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Juicy, tasty, and crispy authentic pork carnitas recipe that is perfect for taco night and more!
Crispy Pork Carnitas are tender, juicy, and crispy shredded pork that is easy to make. It’s also the absolute perfect protein to meal prep throughout the week since you can enjoy the pork carnitas with tacos, quesadillas, Yellow Spanish Rice, Cuban Black Beans, and so much more! Better yet, the best carnitas recipe only takes a few fresh ingredients to transform pork into a dish that you’ll make time and time again!
On the surface, carnitas aka “little meats” is juicy, tender, and crispy shredded pork that has been braised in its own liquid and fat. However, carnitas is so much more than that!
Whether it’s your go to protein at Chipotle or your favorite taco filling, then you’ll know that carnitas is flavorful pork that is incredibly juicy. It’s a traditional Mexican dish with versions showing up all over, like my personal favorite: Dominican Pernil (Roasted Pork Shoulder) and Cuban Style Masitas de Puerco (Crispy Pork Chunks).
Crispy Pork Carnitas can be made in a variety of ways. You can make a classic carnitas seasoning blend of salt, pepper, cumin, orégano, and citrus (orange or lime juice).
You can also add smokey elements and add smoked paprika and chipotle seasoning. I personally love a traditional carnitas seasoning because it reminds me a lot of Dominican Style Roasted Pork Shoulder (Pernil Dominicano).
Both pernil and carnitas use pork shoulder and they’re cooked until the meat is tender and can then be shredded.
Homemade crispy pork carnitas is easy to make. All you need is time and a piece of pork shoulder.
I like to start by rinsing the pork with cold water and letting it sit in a vinegar and water bath for at least 20 minutes. This is a step that I never skip when making pork. Not only does it free the pork from any gamey scents, it also serves as a quick brine.
Afterwards, I rinse off the pork again and season it with:
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cumin
- Dominican Oregano or Mexican Orgeano *this makes a huge difference in flavor
- Fresh Thyme
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Orange Juice
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Bay Leaves *optional
- Cinnamon *optional
I let the meat marinate for at least an hour. However, the longer the meat marinates, the better this dish ultimately tastes.
Once I’m ready to cook, I set my oven to 325F. I then transfer the meat and the marinade over to a deep baking dish.
Additionally, I also add a ton of mild olive oil. I add enough olive oil to cover the meat. We want the meat to confit in the oven.
This will keep the meat juicy and tender! Don’t be afraid to leave the fat pieces of pork in the baking dish. This too adds flavor and will render down later on.
After 2 hours, the pork will become fork tender! This is when we’ll remove from the baking dish, shred it, and then spread it out onto a baking sheet.
I then like to drizzle some of the oven braising liquid over top just before placing the baking sheet back into the oven to broil. The carnitas will broil to perfection, becoming brown and crispy!
Just be careful not to overdo it and burn it. In the end, I sprinkle kosher salt and squeeze fresh lime over top.
Pork shoulder is my favorite cut of pork to use when making any carnitas recipe. Pork shoulder has a great ratio of meat to fat. It’s usually heavily marbled.
Pork shoulder is also fairly inexpensive and is the perfect cut to slow roast in the oven. Bear in mind that pork shoulder comes with a large bone that you’ll have to remove when preparing to season the carnitas.
Keep in mind that you can also use other cuts of pork to make crispy pork carnitas. You can use Boston butt and pork shoulder picnic.
Whatever you do, do not bone-in ham. My grandmother once made this mistake when she grabbed the wrong cut to make Pernil Dominicano.
At a quick glance, a bone-in ham can easily look like pork shoulder. However, ham won’t tenderize and shred the same way as pork shoulder or Boston butt.
Pork shoulder and Boston butt both come from the same region of the pork and will result in similar (if not identical) crispy carnitas!
How Long Will Carnitas Last Once It’s Cooked?
Crispy Carnitas will last a few days. It’s the perfect dish to make when hosting a large party or even when meal-prepping. Pork carnitas will last anywhere between 4-5 in an air-tight container in the fridge.
