Carnitas are seasoned, tender, caramelized, shredded pork. I’m going to break down how to make carnitas in the oven, crockpot, and Instant Pot.
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What are Carnitas?
Carnitas when translated from Spanish to English means “little meats”. Carnitas is a dish of braised pork that is flavored with citrus and then broiled to add crispy texture.
What I love about making Carnitas
- It’s tender, juicy, and flavorful
- Carnitas can be made in the oven, crockpot, or Instant Pot depending on your preference
- The crispy, caramelized bits of pork add incredible crunch and flavor
- They are so versatile that they go well with so many dishes
Ingredients for making Carnitas
- boneless pork butt or shoulder
- avocado oil (or any other high smoke point oil)
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- beef stock
- oranges
- lime
- ground cumin
- chili powder
- dried oregano
- ground coriander
- onion
- garlic
- jalapeno
How to Make Dutch Oven Carnitas in the Oven
Detailed instructions and measurements to make carnitas are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Season all sides of the pork with your kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the avocado oil.
- Once the avocado oil has heated through and become shimmery, sear each side of the pork. You are only searing the outside, not cooking through. Each side will only need about 1 minute.
- Turn the heat down to low and remove the pork from the Dutch oven. Pour in the beef stock. De-glaze the pot by scraping the bits off the bottom and stir them into the stock.
- When the pot has de-glazed completely, add in the orange juice, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, and ground coriander. Stir to combine.
- Add the pork back to the dutch oven and bring to a simmer uncovered.
- Place the onion, garlic, and jalapeno on top of the pork. You do not need to stir it in. Place the lid on the pot and bake in the oven for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven. Turn on the broiler.
- Remove the pork from the pot and place it on a baking sheet and shred it.
- Strain the liquid that is left in the pot to remove the fat. You can also spoon it out if you prefer.
- Place the pot on the stove (with only the cooking liquid remaining inside) and boil until it begins to thicken about 20 minutes.
- Mix the liquid with the meat on the baking sheet. Spread out evenly and broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges are crispy. You only want the edges crispy, not the entire piece.
- Remove from the broiler and serve it your favorite way!
What temperature do I cook pork carnitas?
Carnitas should be braised in the oven at 300°F.
How to Make Carnitas in the Slow Cooker
- Season all sides of the pork with your kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the avocado oil.
- Once the avocado oil has heated through and become shimmery, sear each side of the pork. You are only searing the outside, not cooking through. Each side will only need about 1 minute.
- Turn the heat down to low and remove the pork from the frying pan. Pour in the beef stock. De-glaze the pan by scraping the bits off the bottom and stir them into the stock.
- When the pan has de-glazed completely, pour the stock into the crockpot. Add in the orange juice, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, and ground coriander. Stir to combine.
- Add the pork to the crockpot.
- Place the onion, garlic, and jalapeno on top of the pork. You do not need to stir it in. Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. I do not recommend cooking on high.
- Once cooked, preheat the broiler.
- Remove the pork from the crockpot and place it on a baking sheet and shred it.
- Strain the liquid that is left in the crockpot to remove the fat. You can also spoon it out if you prefer.
- Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan and boil until it begins to thicken about 20 minutes.
- Mix the liquid with the meat on the baking sheet. Spread out evenly and broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges are crispy. You only want the edges crispy, not the entire piece.
- Remove from the broiler and serve it your favorite way!
How do you cook Carnitas in the Instant Pot?
- Turn the Instant Pot on to the SAUTE function.
- Season all sides of the pork with your kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Add the avocado oil to the Instant Pot.
- Once the avocado oil has heated through and become shimmery, sear each side of the pork. You are only searing the outside, not cooking through. Each side will only need about 1 minute.
- Press CANCEL and remove the pork from the Instant Pot. Pour in the beef stock. De-glaze the pot by scraping the bits off the bottom and stir them into the stock.
- When the pot has de-glazed completely, add in the orange juice, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, and ground coriander. Stir to combine.
- Add the pork back to the Instant Pot.
- Place the onion, garlic, and jalapeno on top of the pork. You do not need to stir it in. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 1 hour.
- QUICK RELEASE the pressure.
- Remove the pork from the pot and place it on a baking sheet and shred it.
- Strain the liquid that is left in the pot to remove the fat. You can also spoon it out if you prefer.
- Turn the SAUTE function back on the Instant Pot with only the cooking liquid remaining inside. Boil until it begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
- Mix the liquid with the meat on the baking sheet. Spread out evenly and broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges are crispy. You only want the edges crispy, not the entire piece.
- Remove from the broiler and serve it your favorite way!
Tips, Tricks, and Frequently Asked Questions
I would not recommend it. There is not enough fat and it will dry out. It also will not shred the same.
No, I would not. Your pork will not cook evenly and it will not result in tender, juicy, shredded pork.
I recommend using either boneless pork butt or boneless pork shoulder.
Pulled pork and carnitas are similar, but not the same. While pulled pork is done once the pork has finished cooking and it’s shredded, carnitas is shredded and then broiled. Carnitas have a juicy, but caramelized crispy bits.
There are a few reasons your carnitas might be tough. First, you need to be sure you cook them low and slow. Rushing the process will give your a tough cut. If cooking them in the oven, be sure you have enough liquid in the pot. Don’t over cook them and make sure that your pork is fully thawed before cooking.
