No deep fryer. No lard. No slow cooker. Just a pork butt, a few pantry spices, a bit of citrus, and your oven doing all the work.
You don’t need fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients. If you’ve got a baking tray, some foil, and a good appetite, you’re already halfway there. Let’s make it happen.
These pork carnitas bake in the oven until fall-apart tender, then crisp for that authentic Mexican pulled pork texture. Just like your favorite Mexican restaurant, but without the mess.
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Featured Comment by PacifiCoast:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
" I've tried many ways of making Carnitas, pulled pork, pork shoulder, whatever you want to call it……THIS IS IT!!!!!!!!!! This no fail recipe has given me the keys to the kingdom"
🧡 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Carnitas = Mexican pulled pork with crispy edges: The name means “little meats.” Think juicy, shredded pork with golden crusty bits—made easy in the oven.
- Big flavor, simple ingredients: Just pork butt, pantry spices, and a splash of citrus. That’s it.
- Made for real home kitchens: No fryer, no smoker, no mess. Just your oven and a sheet pan.
- Versatile for tacos, bowls, burritos, or more: Make a batch and reinvent it all week. It plays nice with just about anything.
- Step-by-step help for beginners: Walks you through every step so you can cook with confidence—even on your first try.
🐖Ingredients for Baked Pork Carnitas
🐖 Pork Butt
Pork butt and Boston butt are the same cut—well-marbled and perfect for shredding. Pork shoulder (also called picnic shoulder) comes from lower on the front leg. It’s leaner and better suited for roasting or smoking, not carnitas.
✅ Pro Tip: Choose boneless pork butt if you can. It saves trimming time and avoids the wrestling match with a bone.
🥣 Seasoning
Carnitas seasoning can range from just salt to a long list of spices and herbs. To keep things more traditional—and beginner-friendly—I use a simple mix of chili powder, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and a little garlic powder.
A splash of lime or orange juice adds brightness and helps balance the richness of the pork. Both are common in authentic carnitas, so use what you have.
👨🍳Quick Overview: How to Make Carnitas in the Oven
1. Preparing the pork and seasoning
Trim and cut the pork butt into large chunks—about 2 inches. Toss with lime (or orange) juice and the seasoning blend.
2. Arrange in the pan
Place the pork on a foil-lined baking tray. A rack helps with crisping and drainage, but isn’t required. Cover tightly with foil.
3. Low and slow bake
Bake at 250° convection (or 275° conventional) for 2½ hours. Then remove the foil and roast uncovered for about 2 more hours, until the biggest chunks reach 200° to 205°. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then shred and serve.
For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
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🍽️ Serving Pork Carnitas
Carnitas are incredibly versatile—think of them as Mexican pulled pork with crispy bits. Once cooked, shred the pork and serve it hot.
- Taco night? Load it into warm tortillas with your favorite toppings for classic carnitas tacos.
- Other ideas: Use it in burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or taco bowls. It’s also great over nachos or in a rice or salad bowl—my personal go-to.
- Serve with: Chips and salsa, refried beans, or Mexican rice to round out the meal.
🔥 Flavor Upgrades for Crispy Oven Carnitas
For crispier edges
After shredding, spread the pork on a sheet pan and broil for 3–5 minutes. Watch closely—those golden bits happen fast.
Need more moisture or flavor?
Toss the shredded pork with a little broth, pan juices, or even salsa verde before serving. It’s a great way to adjust texture and taste for leftovers too.
👍 More Carnitas Recipes to Try
Love carnitas? Here are a few more easy versions to add to your rotation:
- Crock Pot Pork Carnitas – Same great flavor with slow cooker convenience.
- Healthier Pork Tenderloin Carnitas – A leaner twist that still hits all the right notes.
- Chicken Carnitas AKA Carnitas de Pollo – Faster, lighter, and still packed with flavor.
Each one is beginner-friendly and perfect for tacos, burritos, bowls, or meal prep.
❄️Make Ahead, Storage & Reheating
Carnitas are perfect for make-ahead meals. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months.
