Making Pork Loin Carnitas is a great way to use up a pork loin. The leaner cut of meat gets fall-apart tender in a spicy and savory braising liquid.
What Are Carnitas?
I love any kind of pulled pork. And carnitas are no exception. Carnitas are a Mexican dish made up of braised and pulled pork with some spices. Traditional carnitas are actually braised in lard, but I use a mixture of oil, broth, citrus, and chipotles for an incredible flavor.
Most typically, people use pork shoulder to make carnitas because of the fat content. Pork loin comes from the side of the rib and is much learner than a pork shoulder. I love to roast pork loin, but I really like using it for carnitas because you get a meatier texture and lean meat.
Making Pork Loin Carnitas
Because pork loin has less fat than pork shoulder, I make sure to sear the meat well to lock in moisture and add plenty of braising liquid to the pork so that it gets fall-apart tender and has plenty of juice to soak up.
Speaking of braising, this simply means that you sear a piece of meat, add liquid to the searing pot, and the meat finishes cooking in the liquid. With larger cuts of meat, like pork loin, the pot is often covered and placed in a preheated oven to finish the cooking process. This is what I do with the carnitas.
The pork loin is seared in oil and then I add chicken stock, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, and a whole can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the pot. I cover the pot and place it into my oven which has been preheated to 350°F. The pork braises in the chipotle flavored liquid for 2-3 hours, or until tender.
After the meat is able to be shredded with two forks, I sometimes stop there. But, if I want more texture, I spread the meat out onto a sheet pan and place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to get crispy.
The carnitas meat is great in tacos, on taco salad, in a burrito, or even in quesadillas. How will you enjoy your pork carnitas?
Podcast Episode About Making Pork Loin Carnitas
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make these carnitas, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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Pork Loin Carnitas Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Braised
- Cuisine: Mexican
DESCRIPTION
Making Pork Loin Carnitas is a great way to use up a pork loin. The leaner cut of meat gets fall-apart tender in a spicy and savory braising liquid.
Ingredients
- 3 lb. pork loin
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 orange, juiced*
- 1 lime, juiced**
- 7 oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Season the pork all over with the salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over a burner turned to medium-high heat.
- Sear the pork loin on each side, about 4 minutes per side, until a crust has formed.
- Turn the burner off and add the stock, orange juice, lime juice, and the can of chipotles to the Dutch oven, or transfer the seared loin to a casserole dish and top with the ingredients listed above. Roll the pork around in the mixture.
- Place the lid on the Dutch oven, or cover the casserole dish with foil, and place in the preheated oven. Cook until pork is tender enough to be pulled apart with a fork, about 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Remove the pork from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Add as much liquid from the pot as you’d like.
- Taste and add salt and pepper if desired, but I often find that the canned chipotles add enough seasoning.
- If crispy carnitas are desired, spread the pork out on to a sheet pan and turn the oven to high broil. Broil about 6 inches from the heat elements, until edges of the meat start to crisp and brown, about 2-3 minutes but watch carefully so the pork doesn’t burn. Stir the pork and then broil for another couple of minutes.
- Serve in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or on taco salad.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*That’s about 1/3 of a cup of orange juice.
**That’s about 2 tablespoons of lime juice.
Great recipe! Made it last night, will be freezing some and leftovers today. Question on the liquid, since I have more than needed, do you have other recipe ideas, it is very tasty,
Thanks for the excellent recipe,
Ken, So happy you liked this recipe! For the extra liquid, you could try using it as the broth for a gravy-like sauce, and then freeze it and use it on chicken or pork. I would try something like this https://cookthestory.com/easy-gravy-without-drippings/ but then no need to sauté any veggies, even the onion. Just melt the butter and add the flour to it. Then use the pork carnitas liquid in place of the white wine and stock. If you don’t have enough liquid, make up the difference with white wine and/or stock.
If you were to forget to cover the pork before you stick it in the oven, would that be detrimental to the dish? What should you do if this is the case?
Mila, I’m sorry for the delay. I think I’m too late to help you. For the pork loin, it does really need to be covered to keep in the moisture since it’s such a lean/dry cut of meat to start with. However, if you have already done it, then what I would do is to add more liquid (like chicken stock) to the shredded meat and then simmer that for a bit. It will help moisten it up.
