Learn to make these easy oven carnitas ever so you can have this classic restaurant dish at home with minimal work. You can do this today.
One of our standard restaurant meals is carnitas. If you are unaware of this Mexican classic, they are basically chunks of pork butt cooked with seasoning. Also known as “little meats,” they can be found on the street in Mexico cooking in large vats of lard. Not a good option for us home cooking Yankees.
I have done carnitas multiple ways (never in lard). The most common method that I see recommended is braising chuck of pork butt in a spiced up fluid of some type and then cooking off the liquid either on the stovetop or in an oven. It works nicely but is a fair amount of work and makes a heck of a mess. I have done this a number of times (not published), and it was very tasting. But the work to food ratio was high for me.
My Rating
Low 5 or high 4 range. Much of the fat drains due to the rack, so the “greasy factor” is markedly decreased.
Notes on Oven Pork Carnitas
I needed a really simple technique. And finding a recipe to model was a major problem. The simplest was at instructables.com but I had a few issues. It required flipping, I felt it would probably overcook, and it was not on a rack so the pork would cook in the drained out fat and juice which I wanted to avoid.
My result is simple enough for the average home cook to make. So here, we cut boneless pork butt into chunks, season, spread on a rack, cover and bake for a while in a low oven then uncover for a while, almost everybody can do this. I do suggest a boneless pork butt to simplify by letting the butcher cut the bone out which can be more work than you appreciate.
So the rack will lift the meat out of the rendered fat and improve cooking on all sides without flipping. Here is an example of the top and bottom of the carnitas without any flipping.
Other Carnitas Options
Healthier Pork Carnitas with Pork Tenderloin
Chicken Carnitas AKA Carnitas de Pollo
You can see nice browning on the bottom of the carnitas without flipping.
Lastly, the seasoning of carnitas is highly variable. It can just be salt. There may or may not be citruses like lime or orange. So season to your taste.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees convection or 275 conventional oven.
Prepare a sheet pan with foil and a rack. Give the rack a heavy spray of PAM.
Cut a 3-4 pound boneless pork butt into about 2-inch chunks. Trim big chunks of fat only. You could do bone-in butt but you will just be making your life harder.
Place pork in a large mixing bowl. Add the juice of one lime. Mix well. Add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Change the seasoning if you wish.
Transfer meat to the prepared pan. Distribute evenly but largest chunks in the corners.
Cover with foil.
Roast in preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours. Remove foil and continue to roast about 2 more hours until internal temperature is 195 to 200 on biggest pieces.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Easy Oven Roasted Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds boneless pork butt
- 1 juice of lime
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees convection or 275 conventional oven.
- Prepare a sheet pan with foil and a rack. Give the rack a heavy spray of PAM.
- Cut a 3-4 pound boneless pork butt into about 2-inch chunks. Trim away any big chunks of fat. You could do bone-in butt but you will just be making your life harder.
- Place pork in a large mixing bowl. Add the juice of one lime. Mix well.
- Add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
- Transfer meat to the prepared pan. Distribute evenly but largest chunks in the corners. Cover with foil.
- Roast in preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours. Remove foil and continue to roast about 2 more hours until internal temperature is 195 to 200 on biggest pieces.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Check Out Other Great Recipes
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
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. 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
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
Hi Nanci,
Welcome to the blog.
I think you will enjoy it.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Morgan
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
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
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
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
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
Can you freeze these? A 4 point pork shoulder makes too much for 2. Thank you.
DrDan
Hi Steve,
They should be good refrigerated for 2-3 days and about 2-3 months in a freezer.
Dan
Jennifer
Wonderful and easy to follow recipe. Will make again again. Thank you!
DrDan
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
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