This easy Pork Carnitas recipe is sure to win you over. They are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside! Let the slow cooker do all the work and you will make restaurant-quality Mexican carnitas with little mess or fuss.
We love re-creating our favorite Mexican-inspired recipes at home, from Guacamole to Fish Tacos and even Chicken Fajitas. These pork carnitas are another family favorite that will be on your regular rotation. You’ll also appreciate that leftovers keep really well.
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Carnitas
We love slow cooker recipes that require simple ingredients and minimal clean-up. I’m SO looking forward to sharing this recipe with you! For years, I’ve worked on creating the perfect carnitas. They either came out too dry or too greasy. But, these are JUST right. Here’s why you will love this Carnitas Recipe:
- Easy – there’s no need to pre-sear the meat, just season it and add it to the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients.
- Crisp and Tender – the slow cooker makes the meat super tender and finishing it off in the oven (or skillet – see below) creates the dreamiest crispy edges.
- FLAVOR – the addition of lime and orange juice create a richly flavored broth that bastes the meat as it slowly cooks.
- Leftovers – Pork carnitas store really well in the refrigerator or freezer so they a great idea for your weekly meal plan.
- Crowd-Pleasing – this recipe is easy and makes a generous batch which is perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s a great option for hosting, birthdays or events.
What is Carnitas?
Carnitas, or “little meats” in Spanish, is a popular Mexican recipe. It’s essentially braised or simmered pork that has been cooked in a flavorful broth until ridiculously tender.
If they already aren’t one of your favorite dishes to order at your local taqueria, get prepared to fall in love. This pork packs some serious flavor and is the perfect candidate for weekend meal prepping. From carnitas tacos to burritos to salads, carnitas go great on almost anything.
Ingredients
- Pork Roast – The best roast for Carnitas is a boneless pork shoulder or pork butt.
- Carnita seasonings – Salt, black pepper, and dried oregano make a simple and delicious seasoning.
- Onion and Garlic – add rich flavor to the broth.
- Lime juice and Orange juice – add bright flavor and keep the carnitas from feeling too greasy. The acidity also helps to tenderize the pork roast. This is the key to the best carnitas.
- Bay leaves – If you don’t have bay leaves on hand, you can skip them, but just as with soups, we like to add them for more aroma and flavor.
How to Make Carnitas
Let the slow cooker do ALL the work for you. Cooking your pork low and slow ensures that it will be nice and tender when it is time to chow down. There’s nothing worse than spending a bunch of time prepping carnitas for them to simply turn out bland and dry. Follow this easy step-by-step process for perfect carnitas every time:
- Season – Pat your pork dry and season pork roast liberally.
- In the slow cooker, add your veggies, broth, citrus and bay leaves.
- Add the roast and slow cook on high heat for 5 hours (or on low for 7-9 hours) or until pork is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Shred pork – transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and shred pork with 2 forks. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the slow cooker juices on top.
- Broil the shredded pork for 5 minutes, until the edges are delicious and crispy.
How to Serve Pork Carnitas
- Carnita tacos: Grab your favorite corn tortilla, some onions, Cowboy Caviar, cilantro, and lime wedges. Pack each tortilla with crispy pork. This is the perfect party food!
- Nachos: Oh yes, everyone’s favorite snack food is made that much more delicious with some homemade carnitas. Top your chips off with a scoop of carnitas, cheese, sour cream, and Pico de gallo.
- Burrito: I mean, who doesn’t love a good burrito? Stuff a large, flour tortilla with all the usual suspects and dip it into jalapeno ranch.
- Salad: Add carnitas for our favorite Mexican Salad! This makes for a great weekday lunch.
Common Questions
Unfortunately, a pork tenderloin or pork loin would not work well in this recipe because they are too lean and will end up tough and dry.
Be sure to thaw your pork roast before putting it into the slow cooker, otherwise, your cook times will be off and your pork won’t cook properly. The USDA recommends you always defrost meat before putting it into a slow cooker.
Yes, you can crisp up the carnitas in a skillet after you shred the meat. Oil a skillet, add pork and drizzle with some of the slow cooker juices. Let the meat cook and sear until golden brown on the first side, then flip and briefly sear on the second side to your desired crispiness.
