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Craving the real deal when it comes to pork carnitas? This crispy, juicy pulled pork is slow-cooked to absolute perfection—fall-apart tender on the inside, with golden, caramelized edges that are impossible to resist.
No lard needed, no shortcuts taken—just bold, authentic flavor made simple. These Crispy Pork Carnitas bring the magic of Mexican street food straight to your kitchen. Perfect for taco nights, game days, or when you just need a dish that never disappoints.
The Secret to That Perfect Golden Crisp
Juicy, slow-cooked pork with crispy, caramelized edges? Yes, please. The beauty of this carnitas recipe is how simple it is to pull off—no deep fryer, no lard, just real ingredients and all the flavor.
By cooking low and slow, the pork becomes so tender that it falls apart. Then a quick roast crisps up the edges until golden and irresistible. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll come back to every time tacos are on the menu.
Similarly, our Pork Roast With Perfect Crackling achieves that tender, juicy meat underneath a perfectly crispy and golden rind.
What You’ll Need To Get Started
Before the slow cooking magic begins, let’s talk ingredients. These are the simple pantry staples and fresh essentials that come together to create the most juicy, tender, and flavorful pork carnitas all without the need for lard!
- Boneless Pork Butt (Pork Shoulder): My favorite cut for carnitas! It’s perfectly marbled, slow cooks like a dream, and pulls apart effortlessly.
- Mexican Coke: Trust me on this one — it adds a deep, subtle sweetness and helps caramelize those crispy edges.
- Fresh Orange Juice: For that hint of citrus that brightens every bite.
- Lime Juice: Just a splash brings all the flavors to life.
- Onion & Garlic: Classic aromatics that melt right into the pork, layering in rich, savory goodness.
- Dried Oregano & Ground Cumin: A must for that warm, earthy depth we all love in Mexican cooking.
- Bay Leaves: Tossed in whole to gently infuse their magic while everything simmers low and slow.
Note: Please see Recipe Card at the bottom for full list of ingredients and measurements.
Let’s Cook Some Carnitas!
Here’s exactly how to make these mouthwatering pork carnitas, crispy on the outside, melt in your mouth tender on the inside. Just follow the steps below and let your slow cooker or oven! do most of the work. If you love this pork flavor you must try my authentic Colombian Tamales too.
- Pat It Dry. Rinse the pork and pat it dry with paper towels. Dry meat means better flavor and crispier edges.
- Flavor Load. Place pork in the slow cooker with salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, Coke, and bay leaves.
- Let It Cook. Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours or high for 5–6 hours. It’s ready when it falls apart with a fork.
- Shred It. Shred the pork with two forks. Keep the liquid! You’ll need it for crisping.
- Crisp in the Oven. Spread pork on a lined tray. Pour 1 cup of liquid over it. Broil 5–10 mins until golden and crisp.
- Serve It Up. Season to taste. Drizzle with more juice and serve in tacos, burritos, or a bowl!
Tips!
- We used 4 teaspoons of salt. Use less if desired.
- Coke with cane sugar instead of corn syrup (check the ingredients list) is ideal, however, you can use any Coke. Alternatively, substitute with chicken broth (chicken stock).
- If you don’t like the sound of this particular carnitas recipe, try my Tomato Based Crispy Pulled Pork or my Crispy Slow Cooked Carnitas recipe.
Make It a Full Fiesta
Carnitas are endlessly versatile—whether you’re stuffing burritos, tacos, or quesadillas, or piling them high on nachos, they bring the party every time. Add them to a fresh salad like this Chipotle Carnitas Salad, or serve them the classic way with chopped onions and cilantro, just like your favorite Mexican food truck. Want the perfect side? Go with Guacamole or Pico De Gallo or a generous scoop of Avocado and Salsa.
Do you crave some tacos? To make them into tacos, simply stuff the crisped meat into a corn or a fresh Flour Tortilla and add in chopped onion, cilantro, salsa, avocado, and top with sour cream or crema fresca!
FAQs
Yes! You can use a Dutch oven or heavy pot in the oven at 325°F (160°C) for 3–4 hours. Just make sure to keep the pork covered and check occasionally to ensure it stays nice and juicy.
Pork shoulder (also called pork butt) is the best cut for juicy, fall-apart carnitas. It has the right balance of fat and meat to stay tender while crisping up perfectly.
Absolutely! These carnitas reheat beautifully. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Just reheat in the oven or on a skillet to bring back the crispy edges!