✅ Pro Tip: Shred the pork and let it cool completely before freezing—makes reheating easier and more even.
🔥 Reheating
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen.
- For small portions, microwave with a damp paper towel to prevent drying out.
- For larger amounts, reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the oven at 300°F until hot.
- To re-crisp, spread on a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes.
❓FAQs
These baked carnitas get moderately crispy as they roast uncovered. For even more crispy bits, shred the pork, spread it on a baking sheet, and broil for 3–5 minutes until the edges are browned and crackly.
Start with the right cut—pork butt has the fat needed to stay moist. Also, use a thermometer and cook to 200° to 205°F, not by time alone.
For dry leftovers, add a splash of broth, cover with foil, and heat at 250°F until warmed through. Then uncover and broil briefly to re-crisp.
A rack helps the fat drain off and allows even cooking without flipping. But it’s optional. If you skip the rack, just flip the carnitas chunks when you remove the foil halfway through cooking.
Carnitas are often called “Mexican pulled pork.” They’re cooked low and slow until tender, then crisped for texture — unlike BBQ pulled pork, they aren’t smoky or saucy.
Carnitas means “little meats” in Spanish. It’s a traditional Mexican dish made from pork that’s cooked low and slow until tender, then crisped up for texture. It’s sometimes called Mexican pulled por, but unlike BBQ, it’s not smoky or saucy.
Traditionally, carnitas are cooked in big vats of lard—not exactly practical (or desirable) for home cooks. A common home method is braising the pork in liquid, then simmering it down on the stovetop. That works, but it’s messy.
This oven method keeps things simple and skips the grease. The rack lets fat drain away, and the final uncovered roast gives you those crispy edges without the stovetop splatter.
📖The Recipe Card
Pork Carnitas in the Oven – Juicy, Tender, and Crispy
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 3–4 pounds pork butt
- 1 juice of lime - or orange
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoons garlic powder - optional but recommend
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250° convection or 275° conventional.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Add a rack and spray it well with PAM. A rack is optional but recommended.
Preparing the pork and seasoning
- Cut the pork butt into 2-inch chunks, trimming only large fat pieces. Bone-in works but requires more trimming.
- In a large bowl, coat the pork with the juice of one lime ( or orange) and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional), 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix to coat evenly.
Arrange in the pan
- Place the pork on the prepared pan, spacing chunks evenly—put the largest pieces near the corners. Cover tightly with foil.
Low and slow bake
- Bake for 2½ hours. Remove the foil and continue roasting for about 2 more hours, until the internal temperature of the largest pieces reaches 200°–205°F. Note: If you are not using a rack, you should flip the pork when removing the foil cover.
Rest and serve
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- The recipe calls for a 3–4 pounds pork butt, but you can use a bigger butt with no problem. Boneless pork butt is easier to work with, but bone-in will work too.
- Thicker chunks belong near the tray corners—they cook more slowly.
- Time estimates are based on 2–2½-inch chunks of pork. Smaller chunks will cook much faster.
- The rack helps drain fat and promotes better crisping. Optional, but worth it.
- The final temperature endpoint is the most important part of this recipe. Never cook by time alone.
- Use carnitas in tacos, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, or salads.
❄️ Storage
Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for 3–4 months. Shred and cool completely before freezing.♨️ Reheating
Microwave smaller portions with a damp paper towel.For larger portions, use a skillet or 300°F oven.
Want crispiness back? Spread on a sheet pan and broil briefly. The nutrition information on this recipe is variable due to the nature of pork butt.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published October 1, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
MissyG says
Best Carnitas (pulled pork) I have ever made. I used the prep instructions and ingredients in this recipe and used Dr Dan’s oven roasting instruction for his pulled pork post which actually isn’t a whole lot different than what’s here.
My cut pork butt chunks were about 2 ½“ x 2” due to the size of my roast and I did the lime juice and seasoning thing mixed in a bowl, covered it and let it “brine” in the fridge overnight. I put them on a rack over a baking sheet (meat still cold as I had to leave the house right away) right before placing them in a cold oven set at 250°F Convection. I should disclose that the actual oven temp was at about 225°F as my oven automatically drops the temp 25° when the convection option is chosen.