Carnitas are often confused for another dish called “barbacoa”. While the concept is similar, barbacoa is typically beef that has been slow-cooked in dried chiles and spices until tender. Also, barbacoa is much spicier!
Make Ahead
We love that this Mexican pulled pork can be made ahead.
- Refrigerating – Before the final crisping step, carnitas can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- To freeze – Carnitas can be frozen for up to 3 months. Pack carnitas in a freezer-safe bag with some of the juices from the slow cooker. To prevent freezer burn, remove as much air as you can when sealing.
- To reheat – Thaw carnitas if frozen, then you can crisp them on a skillet or in the oven per the recipe instructions.
More Pork Recipes
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Pulled Pork Recipe
- Instant Pot Ribs
- Grilled Pork Chops
- Pork Chops in the Air Fryer
- Cuban Pork Sandwich
Carnitas Recipe (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Ingredients
- 4 lb boneless pork roast, (pork butt or pork shoulder)
- 3 tsp fine sea salt, (or 2 1/2 tsp table salt)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves
- 4 Tbsp lime juice, (from 2 limes)
- 1/2 cup orange juice, (from 2 oranges)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves, optional
Instructions
- Pat the pork dry with a paper towel. Combine salt, pepper and dried oregano and rub pork with the seasoning.
- In the slow cooker, add chopped onion, garlic cloves, broth, lime juice, orange juice, and bay leaves if using.
- Add the pork to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 7-9 hours.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet. Shredded the pork with two forks and drizzle the top with 1/2 cup of the slow cooker juices.
- To get crispy edges, broil in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.
Nutrition Per Serving
Natalya Drozhzhin
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I made this in my instant pot, I cooked it on high pressure for 45 mins. Then left it on the slow cooker setting for the rest of the day (about 6 hours). Then shredded the meat up, and put on a baking sheet under the broiler. While that was broiling, I turned the instant pot to Sautee and cooked down the juices and used my immersion blender to turn it into almost a gravy consistency. Drizzled that over the meat as it was broiling. It turned out amazing! I mean like restaurant quality! Thank you for this delicious recipe! It’s definitely a keeper in my house!
Hi ther,
Could I do this is the oven?
Thanks
Hi Ang, You can make baked carnitas in the oven covered in a Dutch oven at 300˚F for about 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender and easy to shred with forks.
Hello! Do you have a guestimate on how to adapt this to a smoker? I was thinking maybe 4 hours on a smoker at 200 and switch to a pot, but am wondering if that would dry it out.
Hi! I’m sorry, I do not. You may try researching another recipe online together rough estimate. Sorry I can’t be more help.
I made carnitas this past weekend in the smoker. I rubbed a pork butt with all the seasonings and marinated overnight and then smoked for 8 hours. I than wrapped it in foil and finished it in the oven for about an hour at 375 til the bone in the butt pulled out clean and easy.
I actually like it better this way because the meat is more like chopped bbq than kind of soggy when it is cooked in the crockpot. And the smokey flavor adds yum to everything. I chopped it all up and froze in 1 lb sections…thaw and pan fry quickly with a spritz of lime juice and onions/garlic when we want a quick meal.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, M!
Hi! We just tried this and it was great! Will be enjoying it regularly for sure. Two questions for next time we make it:
1) Our cut of pork shoulder had a pretty thick fat cap on one side of it. What orientation do you recommend placing it in the crock pot, and should the fat be removed first? I had hoped by placing it fat side up it would render while cooking and add moist flavor to the entire batch of carnitas, but after cooking there was still the thick fatty layer that I had to cut off and overall it seemed like the roast hadn’t cooked evenly.
2) if it came wrapped with butchers twine, do we remove that before or after cooking?
Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Hi A, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Placing the fat cap up is a good idea to allow the fat to render the meat as it cooks. If it is too thick however, you may want to trim it down a bit, it’s recommend to have about 1/4″ thickness before cooking to ensure even cooking. You can remove the butchers twice before coking, as a recommendation.This will allow the meat to spread out more in the slow cooker. If you do keep it on to keep its shape you can, just ensure to cut the twine off before shredding. I hope you love it!
Is there a time difference for cooking the meant with bone in?
Hi Madison. I haven’t tested this with bone in meat. Generally bone in meat takes longer to cook. However, one of my viewers reported back saying they follow this exact recipe with bone in and it came out perfect.
