It's hard to believe I made it to age 22 before falling in love with Slow Roasted Pork Carnitas, because I've been making up for lost time ever since. Carnitas are Mexico's answer to pulled pork: chunks of pork shoulder braised low and slow with orange, lime, and chipotle salsa, then crisped until the edges shatter. One batch feeds taco night, burrito bowls, and nachos all week. If you're team beef, The Perfect Carne Asada is the grilled counterpart, and Cochinita Pibil is the Yucatán cousin that deserves a slot in your rotation. Hosting a crowd? Set up a full Family Style Taco Bar and let everyone build their own.
Slow Roasted Pork Carnitas at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: about 4 hours (15 min prep + 3.5 hours mostly hands-off roasting and crisping)
- 👪 Servings: 8
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: Mexican
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Rich slow-roasted pork with bright orange and lime, smoky heat from chipotle salsa, and salty crisped edges
- 📖 Dietary Info: Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free before toppings; add cheese and crema as you like
- 📦 Storage Notes: Refrigerate 3 to 4 days in the braising juices; re-crisp under the broiler or in a hot skillet; freezes beautifully up to 3 months
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: Five ingredients and one pot get you a mountain of juicy, crispy-edged pork that covers tacos, bowls, quesadillas, and sliders all week long. The citrus-chipotle braise does all the work while you ignore it. This is the highest reward-to-effort dinner I know.
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Why I Love This Recipe
The pork shoulder gently cooks for 3 hours and when it's done, it literally melts in your mouth. Insanely tender and even more delicious with the addition of a little guacamole, it makes for a 100% satisfying meal. Add a skinny margarita and you couldn't pay me enough to share!
You could use this carnitas recipe and throw it into tacos, nachos, quesadillas, or any other application you deem fit. You honestly couldn't go wrong!
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Ingredients
- Boneless pork shoulder cut into 2 inch cubes
- Orange Juice
- Lime Juice
- Chipotle salsa
- Kosher salt plus more to taste
- Pico de Gallo
- Guacamole
- Charred Small Flour Tortillas
- Chopped Onions and Cilantro
- Freshly shredded Cheddar Cheese
Substitutions & Swaps
🐖 Pork
- Boneless pork shoulder / pork butt (called for) - The marbling melts into silky, juicy shreds; this is the cut carnitas are built on
- Bone-in pork shoulder - Slightly more flavor from the bone; add about 30 minutes to the braise
- Pork loin or tenderloin - Don't. Too lean for a long braise; it shreds dry no matter what you do
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs - Not carnitas, but the same citrus-chipotle braise works; cut the cook time in half
🍊 Citrus
- Fresh orange juice (called for) - Sweetness plus acidity to balance the rich pork
- Cara cara or blood orange - Deeper color, a little sweeter; gorgeous in winter
- Half pineapple juice - Leans al pastor; its enzymes tenderize fast, so don't exceed half the citrus or the meat goes mushy
- Extra lime - Sharpens the whole pot if your salsa runs sweet
🌶️ Salsa
- Chipotle salsa (called for) - Smoke and heat in one jar; it seasons the braise and the finished pork
- Tomatillo salsa - Tangier, brighter green version; my favorite alternate
- Fire-roasted tomato salsa - Milder and kid-friendlier, still plenty of depth
- Salsa macha drizzle at the end - Nutty, crunchy heat over the crisped pork; not in the braise
🌮 Serving
- Charred corn tortillas - The classic taco route with onion, cilantro, and lime
- Burrito bowls - Over rice and beans with all the salsas
- Quesadillas or taquitos - The best second-night move for leftovers
- Slider buns with slaw - Carnitas gone crossover; great for game day
How to Make
Place the pork in a large dutch oven with the orange juice, lime juice, salsa and salt. Add enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer with the lid on for 2 hours, at which point the pork should be falling apart to the touch.
Turn the heat up to medium high, and continue to cook the pork for 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring every once in a while, until all the liquid has evaporated and the pork fat as been rendered.
