Smoked Pork Carnitas
On February 13, 2024 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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These Smoked Pork Carnitas are a delicious, non-traditional way to enjoy carnitas. The slow smoke makes for a rich, melt in your mouth pork with crispy edges. Hop on this pork train and enjoy some great Mexican inspired flavors in the rub with a kiss of heat and a kiss of sweetness.
Can You Make Carnitas from Smoked Pork?
Heck yes you can. While smoking carnitas is not authentic, I still wanted to take those traditional flavors and add a kiss of wood smoke for something unique and delicious.
Traditional carnitas are braised in oil, low and slow, until the pork is fall-apart tender. We get the same results for this recipe by smoking low and slow and then doing a foiled braise. The seasoning blend includes a lot of traditional seasonings mixed in so we still get that classic carnitas flavor.
Finally, crisping the pork in fat is a super crucial last step. It gives you the coveted crispy edges and caramelized flavor that makes carnitas so darn craveable. Don’t leave this step out. It’s worth the extra time and effort to get the pork just right.
Smoked Pork Carnitas
Ever since I posted my recipe and video for Smoked Chile Verde, Todd has been on my case to smoke up some pork carnitas. I finally gave in to the pressure and created this recipe for smoked pork carnitas. This meal has Mexican-inspired flavors in the rub with a kiss of heat and a kiss of sweetness. It’s the perfect balance of flavors, and you’ll find it extremely family-friendly. We ate it for dinner that first night and shredded the meat for tacos. The next day we pulled it out and tossed leftovers on some homemade nachos. Everyone in the family loved this, and you’ll get a good amount of food for your buck.
Smoked Pork Marinade
The magic to these carnitas comes from the marinade. And luck for you, it only calls for 4 ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for the marinade:
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoons coarse kosher salt
- 2 limes, sliced in half and juiced
- 1 orange, sliced in half and juiced
Simply place the pork in a gallon-sized zip top bag, add the remaining ingredients, and allow the pork to marinate in the refrigerator overnight (around 12 hours).
Tips for Making Carnitas
So you’re ready to make your own delicious pork carnitas, eh? Well then, take a quick peek at these tips to ensure your meat comes out tasting completely divine.
- Crisp in batches. If you have more pork than you need, do the last crisping step in batches. Save the rest of the shredded pork and liquid/fat and crisp up right before serving. This is a great way to reheat it and the crisp edges are fresh and hot every time you want to eat.
- Keep dishes to a minimum. Braise in either a 12″ cast iron skillet or aluminum foil pans. I used foil pans because that’s what I had, but cast iron works great as well.
- Reserve the cooking liquid. You’ll use the oil on top to crisp the meat and the juices underneath to keep it moist and flavorful.
How to Make Pork for Tacos
- Marinate. Place the pork shoulder in a large zip top bag and sprinkle on all sides with kosher salt, then pour over the orange and lime juice. Place the orange and lime rinds in the container with the pork, and then let it marinate for a good 12 hours to let all those flavors soak into the pork.
- Season and smoke pork. Preheat your smoke to 225 degrees F. Remove your pork from the marinade and pat it dry. Combine all of the ingredients for the pork seasoning in a small bowl. Drizzle the pork shoulder with cooking oil and then season the pork on all sides with the dry rub. Smoke with the lid closed for 5-6 hours, until the internal temperature of the shoulder reads about 165 degrees F.
- Braise pork. Transfer pork shoulder to an aluminum pan and pour vegetable oil on in, then place bay leaves and cover with foil. Increase your smoker to 350 degrees F. Place covered pork, close the lid, and smoke until your pork reaches 203 degrees F, about 3-4 hours.
- Rest and shred. Rest the meat at room temperature for at least an hour before shredding. Shred the meat and remove the large bone and any fat or gristle and discard the bay leaves. Save any liquid for the next step.
- Crisp pork. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Use a spoon to separate the oil and fat from the pan drippings. Drizzle the skillet with the saved cooking fats. Place the shredded pork into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping pieces occasionally to ensure even browning.
- Enjoy. Serve immediately in tacos or burritos, on nachos, or plain. Drizzle more of the reserved cooking liquid, as desired.
More Tasty Pork Recipes
Oh baby, I love me some smoked pork. If you find yourself looking for some tasty smoked pork to make this week, look no further than these other popular recipes from Hey Grill Hey:
Smoked Pork Carnitas Recipe
Now that you can smoke carnitas like a pro, you can have delicious tacos anytime. Make sure to check out the Hey Grill Hey app for over 500 more amazing BBQ recipes just like this one. They’re all ready for you to try with easy, step-by-step instructions, and many even have how-to videos. Download it now and get started.
