This Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl recipe is full of delicious, Mexican-inspired pulled pork! It’s easy to make, uses a dutch oven instead of a slow cooker, and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients. The pork is melt-in-your mouth tender and so flavorful. Pair it with a simple slaw and roasted sweet potato for the perfect healthy dinner.
Okay, in today’s economy I am all about figuring out how to reduce my grocery bill. And I think pork low-key flies under the radar in this sense. At my local grocery store, the pork shoulder is like $3 per pound! So you can get all the meat needed for this dutch oven carnitas recipe for just about $12…and it will make a TON of servings.
But obviously we’re not making food just because it’s cheap. It has to taste good too! And let me assure you, this dutch oven carnitas recipe is bursting with Mexican spices and it’s quite literally addicting.
When I first set out to make carnitas at home a few months ago, I was worried because every recipe I saw on the internet called for a slow cooker / crockpot. Well, believe it or not, I don’t own one of those! So, I decided to make it in my dutch oven instead. And it turned out perfect. Which just goes to show, you don’t need any special equipment to make really delicious carnitas.
This recipe may seem intimidating because it takes quite a while to prepare, but I promise you can do it! And, most of the time is passive, so you can just let it braise in the oven while you do other things. Plus, it’ll feel so rewarding by the end when you’re devouring a restaurant-worthy dish and have a bunch of leftovers to enjoy throughout the week.
Why You’ll Love this Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl Recipe
- This is an easy, approachable carnitas recipe for the average home cook!
- You don’t need any fancy ingredients or special equipment.
- This carnitas recipe can be made in the dutch oven instead of a slow cooker.
- It yields perfectly tender, extremely flavorful and crispy carnitas!
- You will love the combination of carnitas with the Mexican-inspired slaw and sweet potatoes.
- Pork is an incredibly affordable meat.
- This is a healthy, well-rounded dinner for special occasions.
What You Need to Make this Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl Recipe
For the Dutch Oven Carnitas:
- Avocado Oil: Make sure to use a high-smoke point oil for searing the pork!
- Pork Shoulder: This is a heavily marbled cut of pork and you will sometimes see it referred to as Boston Butt, Picnic Shoulder, Shoulder Roast, etc. I could only find bone-in, so I bought that and simply cut off the bone. But boneless works great too if you can find it!
- Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: This is a heavily-seasoned, slightly spicy, carnitas recipe. If you want it to be more mild, simply reduce the amount of chili powder.
- Yellow Onion: 1 large yellow onion, sliced.
- Garlic: Lots of fresh minced garlic of course.
- Beef Broth: The pork gets braised in beef broth instead of lard for a lighter option. Feel free to use chicken broth, veggie broth or whatever you have on hand.
- Orange Juice: The acidity of the orange juice actually helps the meat to break down and become fall-apart tender. Plus it adds a hint of sweetness! Definitely opt for fresh squeezed, from about 2 oranges.
- Lime Juice: The acidity from the lime juice has the same effect as the orange juice, and it adds a bit of tangy flavor.
- Bay Leaves: This won’t make or break the recipe, but it does add some depth of flavor so definitely add one if you have it!
For the Slaw:
- Red Cabbage: If you’d rather not buy a head of cabbage, you can instead get a package or two of coleslaw mix.
- Cilantro: This is a Mexican-inspired slaw after all, so of course we need to jazz it up with some fresh cilantro!
- Red Onion: Feel free to rinse the red onion under water, or use shallot instead, if you prefer a milder flavor.
- Lime: The fresh lime juice pairs so well with the cilantro.
- Jalapeño: This is optional, but adding a de-seeded jalapeño adds a nice depth of flavor and a small amount of spice.
- Greek Yogurt: To bring the slaw together you can either use plain full-fat greek yogurt or mayo for a dairy free option.
- Kosher Salt: Season to taste.
For the Air Fried Sweet Potato:
- Sweet Potato: Peel your sweet potato and then cut it into small chunks.
- Avocado Oil: Either toss the sweet potato chunks in a bit of avocado oil or cooking spray.
- Kosher Salt: Keep it simple with the seasonings and let the natural sweetness and flavor of the sweet potato shine.
How To Make this Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl Recipe
Prep and Sear the Pork Shoulder:
First, preheat your oven to 300F. Then, cut pork into large chunks – they don’t all need to be perfectly the same size! Season all over with kosher salt & black pepper.
Next, bring a large dutch oven to medium-high heat. Once hot, add avocado oil. Then add some of the pork chunks, making sure not to overcrowd the pan – you will likely have to do this in 2 batches.
Let the pork sear for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until a nice golden crisp has developed all around. Remove from the pot and repeat with the second round of pork.
