Carnitas are bite-sized pieces of pork cooked low & slow in the oven until tender, then caramelized until crispy on the outside.
What are Carnitas?
Carnitas translates to “little meats” in Spanish. It’s chunks of pork shoulder or Boston butt, cooked low-and-slow in the oven in lard and citrus until super tender – then browned under the broiler. The result is meat with an extremely moist texture and with an amazing, flavorful caramelized crust!
You can serve Carnitas as chunks (they are great with our coconut rice on the side) or shredded and simply served in a lightly fried corn tortilla with some cilantro and chopped onion. Either way – the meat is SO good!
Why You'll Love Carnitas
- The flavors of the pork and citrus go so well together.
- The pork cooks up super tender with a deliciously caramelized crust.
- This easy recipe can be served in several different ways – chunks or shreds – and added to many different Mexican dishes.
Reader Review
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pork – Look for packages of pork butt or pork shoulder. (Both cuts of pork are from the shoulder of the pig – just sometimes labeled one way or another.) Choose a package that has some nice marbling of fat throughout the meat. It won’t matter if the pork is a single piece or several pieces packaged together because you will be cutting it into chunks before cooking.
- Lard – Lard is pork fat and the traditional fat used to cook the pork until tender. You can use suet (beef fat) or vegetable shortening (Crisco) – but the lard will give you the best flavor and most authentic results. See Cooking with Lard below for additional information.
- Citrus – Fresh orange and fresh limes are added to the pork as it cooks.
- Garlic – Only use cloves of fresh garlic in this recipe.
- Fresh Jalapeno Pepper
- Onion – Yellow onion, but you could also use white onion which is a stronger flavor.
- Seasonings – Including salt, ground black pepper, dried oregano and cumin, plus garlic powder.
- Bacon Fat – This adds a touch of smoky flavor to the cooking liquid.
- Olive Oil – This is used when browning and caramelizing the carnitas.
Cooking with Lard
Lard is a semi-soft, white fat made from pork fat. It’s sold in many supermarkets – look for the Armour brand green and white box. Our local supermarket has lard (unrefrigerated) on an end display in the dairy aisle, or you can ask for it at the meat counter. It may also be in the baking section near the vegetable shortening or in the Mexican foods aisle.
Don’t be scared to cook the chunks of pork in lard! The lard is discarded after the pork chunks are cooked.
The pork does not retain the fat from the lard – in fact, the pork gives up some of its own fat as it cooks. All you’ll be left with are amazingly tender, delicious carnitas!
Special Tools You'll Need
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Oven-Safe Casserole Dish or Baking Pan (or braiser with lid)
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Foil
- Fat Separator – After cooking, you’ll separate the fat from any juices, then combine juices with the pulled pork Carnitas.
- Pastry Brush
- Forks – For shredding and to test for doneness.
How do I make Carnitas?
- Place chunks of pork, lard, orange and lime wedges, garlic, jalapeno, onion, seasoning, and bacon fat into an oven-safe dish or pan.
- Cover with parchment paper, then foil to create a tight seal.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then open the foil and push the pork down into the now-melted lard and bacon fat.
- Cover again and bake for three and a half more hours. Test for doneness and bake longer if needed.
- Remove the pieces of meat from the cooking liquid and lay out onto a baking sheet.
- Brush the pork pieces with olive oil, then broil for five minutes.
- Flip each piece of pork, then broil again for another minute to two until caramelized. (Be careful not to over cook.)
- Serve in chunks or shred with a fork for serving.
Chef's Tip
Anytime you cook bacon, save the rendered bacon fat in a jar and store it in the refrigerator. Then, you’ll have it on hand for recipes (like this Carnitas recipe) that calls for bacon fat.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use vegetable shortening instead of lard? Yes – but the lard will give the Carnitas the best flavor.
- Can I make the carnitas in a slow cooker? In general yes, but the texture of the pork will be different.
- Can I make carnitas ahead of time? Yes – carnitas reheat very nicely.
- How do reheat carnitas? You can microwave individual portions to heat through, or toss them in a pan on the stove with some of the reserved liquid.
Our Carnitas recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in February 2014. We’ve updated the post and photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same.
You might like these other Pork Recipes
Click here for more delicious Pork Recipes!
Carnitas
Carnitas are bite-sized pieces of pork cooked low & slow in the oven until tender, then caramelized until crispy on the outside.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 – 3 pound pork butt, cut into large pieces at least 2×2 inches in size
- 1 pound lard (if you cannot find lard at your local market, use suet)*See Note
- 1/2 orange, skin on, quartered
- 1 lime, skin on, quartered
- 4 medium garlic cloves, skinned and left whole, slightly smashed
- 1 jalapeno, stemmed and sliced into 1/2 inch rings, seeds left in
- 1 medium yellow onion, skinned and quartered
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup bacon fat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
- In a 9x11x2 casserole dish, or similar volume oven-proof vessel, place cut up pork, lard, orange, lime, garlic, jalapeno, onion, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and bacon fat. Cover with parchment and foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and push pork pieces into melted fat, re-cover and bake for 3 1/2 hours. Test a piece for tenderness and place back into the oven for up to one additional hour.