It took only 3 hrs and 50 min to come to 200-203° and was perfect! The pork cubes had a beautiful crust on the outside and was just right in texture, fat, moisture, and flavor on the inside. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Once they came to temp, I let them sit uncovered in the oven with the door cracked open for 1 ½ hours before shredding. I didn’t wrap them because I personally wanted the crust to remain as is and not get soft or soggy. That’s just my personal preference though. If you want all of the meat soft than wrap them.
When shredding they had that authentic shredded chunk with crust effect that I was after. Again, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks DrDan for such a great and simple recipe. This is going in my personal recipe catalog for sure!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi MissyG,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm glad I could provide you a roadmap to get some great carnitas. I do love crusty carnitas but our restraints have great tasting carnitas but not much crust. Great job there.
Thanks for the note and rating. And an extra big thank you for giving detailed instructions for other reader.
Dan
MissyG says
I just realized I goofed on the roasting instructions because I was in such a hurry to leave the house this morning. I did a cold oven instead of preheated as well as not adjusting my Convection oven temperature up 25°. So, even though I loved the outcome of what I did today, I’m excited to try it the right way next time that DrDan has listed. Maybe it will be even that much better
PacifiCoast says
I've tried many ways of making Carnitas, pulled pork, pork shoulder, whatever you want to call it......THIS IS IT!!!!!!!!!!
This no fail recipe has given me the keys to the kingdom. I am now the master of pulled pork sandwiches and other things pork-licious. No more nights of salivating over the pork that I've tasted in other places, NO; this is the one.
Thank you, very much, for sharing!
Nanci B says
I have been looking and looking for this recipe. Trying it this weekend. I will let you know how it goes, but I have looked at enough recipes to know......This is it!!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Nanci,
Welcome to the blog.
I think you will enjoy it.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Morgan says
Made this for me and my husband earlier tonight. It came out absolutely amazing! I had a 4.5 lb pork butt and added more spices accordingly. Even the piece I sliced much thinner than the other ones came out nice and juicy.
I put the carnitas on toasted Hawaiian burger buns with spicy homemade coleslaw, some salsa verde, and melted colby jack cheese. Delicious sandwiches to prep in advance for the work week.
Thanks for posting, will be sure to use this for years to come.
DrDan says
Hi Morgan,
Welcome to the blog.
I seem to always do "good" with pork butt. But I think it is a meat that just comes out great as long as you do the "low and slow" think. I usually order carnitas in Mexican restraints but this is a good substitute.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Elizabeth says
I did this, it was heavenly. I used a quarter cup red wine and juice from one lime, overnight then drained right before it went in the oven. I'm definitely doing it again.
Emeline says
Hello can i use pork cushion instead of the pork butt and please please i like the recipe for pozole but no corn T hanks love your site!!!!!!! keep it up great !!!!
DrDan says
Hi Emeline,
Welcome to the blog.
Pork cushion is a triangular muscle that is considered by some to be part of the pork butt. It is in mamy ways simular to what most think of as pork butt. I have never used it since it is just not commonly avalible around here. But it should cook about the same so I'm 95% sure it would be great.
I will look into pozole recipes... but no promises.
Thanks for the note and suggestion.
Dan
Steve says
Can you freeze these? A 4 point pork shoulder makes too much for 2. Thank you.
DrDan says
Hi Steve,
They should be good refrigerated for 2-3 days and about 2-3 months in a freezer.
Dan
Jennifer says
Wonderful and easy to follow recipe. Will make again again. Thank you!
DrDan says
Hi Jennifer,
First, sorry for the delayed reply.
I love carnitas. I have note really understood why this recipe isn't more popular but I'm glad you found it and enjoyed it.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Gus Chavez says
Thank you for this beautiful dish I just made it today it was
a delicious dish. will be making it again and again tks again