Hoing to try this, thanks!
You forgot the word ‘oven’ on step 6
Thanks for pointing that out, Peter! Enjoy. :)
Wanting to make this ahead of time. Do you think it would freeze well for 4 days?
Also, you used pork loin not pork shoulder right? Loin has virtually no fat.
Appreciate your opinion
Laura, my preference is to actually use Boston butt for carnitas. The reason this one uses loin is because a reader had requested a recipe for carnitas using pork loin.
To use the juicier Boston butt, use a boneless roast and then you will follow the same instructions but cook it for longer. It will need about 40 minutes per pound. You want the internal temperature to get up to 180°F or even 200°F. That makes it extra tender and shreddable. As to freezing, the Boston butt will freeze better than the loin will. The juiciness protects it. Having said that, if it’s just a few days, I think it will be good.
I love this recipe I always come back to it
I’m so happy to hear that, Esly!
Amazing flavor! I made this for pork enchiladas. My family absolutely loved it! The sauce gives the shredded meat a delightful boost. This is a must have in your recipe box!
Amazing flavor! I made this for pork enchiladas. My family absolutely loved it! The sauce gives the shredded meat a delightful boost. This is a must have in your recipe box!
That sounds amazing, Julie! Thanks for taking time to comment.
I made this for me and my roommate about 3 weeks ago. We loved it so much that I am making it again tonight–except this time it is for our church fellowship–so I’m making a 9.25 lb pork loin–triple this recipe. I also make my own mexican pico de gallo to go with it. 100% recommend–very easy to do. Definitely pour the sauce over the meat after shredding, and definitely put it on to broil for a couple of minutes afterwards.
That’s wonderful, Joseph! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how it worked out for you.
The.broiler idea was genius Christine and it made that crispy texture on the pork. Love your podcast keep it up with the awesome recipes!
I really appreciate it, Gregory! Thank you for listening and commenting on the recipe. :)
Made it several times now and it is a staple in the household. Definately recommend this recipe for anyone who loves food.
Thanks so much, Alex! Happy to hear you’ve made it multiple times.
I’m making it now for the 4th time. I’m tripling the recipe and my Dutch oven is barely big enough to sear the pork. The last time I made it, I gave it all away. Everyone wants some, it’s that good.
Wow, I guess it’s time for a second Dutch oven, Kelly! Haha. I’m so glad that it’s such a hit and that you’re nice enough to share. :)
This is the best taco meat ever. I HAD NEVER TRIED CHIPOTLE PEPPERS IN ADOBO SAUCE BEFORE. INVEST IN THE DUTCH OVEN, YOU WILL BE MAKING THIS OVER.AND OVER AGAIN.
Thank you, Kelly! You’ll see chipotle in adobo pop up in a variety of my recipes, they add such a wonderful depth of flavor. Love that you want to make this over and over! :)
Simple ingredients and Delicious!
Thank you so much, Tricia!
So easy to put together, and my family loved it! I will be making this many times, I already know it.
That’s wonderful, Chelsea! Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment.
Great recipe as is. My wife isn’t a big fan of chipotle, so the 2nd time we made I omitted that at substituted with a half cup of tomato sauce and some paprika, cumin, and coriander. After removing the seared pork from the pan, I sauteed a half onion and a couple garlic cloves in the in the remaining oil and added that to the dutch oven with the rest of the ingredients.
I’m making it for a fourth time today. I rubbed the roast in Paprika, Cumin, Coriander, and Adobo before searing. I also deleted the tomato sauce and diced up three small canned tomatoes instead. I’m sure it will be as good as the first three times we made it. It was a big hit at an outdoor potluck we had in our neighborhood a few weeks ago.
I’m so glad it’s been such a hit, Andrew! Thanks for sharing your variations with us as well.
Thank you for the pork loin recipe- have you made pork loin carnitas in an instant pot?
You’re welcome, Dianne! We have Instant Pot Carnitas here – https://cookthestory.com/instant-pot-pork-carnitas/ – using pork shoulder. Enjoy!