These Dutch Oven Carnitas are made EASY and mostly hands-free in the Dutch oven! They are seasoned with authentic Mexican flavors, cooked low and slow until fall-apart tender, then popped under a broiler until perfectly crispy and golden. This carnitas meat makes excellent tacos, burritos, bowls, and more. Plus it's an amazing make-ahead and freezer-friendly dinner!
How many drool emojis are appropriate in one sentence? Because this crispy Pork Carnitas recipe deserves a lot! It's a great recipe that makes the best carnitas.
Our recipe is a slightly adapted version of Cook's Illustrated Mexican Pulled Pork Carnitas Recipe. For more Mexican taco recipes, I suggest these Easy Chicken Tinga Tacos or this Best Ever Taco Marinade.
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What is carnitas meat?
Pork carnitas is a Mexican pulled pork dish that's known for being tender, juicy, and crispy on the edges. Carnitas literally means "little meats" in Spanish, a nod to the small pieces of shredded pork. It is typically made with a fatty, marbled cut of pork, - such as a pork butt or pork shoulder - that is simmered or braised until super tender, then shredded and broiled until golden and crispy.
Why this recipe is the best
- It's moist and juicy, yet delightfully crispy at the same time! You'll want to eat it straight off the pan.
- Pork butt is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat (especially when you can get it on sale). The price makes it great for feeding a crowd but still making something over-the-top delicious.
- Leftover pork carnitas are just as delicious, plus they freeze beautifully. So you can do the work once and make the tastyness last!
Hands-down the best-pulled pork recipe out there.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Russell
Ingredients for Dutch oven carnitas
- Pork butt: The best cut of meat for making pork carnitas is a well-marbled boneless or bone-in pork butt. It gets super tender when cooked on a low heat for a long time. The boneless is faster and easier to cut, but either is fine. They come in a variety of sizes, so feel free to 1.5 or double the recipe if all you can find is a larger size.
- Onion: I prefer a white onion, but yellow will work as well.
- Lime juice: Use freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Oranges: Squeeze the juice fresh, then keep the spent oranges to add more flavor.
- Oregano: You can get Mexican oregano in the Latin or Hispanic aisle at your grocery store.
- Cumin: Ground cumin is a must for flavor.
- Bay leaves: Make sure to remove these before eating.
- Salt and pepper: I recommend kosher salt
- Taco toppings: If you are turning these into tacos, make sure to have tortillas and your favorite taco toppings.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make crispy pork carnitas
- Trim meat: Trim the thick fat cap on the meat to ⅛ inch thick, leaving the rest of the fat. (Yes, it is very fatty… don't worry, we are going to cook the extra fat off later).
- Cut meat: If your meat has a bone, remove it (here is a good video on how to cut the bone out of a pork butt). Last, cut the meat into 2-inch chunks.
- Add to Dutch oven: Add the pork, water, onion, lime juice, orange juice, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and spent orange halves to a large Dutch oven (affiliate) (6.5 qt or larger). Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Cook in the oven: Once simmering, cover pot with lid and cook in oven for 2-3.5 hours, or until the meat is tender and falls apart when prodded with a fork. At the 1 hour mark remove the pot from the oven and flip the pieces of meat, bringing the pieces from the bottom to the top and vice versa.
- Reduce the sauce: Once tender, remove the meat and bay leaves from the pot with a slotted spoon. Cook the remaining cooking liquid on the stove over medium-high heat at a rapid simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened and a rubber spatula leaves a trail when dragged across the bottom of the pot (about 20-25 minutes). You should have about 1 cup of liquid remaining.
- Shred the meat: While the sauce is reducing, use two forks to shred each chunk into 3 pieces (2 pieces if the chunk is small).
- Toss meat and liquids: Toss the shredded meat with the reduced liquids until the meat is well coated. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Broil: Line a baking sheet with foil, then place a wire rack on top of the sheet pan. Spread the meat across the wire rack, then broil on the middle rack in the oven for 4-7 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crispy. Flip the meat and broil again for 4-7 minutes.