Hi! Looking forward to making this. I only have an Instant Pot, however. Do you have suggestions for converting the recipe for an Instant Pot?
Hi Linda! Typically for this amount of pork, you could make pork carnitas in an instant pot on high pressure for 30 minutes with a 15-minute natural pressure release.
Very good, but could use a little more kick with extra spices. I use an instant pot for 4-4.5 lbs pork shoulder. High pressure setting for 1 hour. 15 min natural release. Turned out great!
Quick question… I am cooking for 20 so I am wondering if the cook time is longer when using a slow cooker? And if my Pork Butt doesn’t fit in my crock pot what would the baking instructions be? Thanks!
Hi Chrisitne, it may take longer since there is more meat involved. You can make baked carnitas in the oven covered in a Dutch oven at 300˚F for about 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender and easy to shred with forks.
This is one of our favorites for sure. Amazing! I am making for a large group for the first time and have a shoulder that will just fit in my crock. But do I double the seasonings and juice?
I’m so excited to hear this recipe is your favorite, Christie! I recommend using the recipe slider on the recipe card to adjust for the amount of meat you have, that will also adjust the other ingredients for you. I hope that helps.
The recipe didn’t work. Dried out completely. I didn’t even cook the whole recommended time.
Hi Sarah, did you follow the recipe exactly and did you possibly use a different cut of meat? If the meat is too lean, that can cause it to become tough and dry. Also make sure to cook in the slow cooker until the meat is tender. If it’s not tender after the slow cooker, it will definitely be dry after the oven.
I’ve got a 4lb pork loin in the crockpot right now. No where in the recipe does it tell you to add the chicken broth. I’m skipping it as I’ve checked other recipes and most don’t include broth.
Hi Linda, we have it on step 2. “In the slow cooker, add your veggies, broth, citrus and bay leaves.” I hope that helps.
Absolutely fantastic! Made it for Cinco de Mayo family night. ALL GONE!!! Easy and delicious!
Hi Natasha,
Love the Carnitas recipe; a bit confused, the recipe calls for diced onions, however, pics of the taco looks like sliced onions. Pickled? I know its a trivial
question, thanks for your patience.
Bob Curley
Hi Bob! That’s correct, the diced onions are used to make the meat for the carnitas (see the recipe card for step by step instructions).
The pickled onions you see in the image are additional toppings that can be added to your tacos but not part of the actual recipe.
Do you ever baste the roast with the juices in the crockpot?
Hi Johna! No, I do not baste it during the slow cooking process.
Hi, I made this and reading back I think the salt is supposed to be 3tsp? You have 3tbsp or 2tsp. Please let me know because I’m trying to figure why it’s so salty
Hi R, oh my goodness I’m so sorry. I’m not sure how I missed that but you are correct it is 3 tsp of salt. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Hi. I don’t have an insta pot or Dutch oven. What else could I use to make these pork carnitas
Hi Anu! If you want to bake them, you’ll want to use something similar like an oven safe pot/dish with a lid. I used my dutch oven at 300˚F for about 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender and easy to shred with forks.
Reply
Made this tonight for my family and they loved it. The meet was so tender and flavorful. Thank you so much for the recipe. This will be my go to for recipe for carnitas…and I love carnitas. lol 🙂
Hi Kelly! You’re very welcome!
This was absolutely delicious. I did make it with a pork tenderloin though. I just halved the recipe ingredients and used a meat thermometer to test to see if it was done. Cooked 1 hour on high, and 3 1/2 on low. Nice and tender. Definitely will make this again. Made some lime and cilantro rice to go with it.
That’s great, Karen! Thank you for sharing.
I am considering making this for a party this weekend. I will have around 25 guests so if the measurements you provide are for 8 servings, I’m guessing I will need to get at minimum 12 pounds of meat. Because I will be tripling the recipe, does this mean I should triple all seasoning amounts? I don’t want it to come out too salty like other reviews have mentioned.
Hi Marta. You can season to your preference but yes, you’d increase all the ingredients the same. You can actually change the number of servings in the recipe card and it will convert the list for you.
This was delicious. I also drizzled honey over the pork just before I crisped the meat.
Sounds wonderful!