Four pounds of pork shoulder patted dry and rubbed with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chilli powder, smoked paprika and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, then set over sliced onion, smashed garlic and optional jalapeño.
Orange juice, lime juice and broth go in with two bay leaves and it cooks eight to ten hours on Low. The pork is shredded, tossed with reduced cooking liquid and finished under a broiler until the edges crisp.
Why This Recipe Works
- A quarter teaspoon of cinnamon in a savoury rub. It is the smallest quantity in the spice mix and the one that makes the difference — warm background against cumin and oregano, at a level you would not identify as cinnamon.
- Half a cup of orange juice and a quarter cup of lime. Citrus is what distinguishes carnitas from any other slow-cooked pork, and the acid works on the shoulder across eight hours.
- The cooking liquid is reduced rather than discarded. Step 4 calls it optional but recommended, and it is the difference between shredded pork that tastes of the pot and shredded pork that tastes of nothing.
- The pork is tossed with the liquid BEFORE it is broiled. Moisture is what lets some of it crisp while the rest stays juicy — dry pork under a broiler just dries further.
- Broiled in two goes with a toss in between. Five to eight minutes, toss, then two to four more, so the pieces that were underneath get their turn at the heat.
- Fat is skimmed but the recipe then offers 'reserved fat' for crisping. Nothing is wasted: it is removed from the liquid where it would be greasy and used where it browns.
Two Machines, In Sequence
This is a long recipe with a very short ending, and the two halves want opposite things: one is wet, covered and slow; the other is dry, open and fierce. The steps divide cleanly between them.
Stage 1 of 5
Season
Steps 1–2 of 7
Seven spices mixed and rubbed over pork patted dry, then layered into the cooker over onion, garlic and jalapeño with bay leaves, orange juice, lime juice and broth.
- Mix and rub the spicesMix the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Pat the pork dry, then rub the spice blend all over the chunks.
- Layer the cookerLayer the onion, garlic and jalapeño if using in the slow cooker. Add the seasoned pork, tuck in the bay leaves and pour in the orange juice, lime juice and broth.
Stage 2 of 5
Braise
Steps 3–3 of 7
Eight to ten hours on Low, or four to five on High, until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Nothing is done to it in this window.
- The long cookCook on LOW for 8–10 hours, or HIGH for 4–5, until the pork is ultra tender and shreds easily with a fork.
Stage 3 of 5
Concentrate
Steps 4–5 of 7
Pork out to a sheet pan, fat skimmed from the liquid, bay leaves discarded and the liquid reduced on the hob for five to ten minutes. The shredded pork is then tossed with half a cup to a cup of it.
- Reduce the liquidTransfer the pork to a sheet pan. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid, discard the bay leaves and reduce the liquid on the stovetop for 5–10 minutes. Optional but recommended.
- Shred and moistenShred the pork and toss with 1/2–1 cup of the reduced cooking liquid to keep it juicy.
Stage 4 of 5
Crisp
Steps 6–6 of 7
Spread on the sheet pan, drizzled with oil or reserved fat, broiled 5–8 minutes, tossed, then 2–4 minutes more until the edges are crispy.
- Broil for the edgesSpread the pork on the sheet pan, drizzle with oil or reserved fat, and broil 5–8 minutes; toss, then broil 2–4 minutes more until the edges are crispy. Alternatively, crisp it in a hot skillet with a splash of oil.
Stage 5 of 5
Serve
Steps 7–7 of 7
With warm tortillas, chopped cilantro, diced onion and lime wedges.
- ServeServe the carnitas with tortillas, cilantro, onion and lime wedges.
How to Make It
Mix and rub the spices
Mix the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Pat the pork dry, then rub the spice blend all over the chunks.
Layer the cooker
Layer the onion, garlic and jalapeño if using in the slow cooker. Add the seasoned pork, tuck in the bay leaves and pour in the orange juice, lime juice and broth.
The long cook
Cook on LOW for 8–10 hours, or HIGH for 4–5, until the pork is ultra tender and shreds easily with a fork.
Reduce the liquid
Transfer the pork to a sheet pan. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid, discard the bay leaves and reduce the liquid on the stovetop for 5–10 minutes. Optional but recommended.
Shred and moisten
Shred the pork and toss with 1/2–1 cup of the reduced cooking liquid to keep it juicy.
Broil for the edges
Spread the pork on the sheet pan, drizzle with oil or reserved fat, and broil 5–8 minutes; toss, then broil 2–4 minutes more until the edges are crispy. Alternatively, crisp it in a hot skillet with a splash of oil.
Serve
Serve the carnitas with tortillas, cilantro, onion and lime wedges.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless pork shoulder (pork butt), cut into large chunks
- Four pounds, excess fat trimmed. Large chunks rather than a whole piece — more surface for the rub and faster, more even cooking.
- Fresh orange juice
- Half a cup, about one to two oranges. Fresh is specified; the recipe measures it by juice and tells you roughly how many fruit that is.
- Ground cinnamon
- A quarter teaspoon in a rub that otherwise runs to teaspoons. It is deliberately small and it is doing background work rather than announcing itself.
- Bay leaves
- Two, tucked in and then discarded at step 4 before the liquid is reduced.
- Neutral oil or reserved fat (for crisping)
- One to two tablespoons at the broiling stage only. The reserved fat is the fat skimmed off the cooking liquid a step earlier.
- Jalapeño, seeded and sliced (optional)
- One, seeded. It goes in under the pork for the whole cook, so it flavours the braise rather than adding sharp heat at the end.
Success Tips
- Pat the shoulder dry so the rub sticks to meat rather than moisture.
- Cut the shoulder into large chunks rather than leaving it whole.
- Do the reduction — it is what puts the citrus back into the shredded pork.
- Toss the pork with liquid before it goes under the broiler, not after.
- Watch the broiler through the second stint; two minutes is the whole margin.
Serving Ideas
Warm corn or flour tortillas, chopped coriander, diced onion and lime wedges — the recipe lists all four for serving. Ten servings is a lot of pork, so a bowl of each on the table is the way it is meant to be eaten.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, with any remaining reduced liquid poured over it.
Freeze
Freeze the shredded pork with some of its liquid for up to 3 months. Crisp it under the broiler after reheating rather than before freezing.
Reheat
Reheat in a hot skillet with a splash of oil, which is the recipe's own alternative to the broiler. It re-crisps and reheats in the same move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip the broiling?
You would have tender shredded pork rather than carnitas. The crisp edges are half of what the recipe is named for, and step 6 offers a hot skillet if you would rather not use the broiler.
Can I cook it on High?
The recipe gives 4 to 5 hours on High as an alternative to 8 to 10 on Low. The test is the same either way: it shreds easily with a fork.
Can I use a leaner cut?
The recipe specifies pork shoulder or butt. A lean cut given eight hours has nothing to render and comes out dry rather than tender.
Is reducing the liquid really necessary?
The recipe marks it optional but recommended. It is what carries the citrus and spice back into the shredded meat before it is crisped.