What’s The Best Way to Re-Heat Pork Carnitas?
You can re-heat pork carnitas 3 ways: in the oven, on a pan with a little bit of oil, or in the air-fryer. In fact, you can skip the broiler step and crisp up the shredded pork in the air fryer entirely if you like. Just note that you still have to slow roast or even pressure cook the pork first before air frying.
Shark Ninja makes one of my favorite air-fryers that I love using for other dishes such as: Dominican Air Fryer Chicken, Peruvian Air Fryer Chicken, Crispy Cuban Mojo Chicken and Air Fryer Tostones
Crispy Pork Carnitas
Crispy, juicy, and perfectly seasoned pork carnitas that you can use for meal prepping or better yet… taco night! Enjoy this traditional recipe with authentic flavor!
- Total Time4 Hours 40 Minutes
- Yield5-6 Servings 1x
- DietDairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Low-Carb
Ingredients
Brine
- 2 cups of Water
- 2 cups White Distilled Vinegar
Marinade
- 2 lbs Boneless Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Whole Dominican Oregano or Mexican Oregano
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Freshly Squeezed Orange
- 1 Freshly Squeezed Lime
- 1/2 Squeezed Orange Sliced
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 2 Bay Leaves *optional
- 1/2 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon *optional
Instructions
Brine
- Rinse pork shoulder or Boston butt with water then place into a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 20 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Afterwards, rinse pork shoulder with cold water and pat dry. Then cut pork shoulder or Boston butt into large 3 in pieces so that meat is evenly seasoned throughout. If your pork shoulder or Boston butt still has the bone, remove and set aside for a stock or discard. Set cut pork aside until ready to marinate
Marinade
- In a mortar and pestle, mash garlic with a pinch of salt until a paste forms. Then add garlic paste to the pork shoulder. Season the pork with kosher salt, Mexican oregano or Dominican oregano, fresh thyme, and black pepper. Mix until well combined. Then squeeze the juice of one lime and one orange. Mix again until well combined. Feel free to leave squeezed oranges and natural pork fat in the bowl as pork marinates for at least an hour in the fridge or overnight. For best results, marinate pork overnight
Roasting
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Then transfer marinated pork and juice into a deep baking dish. Add olive oil until the pork is completely covered. Next, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
- Slow roast the pork for 3.5hours. The extra olive oil and pork fat will confit the pork making it exceptionally tender and juicy. After 3.5hours, remove the baking dish from the oven
- Transfer cooked pork pieces onto a cutting board and roughly shred. You can shred as finely as you like. For best results, simply break up the big pork chunks into smaller pieces so that it remains juicy later on. If you shred it too finely, it will dry up in the broiler.
Broiling
- Once the pork has been shredded, add pork onto a baking sheet. Drizzle some leftover braising liquid over top of the pork. Then place the baking sheet into the oven and broil for 5 minutes until the shredded pork becomes crispy. Keep an eye on the meat, and make sure it does not burn. Carnitas should crisp up to a medium-brown color. Some pieces will be crispier than others, which is normal depending on how thick or thin the shredded pork is. You can also crisp up the pork in the air fryer. In the end, remove the carnitas from the oven and enjoy with drizzled fresh lime
Notes
How To Store
- Place crispy carnitas in an air tight container and place in the fridge. Crispy Pork Carnitas will last 4-5 days.
Reheating
- Stovetop: Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a skillet over medium-high flame. Add carnitas and pean sear until warm and crispy
- Oven: Heat oven to 425°F. If needed, drizzle olive oil over crispy carnitas and place in the oven until meat becomes crispy again. Be careful not to burn or dry out carnitas
- Air Fryer: Heat Air Fryer to 400°F. Add carnitas and air fryer until crispy again. Just like the oven method, drizzle olive if needed and cook long enough for the meat to crisp up once again. Settings will change depending on your air fryer
- Prep Time: 40 Minutes
- Cook Time: 4 Hours
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Roasting, Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Latin, Mexican