- Remove from oven and pick out meat with a pair of tongs. Dispose of remaining solids but save the liquid. Separate the fat from the liquid with a fat separator or just skim from the top. Some of the fat will be used to brush on the meat during browning and the liquid will be mixed with the meat if shredding for tacos.
- Place cooked pork pieces on a foil-lined sheet pan that has been brushed with the olive oil. Brush the tops with some of the reserved fat and place under broiler for five minutes. Flip the pork and broil the other side for another minute or two. This step needs to be watched – you want the meat to caramelize without burning it or drying it out.
- Serve in small chunks or shred and serve as tacos in a toasted flour tortilla, or corn tortilla warmed and slightly browned in skillet with a little oil. If shredding, mix with some of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Save the remaining liquid to reheat leftovers.
Notes
*Lard is pork fat and suet is beef fat. Lard is sold in one pound blocks near other oils and fats in a typical market. Suet will be sold as solid pieces in the meat counter. If you only have access to suet, you will need to cook it down first in a heavy pan on the stove top to get liquid fat to use in this recipe.
This looks amazing, but have you tried anything less fattening than lard. I have a wedding dress to fit into in less than 2 months lol. Would some good olive oil work?
Hi Tricia – We haven’t tried olive oil – the lard adds a lot of great flavor to the dish (the meat doesn’t soak up the oil)! But if you do try it – I’d recommend a light olive oil (or even canola oil) rather than extra virgin – the EVOO has such a strong taste that will definitely impact the flavor of the finished dish. Hope that helps!
I use Le Cruset cookware, can I use the cast iron pots with lids instead of foil & parchment paper?
Hi Eleisha – For the carnitas, you really want to use a wide, flatter and more shallow pan so the meat will caramelize. I’d be worried that in a dutch oven for example, the meat toward the bottom of the pan would not cook in the same way. We’d recommend cooking as written in the recipe for the best results.
My mother -in-law who was born and raised in Portugal made pork similar to carnitas called (don’t know correct spelling) but pronounced re joins wish I had gotten the recipe. I’ll have to try this and see if it tastes the same!
I hope you enjoy it Lorraine! Let us know how it compares to your mother-in-law’s recipe!
While this is not an authentic recipe for Carnitas, it is a lot easier and I am definitely going to try it ( with the exception if the jalapeno).
We hope you enjoy the recipe JC!
Which color of onion is used? A white, yellow or red?
Hi Lisa – we used Vidalia but a white onion will work just as well.
Rats! I bought a pork shoulder instead of a pork butt? Think I could substitute the shoulder?
Dying to make this, too Ö
Yes! You should be fine – both cuts are from the shoulder (even though its called pork butt). Hope you enjoy the recipe!
You’re so sweet to answer my plea! Love your website! I truly appreciate all your time, effort and sharing that you both put into it. I emptied my black ink cartridge the day I found your site.
Have a great weekend!!
Thanks Tracy! We’re glad you found us!! Have a great weekend too!
Wow! My second batch is browning in the oven as we speak. I’ve never had true carnitas before but I can’t imagine them tasting any better than this! Absolutely tender yet caramelized goodness means this is an eternal “keeper”.
Thanks, again!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Tracy!
Pork shoulder and pork butt are the same thing. Slow cook by smoking, crock pot, or low heat oven roast.
Thanks Kimberly!
This looks delicious! Making this tomorrow!! Do you add the bacon grease with all the other ingredients before baking?
Hi Stacy – Yes – everything is added to the baking pan.
I have made these twice now, and have bought multiple roasts of pork butt and put them in the freezer specifically for this recipe. I live in San Diego, home of some of the best Mexican food, and have NEVER had carnitas as spectacular as these. This recipe is now a staple in my home. I followed the recipe exactly as it is written. SOOOO easy, even more delicious. And the smell for the five hours it is cooking is divine. I never comment on recipes, but had to for this one. Thank you for sharing this recipe, my family will be forever grateful.
Wow Chelsie!! Thank you so much! You have made both of our days with your kind words – but especially my husband Jack who is so thrilled when our readers love our recipes! Thank you for taking the time to comment!! Martha
Can you cover it with just foil? I don’t have parchment.
Yes – you can use just foil if necessary. The parchment prevents the foil from touching the food at it cooks (the acids from the peppers, etc could make the foil disintegrate) so just be sure that the foil is pulled taut across the pan.
I just read aloud this recipe to my husband. His response”So when you gonna cook it” ! lol
Tomorrow ok with you I said ? lol !
LOL Jeannie! We hope you both enjoy the recipe!
Do you bake it with the whole 1 lb of lard for the 5 hours? Do you just dice it up?
Hi Michelle – Yes – The pork gets cut into cubes and is baked with the lard (which is soft like shortening so you would just measure that out and it will melt). If you are using suet (if lard isn’t available) that would be cut into cubes as well so it will melt quicker. Hope that helps clarify! Let us know if you have any other questions.