Sauté the Onion & Garlic:
After all the pieces of pork are seared, remove them from the pan. At this point, you should have enough residual grease left in the pan, but if not feel free to add more avocado oil. Then, add sliced onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
Add Remaining Carnitas Ingredients:
Next, deglaze the pan with broth, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then, add in the seasonings, orange juice, lime juice and bay leaves, and stir. Nestle seared pork into the pan, making sure it’s mostly all covered by liquid.
Transfer Carnitas to the Oven:
Then, cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven for 2.5 hours, or until the pork is fork tender. Remove pork from the pot and transfer it to a large bowl. Shred it with 2 forks – it should shred really easily!
Crisp up the Carnitas:
This next step is optional but highly encouraged if you want crispy carnitas! Turn your oven to the broil setting. Then, transfer the shredded pork to a large parchment-lined baking sheet.
Ladle a bit of the excess sauce from the pot onto the pork and toss to coat. Then, spread out evenly on the baking sheet. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until the edges are crispy. When ready to serve, feel free to pour more of the reserved sauce over the carnitas!
Soak the Sweet Potato:
If you have extra time, allow your chopped sweet potato chunks to sit in a bowl of very cold water for 30+ minutes. Then, drain off the water and pat the sweet potato dry super well. This is totally optional, but will help them get even crispier!
Air Fry or Oven Roast the Sweet Potato:
Next, toss sweet potato chunks with a bit of avocado oil (or cooking spray) and season with kosher salt to taste. Transfer to an air fryer basket or tray and air fry at 400F for 10-15 minutes. If you don’t own an air fryer, try oven roasting them at 425F for 25-35 minutes.
Prepare the Slaw:
Finally, add all slaw ingredients to a large bowl and toss until combined. Taste and adjust the amount of lime juice and salt to your liking. Plate your bowl with some of the carnitas, air fried sweet potato and slaw!
What are Carnitas?
Carnitas is a Spanish word that directly translates to “little meats.” It’s a delicious Mexican dish made by braising pork in lard. The process is slow and lengthy, yielding tender, fall-apart pork that gets shredded and served in a variety of ways.
Some people refer to carnitas as “Mexican pulled pork” which is somewhat true but don’t expect it to taste like your classic American pulled pork! There’s no BBQ sauce involved here. Rather, this is heavily-seasoned with spices like chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. In addition, it gets broiled after shredding which yields crispy edges…the best!
Lastly, don’t get carnitas confused with barbacoa or carne asada. Barbacoa is made from beef, while carnitas is made from pork. Similarly, carne asada is also made from beef, but instead uses cuts like sirloin or rib, and then gets grilled. It’s much quicker!
Is this Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl Recipe Authentic?
Nope! I will never claim that my recipes are authentic 🙂 But this dutch oven carnitas bowl is inspired by the amazing Mexican dish and is the perfect approachable recipe for home cooks.
Authentic carnitas are slow braised in manteca (lard), however my version is a bit lighter and instead gets braised in broth. I promise it’s still delicious this way!
You may have also noticed that most authentic carnitas recipes call for Mexican cola and evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk. The sugar from the soda is supposed to help tenderize the meat. However, my recipe skips this ingredient (I simply don’t like using or consuming soda) and still turns out beautifully tender and delicious.
No Slow Cooker? Try this Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl Recipe!
I purposely created this dutch oven carnitas bowl recipe for all my fellow friends who don’t own a slow cooker. Luckily a dutch oven (AKA a thick-walled pot with a lid) works just was well for carnitas! Rather than throwing the meat into a slow cooker, we’re going to let it braise in the oven for several hours.
The dutch oven method for carnitas is actually quicker than a slow cooker! It takes 2-3 hours, compared to a slow cooker which would take 7 or more. And, there’s not much more work involved – most of the cook time is passive, and you can do other things in the meantime!
What Cut of Pork Should I Use for this Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl?
The key to some delicious dutch oven carnitas bowls is to use a heavily-marbled cut of pork. Typically, that means using pork shoulder. It’s a bit confusing because the grocery store may sell it under a different name, such as Boston Butt, Butt Roast, Picnic Shoulder, etc. When in doubt, ask the butcher at your local grocery store.
Additionally, it doesn’t really matter whether you pick bone-in or boneless. I could only find bone-in at my grocery store, so I just got a bigger one (close to 4.5 lbs) and cut off the bone before using it in this recipe. But, if you can find boneless pork shoulder, then buy that…and you’ll only need 3-3.5 lbs!
What Should I Serve with these Dutch Oven Carnitas?
