These Crispy Pork Carnitas are a longtime reader favorite and SO easy to make. The pork gently braises for hours in a Dutch Oven or Slow Cooker until fork-tender then finishes under the broiler until crispy. All you need are tacos and your favorite toppings. My favorite all-purpose recipe for meal prep, hosting, or gifting!
These Carnitas are the Perfect Recipe To Make When You Need to Hit the Easy Button on Dinner
Every time I make this pork carnitas recipe, I’m like, why don’t I make this more?! It’s a staple recipe that checks all the boxes: easy to make (with a hands-off braise and quick broil!), juicy and flavorful (thanks to a simple braising liquid!), and great for enjoying whichever way you please.
Since it’s so versatile, it’s also one of my favorite recipes to meal prep for the week, make for a crowd, or deliver to a friend who just had a baby or needs a comforting meal. It’s the perfect base for tacos, rice bowls, burritos, quesadillas, salads…pretty much anything!
Just let the oven do the work for a few hours, and you’ll have the absolute BEST tender shredded pork with crispy edges. Trust me, you’ll find yourself making this recipe over and over again.
Key Ingredients
The best meat for making carnitas is boneless pork shoulder, often called “Boston butt.” I prefer using boneless pork because you can cut it into large chunks for easy, even searing. You’ll need about 2 ½ pounds for this recipe, but if your pork shoulder is bigger, there’s no harm in having leftovers!
The key to amazing pork carnitas is a flavorful braising liquid that infuses the meat as it cooks. I build the liquid with rich chicken broth, orange juice for a little sweetness, lime juice for brightness, thinly sliced onions, smashed garlic cloves, dried bay leaves, and simple spices like cumin, dried oregano, and paprika.
How to Make the Best Pork Carnitas
This recipe starts in a heavy-bottomed pot like a Dutch oven, braising the pork low and slow until it’s tender enough to shred. Then the pork finishes on a sheet pan under the broiler for those irresistibly crispy edges signature to carnitas.
Step 1: Sear the Pork. The trick to the best braised carnitas is to sear the pork first. Do not skip this step!! Browning adds a deep, rich flavor, and you can totally taste the difference. Season the pork with salt, then sear each piece of pork in your braising pot until the sides are golden brown.
Step 2: Build the braising liquid. Add the orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, and spices to the pot, then cook the pork in a 300 degree F oven for 3 hours. The low, slow heat gently breaks down the fat and tenderizes the meat until it falls apart. You can also use your Slow Cooker if you prefer not to have your oven on, but it will take longer – about 4-6 hours on high.
Step 3: Shred and broil until crispy. Once the pork is tender, move it from the pot or slow cooker to a sheet pan. Use two forks to shred the pork, pour the braising liquid back over the meat so it doesn’t dry out, then broil the carnitas in the oven until browned and crispy.
Serving Suggestions
The most classic way to serve pork carnitas is in a taco with quick pickled onions for a little crunch and a creamy guacamole. I also love making this recipe for burrito bowls with cilantro lime rice and black beans.
But you can keep going from there! These pork carnitas also make great quesadillas or nachos with your favorite melty cheese, breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs, or a healthy green salad with crunchy, cooling veggies like cabbage, tomatoes, corn, and avocado.
I hope you give these Crispy Pork Carnitas a try! 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.
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Oven Braised Pork Carnitas with Crispy Edges
- 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 Crispy Pork Carnitas are a longtime reader favorite and SO easy to make. The pork gently braises for hours in a Dutch Oven or Slow Cooker until fork-tender then finishes under the broiler until crispy. All you need are tacos and your favorite toppings. My favorite all-purpose recipe for meal prep, hosting, or gifting!
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
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Notes
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!
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eat
Do I have to use avocado oil? Is there an alternative oil that you recommend to achieve the same results?
Hi, Elizabeth! You could use coconut oil or ghee. Hope that helps!
Can I use kosher salt instead one pink Himalayan salt?
