This Crispy Pork Carnitas recipe is a winner! This has to be the closest recipe to authentic Mexican Carnitas you’ll find WITHOUT using lard!
Our Crispy Pork Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooked Pulled Pork) is SO tender and juicy on the inside, while remaining deliciously crisp and golden on the edges, giving you the best of both worlds. This dish will be PERFECT for your Cinco De Mayo parties!
PORK CARNITAS
Carnitas are so versatile, you can fill any burrito, taco, quesadilla or use it as a topping for nachos! Include them in a salad like this Chipotle Carnitas Salad, or serve them with the typical onion/cilantro topping typically seen served in Mexican food trucks, or a good Guacamole or Pico De Gallo.
Carnitas isn’t anywhere near as daunting as it may seem. This NO FAIL recipe is easy to follow and extremely forgiving! Set it… forget it… and your mouth-watering, fall-apart meat is ready in a matter of hours! Because who doesn’t love crispy pulled pork?!
HOW TO MAKE PORK CARNITAS
I have to admit, it has taken me many failed attempts and a huge variety of different recipes before finally settling on this one. I read, researched, tested, failed, tested again, failed, researched AGAIN, tested and failed THREE more times. We had pulled pork coming out of our ears!
The not-so-secret ingredient we use in this carnitas recipe is Coca Cola. If you can find a cane sugar based coke (coke in ‘original’ glass bottles, for example), that’s going to get you the most authentic flavour. It’s the closest to Mexican Coke, which is what many Mexicans cook their Carnitas in when not cooking in lard (the authentic recipe), and really gives these carnitas a bolder and better taste!
The orange juice and lime juice combo tenderises them to incredible fall-apart tenderness, while the natural sugars in the juices and the coke combined turn what would be just another pulled pork recipe, into crispy heaven with every mouthful.
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.
PORK CARNITAS 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!
WATCH HOW WE MAKE CARNITAS RIGHT HERE! TURN UP YOUR VOLUME TO HEAR THAT CRISPY CRACKLE IN THE PAN!
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 ¾ cup natural orange juice
- ¾ 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 ½ 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!
Kitten says
All your recipes are amazing. I did this with a 1.3 Kg pork shoulder and salted the pork for 3 hours before putting it into the slow cooker. They had bone in. It cooked for 9 hours. I followed everything else as written and used 2 tsp salt. TYSM!
Ashley Appleton says
I have been using this recipe for years! It is a family favorite. Thank you for sharing this recipe with all of us!
Jane Doe says
Amazing! Taste authentic, only thing I added was 1tsp of cinnamon per the comments. And my store didn’t have Mexican coke so I used root beer in the glass bottle with cane sugar. So delicious
Sarah says
I’ve made this several times and it’s fantastic! I am amazed by you and how great all your recipes are. My question is: do you think this could be made in the pressure cooker? If so, any thoughts on how much time?
Erica says
Favorite recipe I’ve been making for a couple of years and come back to again again!
Sean says
Really good, i use the Mexican cola add 2 jalapeños and a tablespoon of ground coriander seeds. Save the pork skin and make crackling with it, crumb it and sprinkle on top. Takes it to the next level in my opinion. Must serve with a nice limey pico
Christy Craig says
OMG! This is the best carnitas recipe. I was a bit worried about the amount of oregano, but don’t be it all comes out amazing!. Thank you for sharing this!
Mark says
Really quite good. I smoke my pork using an offset smoker, so just natural juices. Not sure about your no lard references, as lard is natural, and much better than any laboratory-made substitute. Each fall my wiie and I make our own lard from the hogs we slaughter. BTW, a pork butt IS the shoulder.
Shannon says
This recipe is so delicious! It’s part of our monthly rotation and so easy to make.
Chrissy says
My absolute go to recipes for carnitas every time. I usually make 2lbs but I’m making 6lbs for a larger group for Super Bowl. What adjustments would you make for that size and would you cook it longer?
Selina says
I tried this for the first time today after reading all the glowing reviews. It did not disappoint. I used a diet coke with trepidation because you just never know. It was perfect. So delicous, the meat was tender and juicy. I didnt fry it in a pan but I put it under the broiler and would turn the meat as it crisped. Amazing. Will be my go-to carnitas recipe from now on.
Angel says
So good! My go to, but this time I’m going to try the other one with tomatoes. Sure it will be 🔥 Go Katrina🥰
Seanita says
I have a very similar recipe from my Mexican house mom, but this one is much easier to execute with the slow cooker. I really do think it’s worth cutting the pork into 4-6 chunks, seasoning with a bit of cumin and salt and pepper, and browning on all sides before going into the pot, but this is close enough! . Yolanda also sometimes adds a pinch of cinnamon. She does this in her le Crueset Dutch oven in her oven on 275-300 for 6-7 hours (cover with tinfoil or an over safe lid cracked). One ah-making trick I got from a Chef friend of mine is to take the braising liquid after you’ve cooked the pork and reduce it on medium low heat until the liquid is reduced by 1/2. . It turns into the best sauce of your entire life! Can’t beat the toppings you listed, but sometimes I grill fresh pineapple rings, then chop as a topping.
Amazing recipe for sure!
Seanita
Thanks for posting this.