Carnitas

Ground beef for tacos and burritos is all well and good, but if you’ve never had carnitas – specifically THESE carnitas, you’ve been missing out. Tender pork shoulder is slowly cooked with a bright and flavorful mixture of herbs and spice until it tears apart with a fork. After roasting, the pulled pork gets a crisp crust from a quick sear in a skillet. Your next taco night needs these!!

this recipe

Pork Shoulder

I use a 4lb shoulder most of the time, since that’s what my store normally carries the most of. Just a butcher preference, I guess. But you can use the measurements for the rub and other ingredients as written for a pork shoulder between 3-6 lbs/1.4-2.7kg. You can also use the same cook times outlined in the recipe.

The shoulder can be either bone in or boneless (bone in will be about a pound heavier) but it should not have the skin on. That shouldn’t be a problem, since most shoulder/butt roasts aren’t sold with the skin. They will most likely have a pretty decent fat cap on one end that you should trim down to within a 1/4-1/8 of an inch (.63-.31cm) if it hasn’t already been done by the butcher/meat dept.

Herbs & Spices

Staying as true as we can to authentic Mexican carnitas, use fresh herbs and spices when you can. The rub for the pork is super flavorful and bright, with earthy oregano, cilantro, fresh orange and lime. Cumin and garlic round everything out.

The spices are mixed up with a small amount of olive oil and rubbed into the entire surface of the pork shoulder. You don’t need a lot of olive oil for carnitas, because the pork shoulder is already pretty fatty to begin with.

Cook Time

A slow cooker is perfect for making these carnitas. Pork shoulder/butt is best when roasted low and slow for a LONG time. That gives it plenty of time to render the fat down, making things tear apart soft and delicious. Plus, all the flavors of the rub get a chance to really sink into the meat and give the best flavor.

After adding the pork and other ingredients to the slow cooker, set it to low for 10 hours, or high for 7 hours. Fair warning, your house is going to smell amazing.

Sear after roasting

This is a step that’s technically optional, but you shouldn’t skip. Please don’t skip it. Once the pork has cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it. Heat a skillet over medium high with a little olive oil, and sear the shredded pork in single layer batches. Don’t pile the pork in the pan, all the meat that you add to the skillet should touch the bottom. And yes, this makes it take a bit longer, but it’s worth it!

To prevent the carnitas from burning to the pan, drizzle some of the juices from the slow cooker into the skillet as the pork crisps and begins to turn a deeper brown, using a stiff/wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. These are the EXTRA delicious parts!

Serving and storing

Use carnitas to stuff tacos, roll into burritos, or pile on top of rice for a burrito bowl. You could also just eat it with a fork, like I have several times. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in a sealed container for up to 3-4 days.

Carnitas

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Megan
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 hours + 30 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Cuban

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Slow roasted and bursting with herbs and spice, these carnitas are the perfect stuffing for taco shells and tortillas.

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1/2x1x2x

• 4 –5 lb/2-2.5kg pork shoulder/butt (bone in will be heavier than boneless)
• 3 TB salt
• 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 4 TB olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup fresh minced cilantro
• 2 TB fresh minced oregano
• 2 1/2 TB garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• zest of 1 orange
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 small sweet onion, finely diced

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Remove the pork shoulder from the packaging and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels, and rub the salt and pepper over the entire surface of the shoulder.
2. Combine 2 TB of the olive oil, cilantro, oregano, garlic paste, cumin and orange zest together in a small bowl. Whisk until combined and rub the entire mixture into the pork, over top of the salt and pepper. Place the seasoned pork shoulder into the slow cooker, add the orange and lime juices along with the diced onion and cover with the slow cooker lid.
3. Allow to cook on high for 7 hours or low for 10 hours. When the pork shoulder has finished cooking, carefully remove it from the slow cooker and transfer to a large cutting board. Use 2 forks to shred the pork and set it aside. Save the juices in the slow cooker.
4. Add the remaining 2 TB olive oil to a skillet and place over medium/medium high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add a single layer of shredded pork to the hot skillet, making sure not to crowd the pan or mound the pork. Everything you add to the pan should touch the bottom. Allow each batch of pork to cook undisturbed so that it forms a nice crust. 
5. When you see the bits of pork on the bottom of the pan begin to turn a deeper brown, add enough of the leftover juices from the slow cooker to deglaze and lift the browned bits from the pan. Remove the crisped pork to a serving dish and repeat with the remaining shredded pork. If you run out of juices to add to the pan, use chicken stock or water.
6. Once all the pork has been crisped, serve hot with tortillas, taco shells or rice. Refrigerate any leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days.

---

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 5-6 oz shredded pork
• Calories: 381
• Sugar: 2.4 g
• Sodium: 726.8 mg
• Fat: 22.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
• Trans Fat: 0.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 13.3 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 31.5 g
• Cholesterol: 126.2 mg

Recommended for this recipe:

Slow Cooker

Buy Now →

Skillet

Buy Now →