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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.
- 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.
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!
I have been using this recipe for years! It is a family favorite. Thank you for sharing this recipe with all of us!
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
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?
Favorite recipe I’ve been making for a couple of years and come back to again again!
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
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!
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.
This recipe is so delicious! It’s part of our monthly rotation and so easy to make.
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?
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.
So good! My go to, but this time I’m going to try the other one with tomatoes. Sure it will be 🔥 Go Katrina🥰
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.