As you can see in the photos, and in the recipe below, I like to serve these dutch oven carnitas as a bowl with some Mexican-inspired slaw and air fried sweet potato. However, the options are endless! And since you’ll likely have leftovers, you can transform these dutch oven carnitas into anything your heart desires. Add them to tacos, quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas, breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, etc. You will want to eat these carnitas with everything!
How Should I Store Leftover Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl?
Since this recipe yields quite a bit of carnitas, you’re likely to have leftovers! And you will be so grateful that you do, hahaha. Allow your dutch oven carnitas to fully cool before transferring them to an airtight container and storing in the fridge for 4 days.
These dutch oven carnitas are delicious eaten cold, but you can also re-heat them via microwave or oven. The oven will yield the best, most crispy results. I would recommending turning your oven to broil and spreading the carnitas out on a baking sheet. Keep an eye on them as they will get warm and crisp up quickly!
Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.
Looking for more Mexican-Inspired Recipes?
- The BEST Ground Turkey Enchilada Skillet
- Elote Tacos with Chipotle Chicken and Veggies
- One-Pot Shrimp Fajita Pasta
- Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad with Chipotle Chicken
- Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
Dutch Oven Carnitas Bowl Recipe
Equipment
- dutch oven
- spatula
- 2 forks
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- Air Fryer (optional)
Ingredients
For the Dutch Oven Carnitas:
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 3-3.5 lbs boneless pork shoulder / Boston Butt (or about 4.5 lbs bone-in)*
- 2 tbsp chili powder **
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp oregano
- kosher salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups beef broth
- ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 2 bay leaves
For the Slaw:
- 4 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 small jalapeno seeds removed & diced (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped red onion or shallot
- 2-3 tbsp full-fat plain greek yogurt or mayo for dairy-free version
- juice from 1 lime
- kosher salt to taste
For the Air Fried Sweet Potato:
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled & cut into small chunks
- avocado oil
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
For the Dutch Oven Carnitas:
- Preheat your oven to 300F. Then, cut pork into large chunks – they don't all need to be perfectly the same size! Season all over with kosher salt & black pepper.3-3.5 lbs boneless pork shoulder / Boston Butt, kosher salt & black pepper
- Bring a large dutch oven to medium-high heat. Once hot, add avocado oil. Then add some of the pork chunks, making sure not to overcrowd the pan – you will likely have to do this in 2 batches. Let the pork sear for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until a nice golden crisp has developed all around. Remove from the pot and repeat with the second round of pork.1 tbsp avocado oil
- After all the pieces of pork are seared, remove them from the pan. At this point, you should have enough residual grease left in the pan, but if not feel free to add more avocado oil. Then, add sliced onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.1 large yellow onion, 5 garlic cloves
- Deglaze the pan with broth, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then, add in the seasonings, orange juice, lime juice and bay leaves, and stir. Nestle seared pork into the pan, making sure it's mostly all covered by liquid.2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp oregano, 2 cups beef broth, ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 2 bay leaves
- Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven for 2.5 hours, or until the pork is fork tender. Remove pork from the pot and transfer it to a large bowl. Shred it with 2 forks – it should shred really easily!
- OPTIONAL BUT ENCOURAGED: For crispy carnitas, turn your oven to broil. Transfer the shredded pork to a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Ladle a bit of the excess sauce from the pot onto the pork and toss to coat. Then, spread out evenly on the baking sheet. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until the edges are crispy.
- When ready to serve, feel free to pour more of the reserved sauce over the carnitas! Enjoy 🙂
For the Air Fried Sweet Potato:
- If you have extra time, allow your chopped sweet potato chunks to sit in a bowl of very cold water for 30+ minutes. Then, drain off the water and pat the sweet potato dry super well. This is totally optional, but will help them get even crispier!2 large sweet potatoes
- Toss sweet potato chunks with a bit of avocado oil (or cooking spray) and season with kosher salt to taste. Transfer to an air fryer basket or tray and air fry at 400F for 10-15 minutes. Shake the basket or flip the sweet potatoes halfway through.avocado oil, kosher salt
- If you don't own an air fryer, try oven roasting them at 425F for 25-35 minutes.
For the Slaw:
- Add all slaw ingredients to a large bowl and toss until combined. Taste and adjust the amount of lime juice and salt to your liking.4 cups shredded red cabbage, ⅓ cup chopped cilantro, ¼ cup chopped red onion or shallot, 2-3 tbsp full-fat plain greek yogurt, juice from 1 lime, kosher salt, 1 small jalapeno
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.
Delicious and easy to make!
Wohoo!! Thank you so much 🙂
I jumped for joy when this recipe was finished! This was my first time using my dutch oven, and I was SO nervous. It turned out perfectly—thank you for sharing this recipe.
Proud of you!! Welcome to the dutch oven life hehe, thanks Kelly!