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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 is so good! I made it in my Dutch oven. I just had to use tongs to shred the meat. It fell apart so easily. Amazing! Will make again.
We LOVE this recipe! We make it once a week! I actually make it in my ceramic coated cast-iron pan, and in about an hour hahaha! My crock-pot went out so that’s my alternative. I shared this with many friends and family and they love it as well!
I made this with my Dutch oven, I did a smaller 2.5lb shoulder roast, it still turned out amazing. I did add some bacon fat as to make up for not using lard and it turned out great! Will definitely be making this again.
Delicious!!
Made this today in the crockpot and served it on homemade tortillas. It was easy and so delish! Leftovers will be a pizza topping in a few days.
Did you bake the meat to make it crispy after the crockpot? Mine was 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.
I feel like mine could use more seasoning but once you make a pick out a Gallow and some hot sauces on a wrap I guess I could spice it up that way
Super easy, super tender, super yummy! I served this with avocado, lime wedges, green onion and Spanish rice on the side. Definitely a keeper recipe!
So great, and one better was to mix left overs with Kinders BBQ Sauce – OMG soooo GOOD! You’ll never make shredded pork any other way <3
This is soooo good! I’ve made it for my husband and I every week since I found it – we both love it every time I make it. The tacos honestly need nothing as the meat is so good itself
These are SO good. My daughter asks for this all the time. We have them with the tortillas, rice and even on nachos. Delicious.
I just bought a new grill – super pumped! Appreciate the post – trying to learn as much as I can before the Spring is in full swing.
I made this dish in my slow cooker and couldn’t believe how easy is was to put together. I also tried your suggestion of browning it under the broiler to crisp up the edges and liked the result. I used soft tacos spread with avocado and salsa and then topped with the pork. My husband absolutely loved them!