These Crispy Pork Carnitas are absolutely delicious! They’re made with a few simple ingredients and can easily be made in a dutch oven or your slow cooker. The perfect recipe to make when you need to hit the easy button on dinner.
Juicy Crispy Carnitas That are Perfect for Taco Tuesday!
I’ve made this recipe so many times and every time I’m like why don’t I make this more?!
These carnitas are just so good and honestly I think we all need to add them to our menu this week. They’re made with tender, slowly cooked pork, that has been seasoned with just the right spices, and then crisped up in the oven right before serving.
The best part about this recipe is that it can easily be made in a dutch oven or in your slow cooker. Both ways are simple, easy, and will give you flavorful carnitas every single time.
This is the recipe I like to make for a crowd or deliver to a friend who just had a baby or needs a comforting meal. You can easily use the carnitas in tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, or whatever you’re feeling at the time so they’re such a great gifting option.
This is a reader favorite All the Healthy Things recipe that I know you’re going to love and I cannot wait for you to make them. I’ve included tons of helpful information and tips in this post to ensure that your carnitas turn out perfectly flavorful and juicy every time. There’s also a video, below, if you’re a visual person.
If you want to take your chances and just jump to the recipe you can do that, too! But be sure to look through the post at least once before attempting to make the recipe. I promise it’s worth the quick scroll.
I think I’ve answered everything, but if any questions I may have missed come up be sure to leave a comment and let me know. I’m always happy to help!
— Ashlea
A Quick Overview of Ingredients
The key to flavorful carnitas is a flavorful braising liquid and the key to a flavorful braising liquid is simple yet flavorful ingredients. Here is what you’ll need:
- Orange juice: adds a little sweetness that pairs really well with the pork
- Lime juice: adds a bright, fresh flavor
- Chicken broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth for this recipe
- Spices: cumin, dried oregano, and paprika give the carnitas some great flavor!
- Dried bay leaves: another flavor booster!
- Garlic: plenty of smashed whole cloves to braise with the pork
- Onion: thinly sliced and cooks down with the pork for the best flavor
What Kind of Meat Do You Use For Carnitas?
The base of any carnitas recipe is pork. For this particular recipe, you’ll use a boneless pork shoulder which is often called a “boston butt”. You’ll need two and a half pounds of pork shoulder for this recipe.
You can ask your butcher to cut your pork shoulder to the desired weight or you can easily make a double batch of this recipe if you have more pork.
To make things easier, and to get a good sear on the pork, I like to cut the pork into large chunks before searing.
How to Make Pork Carnitas
Step One: The trick to getting the most flavorful carnitas, is to sear the pork before allowing it to braise for hours. First, season the pork with a liberal sprinkle of salt and then sear the pork pieces on both sides until golden brown in avocado oil. Browning the meat helps to develop a rich deep flavor.
Step Two: Next add the orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, and spices to the pot, stir until well combined and then cook for three hours at 300 degrees. If you are using a slow cooker, once the pork has been seared, remove it from the pan and add it to the slow cooker. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook the carnitas on high for 4-6 hours or until it is fork tender.
Step Three: Once the pork is tender and shreddable, remove it from your dutch oven or slow cooker and transfer the meat to a sheet pan. Use two forks to shred the meat and then pour the braising liquid back over the meat. Then, broil the carnitas in the oven until browned and crispy before serving!
What to Do with Leftover Carnitas
- crisp them in a skillet for breakfast and serve with scrambled eggs and roasted sweet potatoes
- use them instead of ground pork for an easy breakfast hash
- make a batch of nachos with all your favorite toppings!
My Favorite Meal Prep Tips for This Recipe
This slow cooker crispy carnitas recipe is a perfect recipe to add to your weekly meal prep. To make things even more simple for you here are a few of my favorite meal prep tips:
- Prep the pork over the weekend or a day in advance of when you plan on eating it
- Chop your taco toppings like tomatoes, radishes, or red onion in advance so you can easily assemble your tacos at a moment’s notice
- Turn your tacos into a salad! Place your carnitas over a bed of mixed greens and veggies for a delicious salad. You can add cilantro lime white rice or cauliflower rice to make a delicious burrito bowl!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these carnitas in a variety of ways! Here are a few of my favorite options:
- as tacos with all your favorite toppings
- in a burrito bowl with with rice, beans, pickled onions, guacamole, and more!
