 2023 and March 2026.
This dish was soooooo good and easy to make. I think we will be making this one regularly.
I was interested in making a pork loin in the instant pot.
I’m going to set it for 7 minutes, letting it slow release.
I saw 70 minutes & thought it was an error but maybe that was a huge pork roast.
Could you let me know? I don’t want pork jerky!
7 minutes will not be enough time to for the instant pot. It will need around an hour, depending on how large the roast is.
These pork carnitas are a definite keeper says my son that is a food shows junky and likes to cook himself. I could not find the right size pork shoulder roast at the store. They had pork shoulder steaks. I bought these, cut out the bone, and dredged each steak through the spices. I cooked for 6 hours on low then shredded and broiled. Better tasting than many Mexican restaurants. Go the extra mile and broil. I love this website. Tried an entire meal plan the family is happy.
about to make this! how long do u leave the pork in the oven if doing it this way? thanks x
Bake for about 3-3/12 hours, until tender.
Sooo delicious! And super easy as well. Loving this entire week worth of amazing meals! Thank you so much
I’ve made the carnitas twice in a month served in a bowl Chipotle style with white rice, black beans, guacamole and topped with cilantro and green salsa! My family loves it!! Thank you
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe.
Cooked in high in slow cooker for 5 hours as it was still super raw looking at 4 hours. Sadly at 5 hours it was over cooked rubber. Nothing shredded, just like chunks of sliced dried overcooked pork 😔 I’ve never managed to overcook something this badly in a slow cooker when it’s cooking in a broth of some sort.
Can I use a pork loin? Trying to use what I have. 🤔
My family loved the pork carnitas! We ate the meat with tortillas the first night and served it over rice and black beans the second night. Delicious!
Love that idea! So happy to hear you liked them–thanks for coming back to comment.
This is one of my go-to recipes for feeding a big group. A huge hit at parties, potlucks, etc. I’ve yet to come home with leftovers, even after double batches!
Delicious! Even better as leftovers!
Thanks so much!