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.
Print
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
If I use a 5 lb, do I need to change the cooking time, or does it remain the same? Thanks!
Hi! you might need to add a bit more cooking time depending on the thickness of the pork pieces. I would check it after 3 hours and go from there.
This recipe is amazing, I’ve made it many times! If making ahead, how would you reheat? And would you still broil or wait until the reheat to broil? Thank you so much!
Hi Chelsea! I’d recommend reheating in a skillet!
Excellent! Thank you. We made it into rice/salad bowls. Some family added tortilla chips. We also tossed in sauted onion and bell pepper.
I’ve made this in the crockpot before a number of times and it’s delicious, but I made it in the oven tonight and it’s even better. It’s a repeat review in our house.
I have a 5 lb bone in pork butt from Butcher Box.
Can i use that ?
Thank you
Kristin
Hi, Kristin! yep! I’ve used the exact same and it works well. Hope that helps!
I make this all the time – it’s amazing, and everyone I’ve made it for has loved it. I had to make it for a friend on a low-FODMAP diet once, and it was still really good without the alliums. Thanks for a great recipe!
Question. I have leftover cooked pork shoulder meat. Since I don’t have any braising liquid can u suggest how I can make carnitas without the braising broth? Thank u!
Hi Rosanna! Are you trying to use pre-cooked pork shoulder for this recipe?
If you use a slow cooker, do you cook it in high or low?
Hi, Nancy! you would cook it on high. I actually cover this in the blog post under Step Two. I hope that helps!
We make this all the time! So flavorful and delicious and always a good option when feeding a crowd or sending food for a meal train. Love it!
Love this recipe! Making it for the second time tonight, but could only find bone-in. Do you think another hour of braising should ensure its cooked through?
Hi, Sam! you could definitely use bone-in! It may take a little more time, but I would just check after the original cook time and then every 30 minutes until fully cooked. Hope that helps!
Delicious! The recipe is perfect. Thank you so much for sharing ❤
I made this in the slow cooker and it was sooo good! It’s extremely flavourful, the slow cooker made it an absolute breeze to make, and we used it for multiple meals: bowls, breakfast, and tacos. Wonderful!
Yes! thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Is the onion sliced, chopped or minced?
Hi, Tara! sliced is fine!
Hello,
I loved this recipe! It was easy to make (but next time I will make more) and delicious! I will probably never make regular pulled pork again!
Thank you 🙂
Jordan
Like all of Ashlea’s food, I love how versatile and fulfilling theses are! One time I didn’t have pork but found a flank steak on sale at the store and used that instead and it was just as devilish, I’ve made this on my stovetop, in a crockpot and in my instapot and I’m never disappointed. I love to make these to have on hand for my husband and I during the work week – I can add mine to salads and his to a rice bowl and we’re both happy with a lunch that is filling and nutritious. I’ve made these when my parents have come over to feed more people and my mom immediately asked for the recipe. Give these a try and put them in your meal rotation!
My husband and I love this recipe. It’s so easy to make on the weekend and use throughout the week for salads or tacos. Thanks for the recipe!
love that, Katie! so glad y’all enjoy the recipe!
Made these carnitas for the first time this week and they’re delicious! Super easy recipe to follow, and very versatile (have used in salad, tacos, with eggs, etc)!