How to serve carnitas
Dutch oven carnitas are great served as tacos, taco salad, burritos, burrito bowls, or enchiladas. They're also really tasty on nachos, in chimichangas, and in loaded quesadillas.
Sides for carnitas
Try serving them with this cilantro lime rice, pineapple lime rice, or these refried beans. Then add some of this Pineapple Habanero Salsa or this Street Taco Sauce for a spicy kick.
Toppings for carnitas tacos
If you're serving pork carnitas tacos, here are our favorite toppings.
- Corn tortillas or flour tortillas
- Diced red onions
- Cotija cheese
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapeno slices
- Avocado slices
- Fresh squeeze of lime
- Sour cream, homemade salsa, or pico de gallo
For a crowd
Pork carnitas are simple to serve to a crowd because you can make them ahead or freeze them. See my notes for that in the FAQ section. If you are making a double or triple recipe, you will need a larger Dutch oven or two pots (a 6.5 qt pot will fit a max of 1.5 recipes).
FAQs
The best cut of meat is a well-marbled pork butt (also called a Boston Butt) or pork shoulder. The excess fat keeps the meat tender and adds so much flavor. I would use a boneless pork shoulder or butt if you want to make the process faster.
To make slow cooker pork carnitas, add the ingredients to the Crock Pot, adding only enough water to just cover the meat (it may be different than originally called for). Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or until the meat shreds easily when prodded with a fork.
Discard the bay leaves, then remove the meat and shred it on a cutting board. To reduce the sauce, just pour the liquids from the slow cooker into a pot on the stove and simmer as directed in the recipe card. From this point, continue with the recipe as written.
We find that this recipe works better in a Dutch oven or slow cooker rather than making Instant Pot carnitas.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Pro-tip for reheating: Warm them in a hot cast iron skillet with a tiny drizzle of olive oil to restore the crispy edges!
Definitely! Cook and shred the meat as directed, then reduce the braising liquid. Combine the shredded meat and sauce, but skip the broiling. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, spread the meat onto a wire rack. Heat in a 350° oven until warm (about 10-20 minutes). Once warm, broil as directed to get the edges crispy.
Yes! Cook and shred the meat as directed, then reduce the braising liquid. Combine the shredded meat and sauce, but skip the broiling. Freeze the meat just like that for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter until thaw. Spread on a wire rack as directed and heat in a 350° oven until warm (about 10-20 minutes). Once warm, broil as directed to get the edges crispy.
Tips and tricks
- Cut the cubes of meat into equal sizes so they cook evenly.
- Pork butt rarely comes in exactly the right size… if yours is just a little too large, just add a sprinkle of extra spices and a bit more water until it covers the meat. It doesn't have to be exact - this recipe is very forgiving!
- Make sure to cook the meat until it is truly tender. If it doesn't shred or start falling apart when prodded with a fork you need to cook it longer. Don't worry, it is hard to overcook this meat.
More Mexican inspired recipes
- Green Salsa Verde is fast, easy, and great with carnitas!
- Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Fajitas have that restaurant-style char and amazing flavor!
- Fresh Mango Habanero Salsa is the perfect blend of hot and sweet.
- Our Mexican Marinade makes chicken or steak that you'll want to eat straight off the grill. The only taco marinade we use!
- This Street Taco Salsa has a deep Mexican flavor.
- If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, these Tinga Tacos are incredible!
