Easy Smoked Pork Carnitas
Easy Smoked Pork Carnitas are a delicious Mexican inspired dinner that makes the most incredible tacos with smoked pork butt.
We love picking up a couple of pork butts to smoke or make different varieties of homemade sausage. Pork Carnitas are my absolute favorite for taco night. Try this Cheesy Bean Dip for a great appetizer to go with carnitas.
Ingredients for Smoked Pork Carnitas:
- Smoky Pulled Pork~ Tacos are a great use for leftover smoked pork. We love to smoke a couple of pork butts at a time to make easy meals through the week.
- Orange Juice ~ Adds a bright citrus flavor to the sauce.
- Lime Juice ~ Additional citrus flavor for the sauce.
- Fresh Garlic ~ Delicious savory flavoring for the sauce.
- Ground Cumin ~ The smoky spice for that traditional taco flavor.
- Kosher Salt
- Flour Tortillas
- Taco Toppings: Diced Onions, Diced Avocado, Salsa, Cilantro, Sour Cream
How to Make Easy Smoked Pork Carnitas:
- Shred or chop smoked pork butt.
- Place on a sheet pan in a single layer.
- Mix the sauce together by combining orange juice, lime juice, minced garlic, cumin and salt.
- Pour sauce over pork, stirring to coat evenly.
- Cook for 25 minutes, stirring half way through until pork becomes crispy.
- Garnish with cilantro.
- Serve with warmed tortillas and favorite toppings.
How to Smoke Pork Butt:
We have a couple of great recipes for pork butt. We used the same smoked pork butt in this recipe that we used for our Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches. My other favorite Smoked Pork Butt uses a simple Italian Rub. Either would be great with this recipe.
How to Store and Reheat:
- Store leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- Reheat in a skillet with additional tablespoon of orange juice over medium heat. Stir often, cooking until heated through.
Traditional carnitas are cooked in oil or lard. We put our twist on the classic by smoking the pork butt and then tossing it with a citrus and garlic sauce that is baked until crisp it up in the oven. The flavor combination is incredible.
More Recipes for Smoked Pork Butt:
Pulled Pork Burritos with rice and beans is a quick and easy dinner that is even better than the Chipotle drive thru!
Maple Sausage can be made from ground pork butt. It makes a great breakfast sausage or stuffed into casings for smoked sausage.
Andouille Sausage is a Cajun smoked sausage that is incredibly delicious. A great addition to gumbo, jambalaya or served with grilled vegetable rice pilaf.
If you smoke a pork butt over the weekend, add these easy smoked carnitas to the menu for Taco Tuesday or any night of the week for a quick and delicious meal!
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Easy Smoked Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds smoked pork shoulder
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- For Serving:
- Flour Tortillas
- Diced Onion
- Diced Avocado
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Shred or chop smoked pork and place on a sheet pan.
- In a bowl, combine orange juice, lime juice, minced garlic, cumin and salt.
- Pour over pork and stir until well coated.
- Bake for 25 minutes, stirring about halfway through the cooking time.
- Serve pork with flour tortillas and desired toppings.
Okay okay I just LOVED this method of cooking the pork carnitas. The flavor was divine. We had it on tacos and I added just another squeeze of lime juice before eating. and WOWZA. This recipe is a keeper!
This was really a huge hit at my house! It is packed full of amazing flavors!