The ultimate recipe for tender, flavorful carnitas made right in your crockpot. With minimal effort and incredible results, these slow-cooked pork carnitas are perfect for tacos, burritos, or simply served with a side of rice and beans.
For more crockpot Mexican favorites, try our slow cooker chili lime shredded beef or our slow cooker sweet pork.
Why Our Recipe
- Foolproof crockpot method for perfectly tender and flavorful carnitas every time.
- A magical seasoning blend delivers authentic Mexican flavors with minimal ingredients.
- Crispy finishing options ensure irresistibly golden and caramelized meat.
This is a recipe inspired by a Mexican restaurant featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that had people lined up out the door for their carnitas. They made theirs in huge batches, but after watching it over and over again, we figured out the proportions of the ingredients. After a few experimental tries and several years of making them, we consider these pork carnitas mastered! This meat is as good as it comes and makes one killer taco
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless Pork Butt Roast: Look for a roast weighing 3-5 pounds. Trim large pieces of fat if you prefer less gristle in the final dish.
- Ground Cumin: Essential for authentic carnitas flavor.
- Chili Powder: Use your favorite blend for a touch of smoky heat.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adjust to taste if you prefer less spice or leave it out entirely.
- Ground Cloves: A little goes a long way in adding depth to the spice blend.
- Vegetable Oil: Creates the signature slow-fried texture. Alternatives include peanut oil, corn oil, or lard for a richer flavor.
- Optional Orange: In some regions of Mexico, carnitas contain orange juice or zest. You can add both to this recipe for a citrus zing. Simply add 1/2 cup of orange juice and up to 1 tablespoon of orange zest into this recipe with the oil and spices.
Prepping Your Pork Roast
Trimming isn’t necessary, but it all depends on your personal tastes. Fat does not render in a slow cooker so you will end up with gristle and blobs of fat. If you’re not a fan of gristly meat, you’ll want to trim off some of the larger pieces of fat. Don’t worry about trimming it all though, just the larger pieces.
So Much Oil!
We are essentially slow-frying the pork, which requires a lot of oil. The secret to the most amazing carnitas is a crisp exterior and tender interior, and you can’t do that without a good amount of oil. In the end, there will be a good amount of oil remaining to drain out, so you’re not actually eating all of that oil.
Keep in mind that this recipe makes a lot of meat. This is much more than just a couple of servings. While you could certainly replace the oil with broth, beer, Coca-Cola, or other liquids, we highly recommend using oil for the most amazing results.
Oven Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place roast into a 5 to 7-quart oven-safe pot with lid or use a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil later. Follow all instructions in the recipe, but instead of placing the meat into a slow cooker, place it in your pot or roasting pan.
Cover with lid or aluminum foil tightly cover the roast with foil. Roast at 350 degrees for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until pork shreds easily with a fork. Shred in the pot or pan.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the carnitas on their own with a side of Mexican rice, refried beans, or a fresh salad for a simple yet flavorful meal. Or use your carnitas (or leftovers) in other Mexican food favorites like quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, or nachos.
Tacos: The classic option! Load up warm corn or flour tortillas with your crispy carnitas. Top with fresh cilantro, diced onions, a squeeze of lime, and your favorite salsa for an authentic street taco experience.
Burrito Bowls: Skip the tortilla and serve your carnitas over a bed of rice and beans. Add toppings like guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, and pico de gallo.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze portions in airtight containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat on the stovetop or in the oven at 350°F until heated through. Crisp up as needed before serving. Microwaving works, but is not preferred as it dries out the pork and impacts flavor.
More delicious Mexican meats…
Carne Asada
2 hrs 30 mins
Tacos Al Pastor
4 hrs 25 mins
The Best Beef Barbacoa
3 hrs 10 mins
Easy Weeknight Chicken Tacos
1 hr 20 mins
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I made these carnitas exactly as the recipe says! They are excellent! And not at all greasy! They tasted amazing!
I will be using this recipe again and again! Even the kids loved them!
I have about a pound of pork to work with, should I use the same amount of vegetable oil?
Use just enough to cover the meat.
Hi Rachel – After searching many carnitas recipes this morning, I’ve decided to make yours for the Superbowl tomorrow. I am going to start them early on Sunday…then take the crock pot to my in-laws for dinner. I plan to fully cook them at home. Do you think I can drain some of the oil at home…leaving some of it in to keep the meat moist? And then maybe warm it at my in-laws until we’re ready to serve? Also, should I pour the oil down the sink or throw it out? Thanks!
Yes, that will all work. As far as pouring it down the sink, I know you aren’t supposed to do that so for the sake of environmental responsibility, just throw it out 🙂
I have tried so many recipes and the meat was either dry or the seasoning was off.This recipe is the BEST!!! I have made this recipe atleast a couple time a month since I found it..These are not greasy from the oil and are so tender and just great..Thank you. I will never make them any other way.
Right? The oil scares people off, but it’s AMAZING!
Would extra virgin olive oil work instead of vegetable oil?
It would, but it would be much more expensive.
Could I put all the ingredients together the night before and then pop it in the crockpot in the morning before leaving the house?
Sure can!
Could you put these in the crockpot on high for 4-6 hours?
You can, but I don’t recommend it. Low and slow is the best method for cooking this cut of meat.
I am trying this recipe in my electric pressure cooker right now!
Let me know how it turns out!
Does anyone kno, if you can use pork belly for this recipe?I have this huge amount of it in my freezer,that I was given…do u think it would work ?
What are your thoughts on cooking this on high for a few hours and then turning down to low ( or vice versa) to cut down the cooking time?
The short answer is that it depends on your slow cooker. The long answer is that the difference between high and low on many slow cookers is simple the time it takes to reach the maximum temperature. Some slow cookers, though, reach a higher temperature on high. It’s kind of crazy that there is no industry standard on it. Low and slow produces a much more tender meat, but turning it to high might save you a couple hours.
So is it OK if I cook it on high for 4 hrs than low for 6? I don’t have much time .. not sure if I’ll yield the same result.
Usually 4 hours on high isn’t enough time for the meat to get tender.
I’m using boneless pork for bbq is that the same as carnitas?
Carnitas translates to “little meats” but also refers to a host of latin flavors added to the meat. The recipe calls for a pork butt or shoulder roast. You can buy boneless versions of these as well. Is that what you are referring to with boneless pork?
This recipe. Sounds great and I want to make it this weekend
The only thing that concerns me is the amount of chili powder and cayenne pepper, is it a very hot dish. I cannot eat hot, I.e. spicey foods but my husband loves them, the hotter the better.
Thanks for your time and I will be following you from now on.
April