Recipe
Perfect Dutch Oven Carnitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (3.5-4 lb) boneless pork butt or 5-6 lb bone-in pork butt
- 2 cups water
- 1 onion peeled and halved
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 oranges juiced and spent halves saved
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper plus more to taste
Optional for Tacos
- 18 corn tortillas warmed
- Lime wedges
- Red onion diced
- Cilantro chopped
- Cotija cheese
- Avocado
- Salsa of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°
- Trim and cut the meat: Trim the thick fat cap on the meat to ⅛ inch thick, leaving the rest of the fat. (Yes, it is very fatty… don't worry, we are going to cook the extra fat off later). Remove the bone from the meat if needed, then cut the meat into 2-inch chunks.1 (3.5-4 lb) boneless pork butt
- Add to Dutch Oven: Add the pork, water, onion, lime juice, orange juice, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to a 6.5 qt or larger Dutch oven. Add the spent orange halves on top.2 cups water, 1 onion, 2 tablespoon lime juice, 2 oranges, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Simmer: Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Cook in the oven: Once simmering, cover pot with lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2-3.5 hours, or until the meat is tender and falls apart easily when prodded with a fork. At the 1 hour mark remove the pot from the oven and flip the pieces of meat, bringing the pieces from the bottom to the top and vice versa.
- Reduce the sauce: Once tender, remove the meat from the pot and onto a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Then place the pot with the remaining juices on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, syrupy, and a rubber spatula leaves a trail when dragged across the bottom of the pot (about 20-25 minutes). You should have about 1 cup of liquid remaining.
- Shred the meat: While the sauce is reducing, use two forks to shred each chunk into 3 pieces (2 pieces if the chunk is small).
- Toss meat and liquids: Toss the shredded meat with the reduced liquids until the meat is well coated. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Broil: Line a sheet pan with foil, then place a wire rack on top of the sheet pan. Spread the meat across the wire rack. Then place on the middle rack in the oven and broil for 4-7 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crispy. Flip the meat and broil again for 4-7 minutes.
- Serve: Serve hot with warm tortillas and toppings. Enjoy!18 corn tortillas, Lime wedges, Red onion, Cilantro, Cotija cheese, Avocado, Salsa of choice
Notes
- Cut the cubes of meat into equal sizes so they cook evenly.
- Pork butt rarely comes in exactly the right size… if yours is just a little too large, just add a sprinkle of extra spices and a bit more water until it covers the meat. It doesn't have to be exact - this recipe is very forgiving!
- Make sure to cook the meat until it is truly tender. If it doesn't shred or start falling apart when prodded with a fork you need to cook it longer. Don't worry, it is hard to overcook this meat.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Marc says
Great Recipe. I also really appreciate that you put the pertinent parts of the recipe at the end of each instruction. Saves a lot of scrolling back and forth.
Danielle says
Thanks for letting us know!
Kimmie says
These were fantastic!!! Went a little too far on the shredding, but it was just falling apart I couldn't help it haha. It still broiled fine. I'm so full and so happy.
Misty says
Yay! They taste just as good when they're a little extra shredded 😉
Jonnie says
Leaving the “spent” orange halves on top made the liquid taste bitter and unusable as a sauce. The meat was edible without the sauce but still had a funky flavor.
Misty says
Hi Jonnie, thank you for taking the time to share. Traditional carnitas have that extra citrus flavor, but you are welcome to leave the spent oranges out. Happy cooking!
Jennie says
Great carnita recipe! In addition to all the ingredients, added 3 smashed garlic cloves, 1.5 cinnamon sticks, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Made this easy meal next level!
Danielle says
Thanks so much for letting us know! Sounds delicious!
Russell says
Hands-down the best-pulled pork recipe out there. I sub the sea salt for a smoked chipotle salt & tend to leave my pork in the brine overnight for cooking the next day. I've made this recipe countless times & everyone asks for the recipe. It is spot on.
Misty says
Thank you for taking the time to share! We're so happy you enjoy it. We make this one regularly and truly love it!
Cassie says
Looks delicious! How do you suggest I adapt the recipe for a 4 qt dutch oven?
Danielle says
I do not have much experience with a 4 qt dutch oven, but I imagine that you would need to cut the recipe in half. Other than that I think it should be pretty similar. Just watch the cooking times as those might vary a little bit. If you end up trying it we would love to hear about your experience. Hope that helps!