Hi, Elizabeth! I think that would work.
This. Is. Delicious. Made it today and it will be in regular rotation! The kids devoured!
So glad you love it, Erin!
These carnitas are so good! Before this recipe I had never made carnitas. Now, this is one of my go-to recipes either for dinner or to meal prep for a week of lunches. So yummy!
I’m so glad you love this recipe, Sarah! Thanks for sharing!
Y’all, these carnitas are SO good!! I’ve made them at least once a month since I found this recipe. So simple, delicious, and makes amazing leftovers too! After living in San Diego, I’m kind of a carnitas snob and these are IT! Juicy and crispy, what’s not to love?!
Thank you for sharing, Anjali! I’m so happy you love the recipe!
Oh my gosh this recipe is just delicious! We have made it so many times now and also used short ribs in place of pork a couple times. It works both ways and is just so tasty. We usually throw in a small can of green chiles as well just because we love them. Ashlea’s recipes have been a total game changer at our house! Thank you for everything you post and the hard work you put into your brand and business! Can’t wait to see what the New Year brings!
Thank you so much for your sweet words Amanda and for sharing that tip on the short ribs. I’m so glad you love the recipe. Grateful for your support and looking forward to all that this year brings!
These are incredible! We’ve made them a few times now and the only tweaks I made were (1) dry brining the pork the day before cooking, (2) adding jalapeños in with the onions and (3) using my immersion blender to purée the onions and jalapeños into the juice & cooking it down a liiiitle bit before adding to the meat to broil. Honestly it’s just personal preference—this recipe is GREAT as is. DONT SKIP THE BROILING!! It’s a game changer!
Thank you so much for sharing your favorite tips, Sarah! They sound delicious! So happy you love the recipe!
OBSESSED!! I’ve made these 3 times each time they turned out perfect. So tender and easy and so. Much. Flavor. Highly recommend this recipe!
I’m so happy you love the recipe, Quinn!!
These sound amazing! I’d like to make them this weekend! Any chance you have instructions for making with an instant pot?
Hi, Andrea! I don’t have IP instructions at this time. If you do give it a try, please feel free to share what works best for you!
This recipe was delicious and makes a huge batch so it’s perfect for lunches the rest of the week (or even with eggs for breakfast :)) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe Ashlea!!
We love this for breakfast too, Ava! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Wanting to make this tonight but just had a question first. In the instructions it mentions bay leaves but in thr ingredients there is no mention of this, how many should I use? Also, is the oj freshly squeezed or can I just use oj from a jug?
Hi, Jennifer! 2 bay leaves should be fine and I would use freshly squeezed orange juice or an oj with no added sugar for best results. Hope you love the recipe!
It was love at first sight when I saw these on Instagram. Wow, they’re incredible. I can’t believe I waited this long to make them. So flavorful it’s hard not to just eat them off the pan. I made mine into a burrito bowl. Definitely filing this one!
I’m so happy you loved the recipe, Lauren!
These are so good, and easy! I doubled the recipe since my roast was 6lbs, but also had a bone in. I also used the crockpot since I only have a small duty oven. It was perfect!
My husband is a carnitas connoisseur and I’ve made this 4 times now. He says it’s hands down the best carnitas he has ever had. We love this recipe!
Yum! The flavor is delicious and broiling it was such a great tip I’d never thought to do before! Will definitely make this again!!
This recipe is delicious!! Our family loves it. My husband is from Chiapas, Mexico and he sat down to dinner the other night, took a bite, and instantly asked me how I knew how to prepare it so well. Ha! He loved it! So do I!
Another P E R F E C T recipe! Family absolutely loved it. Paired it with an avocado, tomato, cilantro, cucumber & corn salad. SO good!!! One question, the ingredients do not include bay leaf, but #3 in the directions does. I added one just to keep with the directions. This is the 3rd recipe this week that I’ve made from Ashlea and every single one was delicious!! Thank you!!!