Parts of the pork should be caramelized and golden brown. Remove the dutch oven from the stove and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately or let cool and store in an airtight container for 4 days in the fridge
** If you want to make this on a smoker (low and slow), see the recipe card below for instructions! **
🐖🍊🌶️ Tips & Tricks for the Best Pork Carnitas
Juicy citrus-braised pork with crispy edges, and the broiler is the secret
- Cut the pork into even 2-inch cubes. Uniform pieces braise at the same rate; random sizes leave you with some cubes tough while others fall apart.
- Don't trim all the fat. The fat bastes the pork as it renders and crisps into the single best bites in the pan. Trim only the thick, hard caps.
- Keep the braise at a lazy bubble, never a boil. A hard boil seizes the meat before the collagen melts. Low and slow is the entire job description.
- Season in stages. Salt the raw pork, then taste again after braising. The liquid concentrates as it reduces, so early over-salting sneaks up on you.
- Shred right in the pot. Two forks, straight into the juices. The pork drinks the braising liquid back up as it sits.
- The broiler is the crispy-edge secret. Spread the shredded pork on a sheet pan, spoon over some braising liquid, and broil 3 to 5 minutes until the edges crackle.
- Don't skip the crisping step. Braised-only pork is a good filling. Broiled, crackly-edged pork is carnitas.
- Save every drop of the braising liquid. It's liquid gold: spoon it over the crisped pork before serving and use the rest to reheat leftovers without drying them out.
- Char your tortillas over an open flame. Thirty seconds a side directly on the burner. Cold, floppy tortillas don't deserve this pork.
- Make the full 3 pounds, even for two people. Carnitas freeze perfectly and taste even better on night two. Leftovers are the whole strategy here.
FAQ's
What kind of meat is carnitas?
Pork. Specifically the Pork Butt of Pork Shoulder
What is difference between pulled pork and carnitas?
Pulled pork is typically made from pork shoulder, slow-cooked until tender and then shredded. Carnitas, on the other hand, is a Mexican dish made from pork shoulder or butt that is braised or simmered until it becomes tender and then shredded or chopped.
What is carnitas vs barbacoa?
Carnitas is a Mexican dish made from braised or simmered pork, typically seasoned with spices such as garlic, cumin, and oregano. Barbacoa, on the other hand, is a traditional Mexican style of cooking meat, often beef or lamb, that is slow-cooked until tender.
How do you serve Carnitas?
Carnitas is traditionally served in tacos or burritos with toppings such as onions, cilantro, salsa, and lime.
Similar Recipes
Slow Roasted Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder cut into 2 inch cubes
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 10 oz chipotle salsa
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
For Serving
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- charred tortillas
- chopped onions and cilantro
- freshly shredded cheese
Instructions
- Place the pork in a large dutch oven with the orange juice, lime juice, salsa and salt. Add enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer with the lid on for 2 hours, at which point the pork should be falling apart to the touch.
- Turn the heat up to medium high, and continue to cook the pork for 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring every once in a while, until all the liquid has evaporated and the pork fat as been rendered.
- Parts of the pork should be caramelized and golden brown. Remove the dutch oven from the stove and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately or let cool and store in an airtight container for 4 days in the fridge
Notes
- 1 (2–3 pound) boneless pork shoulder
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- Zest and juice of ½ orange
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¾ cup Mexican beer
- Corn tortillas, for serving
- Mix the kosher salt, taco seasoning and garlic together. Rub the mixture all over the pork shoulder. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 to 12 hours.
- Remove the pork from the fridge let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat the smoker.
- Preheat the smoker to 275°F. Place the pork directly on the grate, fat side up. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, about 2½ hours.
- Transfer the pork to a small roasting pan. Add the Mexican lager, orange juice, and lime juice. Cover the pan tightly with foil and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 205°F.
- Let the pork rest, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes. Shred the meat, discarding any excess fat.
- Optional: Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat on the Searwood. Add a drizzle of oil and sear the shredded pork in batches until the edges are crispy. Splash in some of the reserved braising liquid as needed to keep the meat moist.
- Serve in warm corn tortillas with your choice of toppings.
Nutrition Information (estimated)
For another great comforting pork recipe, check out my Pulled Pork Sliders
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
The best. Everyone loved it
Fantastic recipe! Huge flavor packed into the pork! Big hit at our table this weekend. I will definitely make this recipe again.
This was amazing. So simple to make. Could not stop eating it!,