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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.
Absolutely awesome!
Have now made this three times and had to write and rave about it..
We love it. They’re as good as any we’ve bought in a taqueria or bodega.
Excellent, traditional tasting recipe, and does it all without the mess of lard!
Thanks, this is now at least a twice a month meal!
This looks unbelievably crisp and tender! Seeing all the 5 star reviews makes me want to make it even more – but I don’t own a slow cooker. Do you have instructions for making this in the oven or on the stove?
To Crisp in the Oven: Transfer the pork to a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking oil spray (or lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper).
To Crisp on the 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!
I just started my third batch of this. This is the best carnitas recipe I’ve ever found, and it saves me when I can’t wait for the Sunday batch of carnitas at my neighborhood taqueria.
My only regular addition is that I always thrown in a half tablespoon of achiote for the earthy flavor.
For this most recent batch I have a 7lb bone-in shoulder, so I tweaked it a bit. I used a full cup of Mexican Coke and a full cup of orange juice, and added 25% to all the spices (except for the cumin). Instead of adding extra cumin I threw in a half tablespoon of chili powder for the complexity because I get overpowered by too much cumin (also I’m low on achiote today, I didn’t measure but I think I only had about a teaspoon or so left in the bag).
OMG this recipe nailed it for me. Carnitas is one of my very favorite dishes at our local authentic Mexican restaurant. This recipe couldn’t get much better…..it’s definitely restaurant quality.
I added green peppers. Next time may sauté with the pulled pork to keep them a little firmer.
Also…the cast iron pan is the best for crisping!!!!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hi Karina,
I’m trying this tonight. My crock pot is already in use for some bone broth so I am doing this in the Instant Pot. Let you know how it turns out…..
Sounds great! I can’t wait to hear! Thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is so good and so easy. Every time I make this everyone begs for the recipe! So delicious!!
That is so great to hear! I am so glad that everyone enjoys it! Thank you so much for sharing!
(Made Street Tacos) My first comment didn’t read correctly. I was using my Kindle Fire Tablet and I am still getting used to it, which caused some mispells. I made this recipe for my Aunt who was celebrating her 90th birthday party at her church. I’ve been looking for an excellent Carnitas recipe and I found it here with Karina. Thank you so much. I followed the recipe to the letter, choosing to fresh squeeze the lime and oranges (I used Blood oranges which were AWESOME). I only added mustard powder. The compliments I received were amazing partly because no ingredient stood alone, it was a perfect medley of ingredients and prep was 10 minutes, slow cooked for 10 hours. I will try this recipe with Oxtails as it is a specialty dish in my home country of Belize. I will garnish that using red onions, cilantro, and diced mango with a touch of chopped fresh jalapeno. I basically brought home only the juice from this recipe and bare;y had three tacos for myself. Great job, Chef Karina and thank you again.
AWE! That is awesome it worked out so well. I love that you made it your own and it sounds DELICIOUS!! I am drooling now;)!! Thank you for sharing and following along with me!
I made this for my Aunt’s 90th birthday celebration and it was excellent. I didn’t change a thing and basically made a self serve street taco station. Are you married ? Hahaha, the I you very much.
Could I use caffeine free Coke? I can’t have any caffeine, & I dony imagine the caffeine would burn away like alcohol does.
Hi!
Does anyone know how I’d cock this in the oven instead?
I don’t have a crock pot but this sounds delicious! I tried googling and found the time I should have it in for, but it also said to add less liquid – not sure about that part. Thank you!