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Pork Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooker Pulled Pork)
Ingredients
Carnitas
- 4 pounds boneless pork butt skinless, or shoulder
- 3-4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano or Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 large brown or white onion, cut into wedges
- 8 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 limes juiced
- 2 large oranges juiced, or 3/4 cup natural orange juice
- 3/4 cup coke original or Mexican coke is ideal
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry pork with a paper towel.
- In the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker, add pork, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, coke, and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).
- Remove pork and shred with two forks (DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID!)
TO CRISP IN THE OVEN:
- Transfer the pork to a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking oil spray (or lined with aluminium foil or parchment paper).
- Pour 1 ladle full (about 1 cup) of the liquid from the slow cooker over the pork to season. Broil for 5-10 minutes on high heat until the meat becomes golden browned and crispy on the edges.
TO CRISP ON STOVE:
- Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a non stick pan or cast iron skillet over high heat. When pan is hot, add pork in batches of two or three, and sear until just beginning to crisp. Ladle over about 1/2 cup of left over liquid, and continue cooking until the juices begin to reduce down and the meat is nice and crispy!
TO SERVE:
- Season with a little extra salt and pepper if desired. Pour over more of the slow cooker juices once the meat has crisped for added flavour, just before serving! Serve in Tacos, Burritos, or in a salad!
Notes
*If you don’t like the sound of this particular carnitas recipe, try my tomato based crispy pulled pork!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe! I used a bone in pork butt. Enough grease from fat I don’t need additional oil for crisp it up. Need to try real Coke – Diet Coke on hand Im sure not the same. Multiple meals from one 4# roast. Carnitas salad, burritos and mixed up with eggs on the weekend. Yum!
Hi what is a good substitute to pork? I would really like to try this recipe. Thanks
try looking up a recipe specifically for beef carnitas as the flavors here are really designed to go with pork.
Boneless, skin-on chicken thighs would work, too. Just be sure to use the same number of pounds in the original recipe.
You can do beef (use chuck roast). I swap out the orange juice for some chipotle sauce, but otherwise cook it in a similar way. Yummmm!
Hello, I love this recipe! My daughter Loooooved it so much. I halved it however it did seem a little dry: would you suggest I add more soda and lime/ orange or how could I make this recipe juicer ?
if it seems a bit dry, i would add some corn starch slurry to the liquid. that will thicken and hold the moisture to the meat. ( i do this all the time with taco meat or other things that tend to dry out with long cooking times)
Made this tonight for the first time! Amazing! The Mexican Coke really adds a nice dimension. My family, from a 7 year old to my 95 year old Mom, just loved it. Thought there would be leftovers…nope! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
I’ve currently got this in the crockpot and it already smells amazing!! I grew up on the border of Mexico and half of my family still lives in Mexico, so I know authentic Mexican food. I have a good feeling about this recipe.
But I just went and peaked in my crockpot and noticed my garlic has turned bright green! I thought somebody had tossed broccoli in there at first. I’m not sure why..it was a fresh new bulb. I used true Mexican Coke. Maybe it’s a reaction to that or the citrus… Any ideas?
I’m pretty sure Its the acid in the citrus. It happens to me when i make pork roast with sauerkraut.
Just did it! Love it! Aaahhhhhh! I am so surprised a crockpot pulled this off. So delicious and authentic. Probably favorite online recipe of all time.
In the crock now!
Amazing recipe! I followed it exactly except I’m used to making carnitas with lard so I added 1.5 pints of bacon grease before topping off with water. The result was deeply flavorful with just enough of a sauce left after I skimmed off the fat. This is the best recipe I’ve ever had. Thank you!!
I made this recipe a few times, follow it exactly and turns out perfectly. My 8 year old boy baby girl love it. I wish I can upload video of my 16 month old daughter eating it haha. Thank you so much for this recipe, I feel like I can cook now 🙂
This recipe is perfect. I scout and try and scour again and try again and she has done the work for me. This is a knockout every time. We do a quick pickled radish (3/4c white vinegar, 3/4c water, dash red pepper flakes and 3tbs sugar or honey on stove until hot over bunch of sliced radishes in a jar) as well as fresh cilantro, white onion, and lime wedges on top and the combination of tangy spicy radish w/sweet carnitas is unreal.
I cherish my kitchen and making delicious food for others. This recipe is with all the rave reviews. Just make it already!!!
Thank you so much for this!