Yes. This carnitas recipe is keto-friendly.
Carnitas should still be tender, but have little crispy edges and bits to them. They’re the perfect combination of crispy and tender.
Not only does orange juice add excellent, bright flavor to carnitas, but the citrus helps break down the meat so that it is tender.
How to Lower Calories or WW Points
A majority of the calories and WW points for this recipe come from the cut of pork and the final calorie count does not account for the fact that the fat has been skimmed off. I don’t recommend changing your cut of pork.
A great way to keep the calories and WW points lower with carnitas is to serve it burrito bowl style.
What to Make with Carnitas
- burritos
- quesadillas
- enchiladas
- tacos
- burrito bowls
- topped with a fried egg
- nachos
What should I serve with carnitas?
We like to serve our carnitas with rice, beans, and anything else you’d love to have with tacos.
What do you put on carnitas?
We love putting ours in tacos and topping them with queso fresco and fresh chopped cilantro.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Pulled Pork Carnitas
Can leftovers be frozen?
Absolutely! Carnitas are great in enchiladas, tacos, burrito bowls, all sorts of things so if you have leftovers, I highly recommend freezing them. Save the liquid separately and use it to moisten it back up when reheating.
How do you crisp up leftover carnitas?
The best way to crisp up leftover carnitas is to place them on a baking sheet and pop them under the broiler.
How do you keep carnitas moist?
The best way to keep carnitas moist is to reserve some of the cooking liquid. By reserving it, you can reheat carnitas with that liquid to retain moisture.
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How to Make Carnitas
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder cut into 4 pieces
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any other high smoke point oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups low sodium beef stock
- 2 whole oranges juiced
- 1 whole lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 whole onion chopped
- 5 whole garlic cloves chopped
- 1 whole jalapeno chopped (seeds and ribs removed for less heat)
Instructions
Oven Method
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Season all sides of the pork with your kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the avocado oil.
- Once the avocado oil has heated through and become shimmery, sear each side of the pork. You are only searing the outside, not cooking through. Each side will only need about 1 minute.
- Turn the heat down to low and remove the pork from the Dutch oven. Pour in the beef stock. De-glaze the pot by scraping the bits off the bottom and stir them into the stock.
- When the pot has de-glazed completely, add in the orange juice, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, and ground coriander. Stir to combine.
- Add the pork back to the dutch oven and bring to a simmer uncovered.
- Place the onion, garlic, and jalapeno on top of the pork. You do not need to stir it in. Place the lid on the pot and bake in the oven for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven. Turn on the broiler.
- Remove the pork from the pot and place it on a baking sheet and shred it.
- Strain the liquid that is left in the pot to remove the fat. You can also spoon it out if you prefer.
- Place the pot on the stove (with only the cooking liquid remaining inside) and boil until it begins to thicken about 20 minutes.
- Mix the liquid with the meat on the baking sheet. Spread out evenly and broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges are crispy. You only want the edges crispy, not the entire piece.
- Remove from the broiler and serve it your favorite way!
Slow Cooker Method
- Season all sides of the pork with your kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the avocado oil.
- Once the avocado oil has heated through and become shimmery, sear each side of the pork. You are only searing the outside, not cooking through. Each side will only need about 1 minute.
- Turn the heat down to low and remove the pork from the frying pan. Pour in the beef stock. De-glaze the pan by scraping the bits off the bottom and stir them into the stock.
- When the pan has de-glazed completely, pour the stock into the crockpot. Add in the orange juice, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, and ground coriander. Stir to combine.
- Add the pork to the crockpot.
- Place the onion, garlic, and jalapeno on top of the pork. You do not need to stir it in. Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. I do not recommend cooking on high.
- Once cooked, preheat the broiler.
- Remove the pork from the crockpot and place it on a baking sheet and shred it.
- Strain the liquid that is left in the crockpot to remove the fat. You can also spoon it out if you prefer.
- Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan and boil until it begins to thicken about 20 minutes.
- Mix the liquid with the meat on the baking sheet. Spread out evenly and broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges are crispy. You only want the edges crispy, not the entire piece.
- Remove from the broiler and serve it your favorite way!
Instant Pot Method
- Turn the Instant Pot on to the SAUTE function.
- Season all sides of the pork with your kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Add the avocado oil to the Instant Pot.
- Once the avocado oil has heated through and become shimmery, sear each side of the pork. You are only searing the outside, not cooking through. Each side will only need about 1 minute.
- Press CANCEL and remove the pork from the Instant Pot. Pour in the beef stock. De-glaze the pot by scraping the bits off the bottom and stir them into the stock.
- When the pot has de-glazed completely, add in the orange juice, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, and ground coriander. Stir to combine.
- Add the pork back to the Instant Pot.
- Place the onion, garlic, and jalapeno on top of the pork. You do not need to stir it in. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 1 hour.
- QUICK RELEASE the pressure.
- Remove the pork from the pot and place it on a baking sheet and shred it.
- Strain the liquid that is left in the pot to remove the fat. You can also spoon it out if you prefer.
- Turn the SAUTE function back on the Instant Pot with only the cooking liquid remaining inside. Boil until it begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
- Mix the liquid with the meat on the baking sheet. Spread out evenly and broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges are crispy. You only want the edges crispy, not the entire piece.
- Remove from the broiler and serve it your favorite way!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
