Making pork carnitas is simple. Cut up a pork butt, and coat it with lime and spices. Roast in the oven "low and slow" for perfect crispy and tender carnitas every time.
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Carnitas are standard in every Mexican restaurant. If you are unfamiliar with them, consider them Mexican pulled pork. You can make perfect moist, flavorful, and tender carnitas at home with no greasy mess and almost no work.
It makes wonderful carnitas tacos but has many other uses.
This low-and-slow method is perfect for home cooks using traditional pork butt, which will give the most tender results. With easy prep and 4-5 hours in the oven, you will have perfect results every time.
Serve on tortillas with topping and side dishes of Mexican Rice and Chunky Guacamole. Check out my other carnitas recipes, starting with Crock Pot Pork Carnitas, Healthier Pork Tenderloin Carnitas, and Chicken Carnitas AKA Carnitas de Pollo.
🐖Ingredients
- Pork butt—boneless
- Lime—or lime juice
- Spices—chili powder, cumin, kosher salt, pepper
👨🍳How to Make Carnitas in the Oven
- Trim and cut a pork butt into 2-inch cubes. Place the pork into a large bowl, squeeze a lime over the pork, and add the spices. Stir to coat.
- Place on the coated pork butt on a baking tray with a rack and cover with foil.
- Bake for 2 ½ hours, remove the foil, then bake for about 2 hours more to an internal temperature of 195° to 200° on the biggest pieces.
✔️Tips
- Pork butt and Boston butt are the same. But pork shoulder (AKA picnic shoulder or picnic) is further down the front leg. It is also leaner and is better used as a roast or ham. Many people get the difference confused. For more info, see more at American Test Kitchen.
- Use a boneless pork butt to simplify your life by letting the butcher cut the bone out, which can be more work than you appreciate.
- Use a rack to lift the meat out of the rendered fat and improve cooking on all sides without flipping.
What are Carnitas?
Known as "little meats" and sometimes called Mexican pulled pork, they can be found on the street in Mexico cooking in large vats of lard. Not a good option for us home-cooking Yankees.
The most common home method is braising a chuck of pork butt in a spiced-up fluid of some type and then cooking off the liquid on the stovetop—a major mess. There is almost no mess with baking, and much of the fat drains due to the rack, so the "greasy factor" is markedly decreased.
❓FAQs
The seasoning of carnitas is highly variable. It can just be salt or use lots of other spices and herbs. There may or may not be citruses like lime or orange. So season to your taste.
Carnitas are shredded to serve. These baked carnitas are already browned but cooked in other ways usually require browning by shredding and broiling for a few minutes on a baking sheet.
The most common of the carnitas shredded pork is a taco. It is then topped with typical taco toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese, or cilantro. Or anything you like.
Other users of carnitas shredded pork are burritos, enchiladas, or quesadillas.
❄️Storage and reheating leftovers
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for 3 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. A microwave can be used to reheat small amounts. Otherwise, reheat shredded carnitas on the stovetop or cover them with foil in the oven.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat oven to 250° convection or 275° conventional.
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 pieces of fat only. You could do bone-in butt, but you will make 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, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix to coat.
Transfer meat to the prepared pan. Distribute evenly but the largest chunks in the corners.
Cover with foil.
Roast in the preheated oven for 2 ½ hours. Remove the foil and roast for about 2 more hours until the internal temperature is 195° to 200° on the biggest pieces.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
📖 Recipe
How to Make Carnitas in the Oven
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds boneless pork butt
- 1 juice of lime
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250° convection or 275° conventional.
- 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 pieces of fat only. You could do bone-in butt, but you will make 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, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix to coat.
- Transfer meat to the prepared pan. Distribute evenly but the largest chunks in the corners. Cover with foil.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 2 ½ hours. Remove the foil and roast for about 2 more hours until the internal temperature is 195° to 200° on the biggest pieces.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- The recipe calls for a 3-4 pounds boneless pork butt, but you can use a bigger butt with no problem. A bone-in butt is fine, but just more work.
- It is important to put the thicker pieces of pork to the corners and the outside edge of the tray.
- Time estimates are based on 2 to 2-½-inch chunks. Smaller chunks of pork will cook much faster.
- You can do this without the rack, but the bottom will be set in the fat and drainage.
- Season as you want.
- The final temperature endpoint is the most important part of this recipe. Never cook by time alone.
- Serve with tortillas and toppings of your choice.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published October 1, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
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