Smoked Carnitas

Mexican pork carnitas are given a smokey makeover in this delicious and easy recipe for Smoked Carnitas. These make for one killer taco!

How long does it take to make smoked carnitas?

Smoking isn’t an exact science. It’s all about the low and slow smokey cooking. The times listed in the written recipe are only an estimate. Actual cooking time depends on a variety of factors like how thick you cut your meat, and how consistent of a temperature your smoker has. It should take somewhere between 4 and 8 hours to cook the meat until it is tender, most likely at the lower end of that range.

What kind of pellets should I use?

The kind of pellets you use in your smoker will change the flavor of the meat slightly. For this recipe, we prefer using pecan pellets. You can also use cherry or competition blends. Experiment and find your own personal favorite.

What kind of smoker do you use?

We use a Camp Chef Woodwind Pellet Grill. This recipe will work for any electric smoker like Camp Chef, Weber, Masterbuilt, Traeger, or other brand.

What if I don’t have a smoker?

Have a gas grill and still want some smoked goodness? You can mimic a smoker by making a wood chip packet to go on the grill. Soak some wood chips in water for 30 minutes, then wrap them in aluminum foil. Poke some small holes into the aluminum foil packet to let the smoke out and then place it on the grill over a flame. The packet will release smoke into the closed grill. Your gas grill won’t monitor the temperature the same way an electric smoker will, so you’ll want to keep an eye on the temperature as it cooks. Add another wood chip packet if needed to keep the smoke going.

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other great recipes:

• Smoked Pork Chops
• Mexican Beef Barbacoa
• Cheesy Ranch Chicken Foil Packets