Crispy Pork Carnitas
Updated May 02, 2025
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Pork Carnitas are nothing short of heavenly. This pork butt recipe is so tender and full of bold flavor. Plus, it only takes 5 minutes to add the ingredients to the slow cooker. You’ll put this one on repeat!
Slow cooker pork carnitas is a Mexican favorite that is great in tortillas, taco shells or on top of a salad. You can sit back and relax while the slow cooker does all of the work. It’s also a great way to add lots of protein to your meal in the most delicious way.
Pork Carnitas
If you haven’t had pork carnitas before, it is perfectly tender with crisp edges and so good that you will want to put it on everything! You can check out some other great Mexican recipes like my cheesy gordita crunch, and chipotle chicken burrito bowls.
You know I love to feed people, and this recipe is so great for feeding the masses. If you are having a party or inviting people over, pork carnitas are the way to go.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy to make- put it in the slow cooker and sit back!
- It makes a lot, and freezes great to use later
- Is delicious and can be put in a variety of dishes
- A crowd pleaser!
What Cut Of Pork Is Best For This Recipe?
I love using a pork butt for the most juicy and tender meat, but you can also use a pork shoulder. Make sure to buy skinless so you can put on the homemade spice rub. I prefer a boneless pork butt, but if you can only find bone-in, just get an additional 1/2 pound of meat.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pork shoulder or pork butt: this type of pork roast has some nice marbling and fat to it which helps the carnitas cook up flavorful and moist
- Homemade spice rub: it includes salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, and cumin. It comes together fast and makes for a great flavor base for the whole dish
- White or yellow onion: this cooks so soft you can’t tell it’s there in the end product but it adds lots of flavor
- Jalapeno: just a touch of heat to balance the richness of the pork, I promise it’s not spicy though (you can always add more to increase the heat!)
- Juice from 2 oranges: a little sweet, a little acid, a little moisture, there’s some magic in the orange juice!
See recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions and Variations
- If you like a little heat to your pork feel free to add another jalapeno or two and/or don’t remove the seeds.
- I have the servings for this recipe as 8 but if you are having a lot of other toppings like rice and beans for your tacos the meat will go a lot further.
- If you are just doing pork and a really simple onion/jalapeno/lime/cilantro topping (like the one I make for chicken street tacos, it’s amazing) then you’ll use a lot more pork.
Recipe Instructions
- Mix up your spice rub and rub it all over your pork butt or shoulder.
- Place the pork in the slow cooker and add the onion, jalapeno, and orange juice to the slow cooker.
- Let the pork cook until it is very tender.
- Shred the pork and separate it from the remaining juices in the slow cooker.
- Place the shredded pork in a hot skillet and add the juices (you might need to work in batches here so you don’t crowd your pan). Cook until the juices all evaporate and the pork starts to crisp.
- Serve the crispy pork carnitas in your favorite dishes like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.
Pro Tips & Tricks
- To make this recipe ahead of time cook and shred the pork, then keep the shredded pork and juices stored separately in the fridge. When you are ready to serve it proceed with the pan crisping steps.
- You can brown the pork a few hours ahead of time, reserving some of the liquid, and then keep the shredded browned pork in a warm slow cooker, with the remaining juices drizzled over it until you are ready to serve it.
- You can keep the prepared or leftover pork in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge and refresh in a warm skillet with a little oil in the bottom.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe for pork carnitas is super versatile, so the sides are as well! Serve it with rice and beans, or chips and dip! Or even add pork carnitas on top of things like pizza!
Yes, any meat can be overcooked; even in a slow cooker! Avoid cooking the meat longer than the cook times listed below and avoid any overcooked, tough meat.
You can take the old school route and shred the pork using two forks. If you are cooking a lot of meat that needs to be shredded, I like to throw it in a stand mixer and attach the flat beater paddle. Turn it on for about 30 seconds and watch that meat shred. So quick and easy.
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Pork Carnitas Recipe
Ingredients
- 3.5-4 pound pork shoulder or pork butt, (boneless, if bone-in get an additional 1/2 pound)
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 large white or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
- juice from 2 oranges, (about 2/3 of a cup)
Instructions
- Remove the pork from it’s packaging and don’t worry about trimming it or removing any of the fat. We’ll strain some of the cooked fat off at the end and the fat adds a lot of great flavor.
- In a small bowl add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and cumin and stir to combine.
- Rub the pork all over with the spice rub you just made and then set it in the slow cooker with the fattiest part of the roast on top.
- Add the onion and jalapeno to the slow cooker on top of the pork and then pour the orange juice all over everything. No need to stir or anything at this point.
- Cooke on high for 7-9 hours or low for 8-10 hours or until the is very tender and shreds very easily.
- Remove the pork from the slow cook and place it in a rimmed dish (like a baking dish).
- At this point you can skim the fat from the liquid left in the slow cook or you can leave it, it’s up to you. I normally skim a bit and leave about half.
- If you have more than about 2 cups of liquid remaining, add all of the liquid to a saucepan and simmer vigorously until it has been reduced to about 2 cups. If you only have about 2 cups, you can skip this step. I leave all the little chunks of pepper and onion in the liquid whether I am reducing the liquid or not, no need to discard them, they are very soft and you don’t even notice them in the end tacos.
- Shred the meat while the juices are reducing.
- To crisp up your carnita meat, add a layer of shredded pork to the bottom of a large nonstick or cast iron skillet. Add a portion of the reserved juice and cook over medium-high heat until the juice has evaporated and the meat starts to crisp in the pan. Once crispy on one side, turn the meat over once, let it cook a few minutes longer and then remove from the pan.
- Don’t crowd the pan at this step and work in batches if you need to. It takes me 2-3 batches in my large 14-inch cast iron skillet.
- This step is where the magic is! All that flavor from the juices is reduced and soaks into the pulled pork. And the crispiness is so pleasant. This is the wow-factor for this dish, highly advise you don’t skip it.
- If you have any remaining juices drizzle the last of it over all of the crispy pork.
- Serve the crispy pork carnitas (little meats) in your favorite tacos, burritos, and in a salad.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for much longer.
Notes
- To make this recipe ahead of time cook and shred the pork but then keep the shredded pork and juices stored separately in the fridge. When you are ready to serve it proceed with the pan crisping steps.
- You can brown the pork a few hours ahead of time, reserving some of the liquid, and then keep the shredded browned pork in a warm slow cooker, with the remaining juices drizzled over it, until you are ready to serve it. That works great.
- If you like a little heat to your pork feel free to add another jalapeno or two and/or don’t remove the seeds.
- I have the servings for this recipe as 8 but if you are having a lot of other toppings like rice and beans for your tacos the meat will go a lot further. If you are just doing pork and a really simple onion/jalapeno/lime/cilantro topping (like the one I make for chicken street tacos, it’s amazing) then you’ll use a lot more pork.
I only have a small slow cooker. To put it in the oven, what would you recommend for the temperature and the time frame necessary to get the right doneness.? The recipe looks delicious.
You can do things in the oven at 225 degrees F for the same amount of time as the slow cooker Kay!
This recipe was so good! I almost skipped the jalapeño but so glad I didn’t. This was definitely flavorful and easy to make.
Makes my mouth water!
Oh my gosh! These carnitas are amazing! That crispy outside is to die for. These rival some of the best authentic street tacos I’ve ever had, no joke.