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
So easy and soooo delicious!! It turned out super tender and flavorful! I served mine on corn tortillas with pickled onions, avocado, cotija cheese , and a green salsa.
Outstanding
I have made this recipe multiple times and it is always delicious. I make it in a crock pot and then broil to crisp it up.
Guests always comment on how delicious this is.
so glad you loved it!
I use the slow cooker option for making this recipe. Sometimes I make a big batch for my bf so when I go out of town for a work trip, he has it to use multiple days for tacos, salads, etc. We love it! Versatile and delicious!
THIS RECIPE!! So simple and fabulous! I had carnitas from Costco at a friend’s house and my stomach didn’t like them cause they had maltodextrin! This recipe is clean and incredibly flavorful! Thank you for another great recipe!
so glad you loved them, Dottie!
Man, this was great. I put some barbecue sauce on the side if anyone wanted to use it and people asked for the recipe before they left. Good job!
Big hit with the family. Putting it in the broiler to get it crispy was a fantastic idea
Amazing! Always comes out so incredibly delicious and is so freaking easy!
This recipe is great, and the carnitas was delicious! One problem I had. I used my 6-3/4 Le Creuset dutch oven. All the liquid was gone and the dutch oven was burned on the bottom and sides. No liquid whatsoever! I was shocked because it smelled so good during the 3 hour recommended cooking time. Has anyone had this happen?
Hi, Jannae! I’ve never had that problem before. The only thing I could think of is the oven temperature being a bit too high.
These were excellent! Such a great flavor and the directions were very helpful. Thank you!
Because I hate to waste, I rendered fat from the think layer on the outside of the pork butt I bought. It was enough for this meal and plenty for future meals. The fat made for a thick, golden crust on each side of the pork when searing, and I didn’t feel the broiling was necessary. I used the Dutch oven, so all in one pot – less clean up. Thanks for this great recipe! It fed a crowd, and everyone raved.
I would definitely recommend the broil step next time. Adds a delicious crunchy and crispy element to the dish. An all time favorite with my family
This was super easy and it turned out so flavorful! It was a big hit and we will definitely be making this recipe again!
This is one of my favorite recipes and definitely my favorite thing when I have pork in the house! This particular recipe has become a staple in our home!
This is super tasty and very easy to make! I was surprised by the flavor combination but it turns out really excellent. I’ll be making this again, it’s the best for tacos!
These are the best carnitas I’ve ever made! I have cooked them several times now and I’m finally leaving a well deserved review. I deleted my other carnitas recipe bookmarks. Thank you Ashlea for a fantastic meal my family loves!
I’m so glad y’all loved this one, Sarah! Thanks for sharing!
It was a huge hit! Easy, fun to make and versatile. Will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you loved this one, Megan! Thanks for leaving a review!
WOW! A total winner. I made about 6 lbs. so we could have leftover. Super easy and really flavorful. The finishing under the broiler gave the mear amazing texture. I will be making this again and again.
Why have I waited so long to make this!?!? Absolutely perfect 🤩 made in the slow cooker following your instructions and had no problem. Will make on repeat at our home. Thank you
This looks so good. Can you make carnitas using pork tenderloin or does it have to be pork shoulder?
I recommend using pork shoulder for this recipe, Debra!
So easy and delicious! I didn’t have limes on hand, so I doubled the orange juice and added a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar. Was short on time too, so I followed the instant pot directions that another commenter (Clare) mentioned, and it turned out great. Broiled some up for tacos today in toaster oven…yum! Will try in Dutch oven and with the lime juice next time. Can’t wait to use these in salsa verde enchiladas. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I’m not really the type of person to leave reviews, if I see a recipe I’d like to try then I try it and if I like it, add it to the home meals I make and if not, just move on but for this recipe I just loved it so much had to leave a review. If you’re doubting the recipe just try it, definitely turned out great for me, wish I’d have found this sooner would be my only complaint.
I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe, Dee!