- try making a homemade quesadilla with the carnitas and your favorite melty cheese
How to Store The Carnitas
- Store any leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze the carnitas for up to 6 months! When you’re ready to eat, thaw the them in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat any the carnitas in a hot skillet until crispy and warmed through. I find the skillet is the best way to reheat the carnitas but the microwave will also work!
More Mexican Inspired Recipes to Love
- Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
- Slow Cook Chipotle Beef Burrito Bowls
- Shrimp Tacos Recipe
- Slow Cooker Beef Enchilada Stuffed Sweet
- Sheet Pan Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Chipotle Steak Tacos
- The Best Salmon Tacos
I hope you give these Pork Carnitas a try! They are so easy to make and delicious! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.
Print
Easy Carnitas Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top / Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Easy Carnitas are absolutely delicious! They’re made with a few simple ingredients and can easily be made in a dutch oven or your slow cooker. The perfect recipe to make when you need to hit the easy button on dinner. This healthy recipe is also Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 compliant!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2.5 pounds pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 6 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 large white onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
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Heat a dutch oven or large skillet over medium-high heat. While the dutch oven is heating, sprinkle the pork pieces liberally with salt. Once the dutch oven is hot, add in a tablespoon of avocado oil and then add the pork. Sear for 4-5 minutes on each side until browned.
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Add the garlic, onion, orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, salt, bay leaves, and spices to the pot. Stir until well combined, cover with a lid, and the braise for 3 hours at 300 degrees.
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If you are using a slow cooker, once the pork has been seared, remove it from the pan and add it to the slow cooker. Next, add the remaining ingredients and cook the carnitas on high for 4-6 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
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Once the pork is tender and shreddable, remove it from your dutch oven or slow cooker and transfer the meat to a sheet pan. Use two forks to shred the meat and then pour the remaining braising liquid back over the meat. Broil the carnitas in the oven on high until browned and crispy. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eat
This recipe is delicious! If I am to double it (5 lb pork shoulder) how long should I cook for?
Delicious and easy! I’ve never made carnitas at home but my husband asked for this to be in our monthly rotation. Even my 2 year old wanted more.
Super easy to make in the Dutch Oven and loved the broiler technique at the end to crisp it up a bit!
I made a pineapple pico to go with our tacos and it paired great!
This is the best carnitas recipe! We had 10 pounds of pork shoulder and thought we would have leftovers to freeze. Our family was staying with us and we ended up eating it all in two days! Can’t wait to make it again soon.
Wow. I made these tonight for my boyfriend and I, and we can’t stop raving about them! I’m eating them over greens and I don’t miss the taco at all. They are super flavorful, and just the right amount of spicy for our tastes. Highly recommend taking out the onions and garlic and shredding those into the meat as well. We will definitely be making this again!
I am a seasoned cook but always thought carnitas was laborious. I was wrong. This is such a easy recipe. I will say – check your meat 1.5 hours into the cook time. Mine was cooked through and am glad I checked. I didn’t want it to be dry. The sauce is so flavorful and the recommendation to broil should NOT be skipped. I love that Ashlea gives recommendations on how to serve too. I had this as taco bowls with rice and avocado. A quick tip – use your stand mixer with paddle attachment to shred this quickly! A must make!! 😋
You did it again! Simple ingredients that come together to make an amazing dish! These carnitas are perfection.
I was really intimidated by the idea of making carnitas, but these were so easy! Definitely worth the time. I made carnitas tacos and the whole family devoured them.
Soooooooooooo easy and delicious! Anything that can be a taco is my weakness, and this hit the spot. Good balance of flavors. Definitely making this again!
Looooooooved these!! I actually cooked the pork in an instant pot, but followed the other instructions and W. O. W. SOOO yummy! Huge hit in our house—this is going to be added to our regular rotation.
Once prepared, can this recipe be frozen?
I made this for dinner last night in the crockpot. I paired with some cilantro lime rice, guacamole, and pico de Gallo. HOLY GUACAMOLE was it good!
I’ll definitely be making this again!
Best Carnitas of my life .Seriously. So good. Thank you!
These were delicious.
I just made these pork carnitas. Wow, so delicious. Thank you for posting such a fantastic recipe.
This is my favorite go to recipe for pork! We make it at least once a month in my home and I’ve shared this recipe with my other friends when they embark on Whole30. Thanks for a quick and easy recipe that still provides a meal my family raves about!
These carnitas were amazing! They were a hit with my family and are honestly some of the best carnitas I’ve had (I’m Mexican for reference) give them a try 😊.