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Smoked Pork Carnitas
Video
Ingredients
- 1 7-9 pound bone-in pork shoulder (AKA Boston butt)
Marinade
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 lime sliced in half and juiced
- 1 oranges sliced in half and juiced
Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Braise
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Marinate the pork. Place the pork shoulder in a large zip top bag or other food-safe container. Coat with cooking oil and sprinkle the shoulder on all sides with kosher salt and pour over the orange and lime juice. Place the orange and lime rinds in the container with the pork and refrigerate for 12 hours (typically overnight).1 7-9 pound bone-in pork shoulder (AKA Boston butt), 1 Tablespoon coarse kosher salt, 2 lime, 1 oranges, 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- Preheat the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F with your favorite hardwood. I recommend pecan or oak for this recipe.
- Season the pork shoulder. Remove your pork from the marinade and pat dry. Combine all of the ingredients for the pork seasoning in a small bowl. Drizzle the pork shoulder with the 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil and spread all around. Season the pork on all sides with the dry rub.1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, ½ teaspoon chipotle powder, ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Smoke. Place the pork shoulder on the smoker and close the lid. Smoke for approximately 5-6 hours, or until the internal temperature of the shoulder reads about 165 degrees F.
- Prep to braise. Transfer the pork shoulder to an aluminum pan and pour the ½ cup of vegetable oil over the top. Place the bay leaves on top and cover tightly with foil.2 bay leaves, ½ cup vegetable oil
- Braise the pork. Increase the heat on your smoker to 350 degrees F (this step can also be completed in the oven) and put the covered pan inside and close the lid. Allow to cook for an additional 3-4 hours or until the pork shoulder reaches an internal temperature of 203 degrees, or your thermometer probe slides into the meat like it is sliding into softened butter.
- Rest and shred. Rest the meat at room temperature for at least an hour before shredding. Shred the meat and remove the large bone and any fat or gristle and discard the bay leaves. There will likely be a lot of liquid in the aluminum pan, do not discard this liquid! It is delicious and you’ll need it in the next step.
- Crisp the pork. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Use a spoon (or fat separator) to separate the oil and fat from the pan drippings. Drizzle the skillet with 1-2 Tablespoons of the cooking fats. Place the shredded pork into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping pieces occasionally to ensure even browning.
- Serve and enjoy. Serve immediately in tacos or burritos, on nachos, or plain! I recommend having the reserved cooking liquid on the side to drizzle on, as desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used this recipe for a cinco de mayo party and everyone loved the carnitas. Rave reviews by all.
Best pork I’ve ever done. Period.
How does braising in the oven turn out? I have made this a few times with smoker only but am also smoking a brisket tomorrow and wont be cranking up the temperature that high so I need to put in oven.
It still works great in the oven. You just lose some of that smoky goodness.
This made some of the best carnitas our family has ever had. Great recipe, and really easy. I did use an alternative technique to crisp up the carnitas at the end, though. Another recipe for carnitas I’ve tried had you crisp them under the broiler in your oven. I lined a baking sheet with foil, added a layer of carnitas drizzled with the drippings, and moved an oven rack just a few inches under the top heating element of my oven. I turned the broiler to high and left them in for about 8 minutes, which nicely crisped the meat.
The 1x recipe suggests 16 serves. Are we talking 16 tacos worth, or more like 30+ tacos worth? I’m sure this is an obvious question after you’ve done it once!
Yes, you’ll get about 16 tacos worth of carnitas with the recipe as written.
Can this recipe be made ahead? My event is on a Saturday, can it be be cooked on a Thursday?
Absolutely. You can cook the pork completely, then crisp it up the day of your event.
I making this for the second time because my over the top hoity chef neighbor tasted it…slowly turned his head to me and said “this is it. You’ve done it” and I slept well that night with a full belly, happy family and impressed hoity mc hoiterson 😉
I made this recipe for my husband’s birthday party and it was a HIT!! I’m going to make this again, however my 5lb pork butt is frozen, I’m wondering if I could start the marinating process with it frozen?
I would let it thaw completely first so all the pork meat can absorb the marinade.
Great Recipe!!. I actually skipped the marinade (because I forgot), and used all of the rub on a 4.5lb butt. The rest of the directions I followed cloaely and it came out seasoned perfectly. I also smoked it on a rack with a pan with Orange slices under to catch the goodness dripping off to get a real nice bark before covering to braise. Can’t wait to make again and again and again…