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January 7, 2016

Easy Slow Roasted Carnitas

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3.1Kshares

Naturally low carb, gluten-free, and paleo, these are the best carnitas I have ever tasted. And I didn’t mind testing this recipe over, and over, and over. It’s a delicious keto recipe. 

Low Carb Carnitas - paleo-friendly, made with lard.

Carnitas. Delicious little pieces of braised pork that are somehow both juicy and crisp at the same time. I’ve been working behind the scenes here at All Day I Dream About Food to perfect my own low carb carnitas recipe and I have to say, it’s pretty close to perfect. It’s so good, I actually start to salivate just thinking about it. And we made a huge batch of it to serve to my sister and her family a few days before Christmas. It was a hit with everyone from the 3 year old to the 43 year old. We served it as healthy paleo carnitas bowls, skipping the tortillas in favour of putting it over my Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. If I had to eat that meal every day for the rest of my life, well I wouldn’t be unhappy about that!

 

Slow roasted Paleo Carnitas, a low carb meal that will knock your socks off!

I did a lot of research before venturing out on my own with carnitas. I wanted to stay true to the nature of carnitas by cooking it in lard but good pasture-raised lard is expensive stuff. So I settled on using a 1/4 cup of the good lard and a pork shoulder roast (pork butt) with a good fat cap on it, to get the unctuous juiciness I was looking for. (And once, when I couldn’t get my hands on any good lard, I used duck fat in its place. Worked perfectly!). In my research, I came across a lot of crock pot and slow cooker carnitas recipes, but I wanted to brown my meat a bit for maximum flavour, so I settled for the more traditional dutch oven. This really didn’t take any more effort than a slow cooker would, as I could brown the pork and braise it all in the same pot.

Serve these paleo carnitas with cauliflower rice for a healthy low carb ketogenic meal

Many recipes had you cutting the meat into chunks before cooking. So much added work and really unnecessary, in my opinion. Cooking a whole roast at low heat for a long time with plenty of liquid results in such succulent tenderness, it practically falls apart as you touch it. Other recipes I came across also discarded all the wonderful juices after the pork was cooked, and I simply couldn’t bear to do that. I reduced the juices while the shredded pork was broiling, to make a thick, juicy sauce.

There are a zillion carnitas recipes out there and I am sure many of them are very good. Great, even. But this is my take on it and I have to say, I think it’s some of the best carnitas I’ve ever tasted. I hope you think so too.

Mmmmm, carnitas. This recipe is low carb, paleo and Whole 30 compliant.

Try serving this with a nice big bowl of classic coleslaw from Barefeet In The Kitchen.

Love keto pork recipes?

Be sure to check out my Keto Smothered Pork Chops and my Slow Cooker Southwestern Pork Stew

4.72 from 7 votes
Serve these paleo carnitas with cauliflower rice for a healthy low carb ketogenic meal
Print
Easy Slow Roasted Carnitas
Cook Time
6 hrs
Total Time
6 hrs
 
Naturally low carb and gluten-free, these are the best carnitas I have ever tasted. And I didn't mind testing this recipe over, and over, and over...
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Calories: 672 kcal
Ingredients
  • 4 lb boneless pork butt the fattier the better!
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup pure lard or duck fat or even bacon grease
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 orange cut into quarters
  • 1 lime cut into quarters
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300F. Season pork butt all over with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large dutch oven, melt lard or duck fat over medium heat. Once hot, add pork roast and brown well on all sides.
  3. Add water to the bottom of the pan. Hand squeeze the juice of the orange sections and lime sections into the pan and add the rind as well. Add cumin, oregano, chipotle, and garlic. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer the pot to the oven.
  4. Let cook 5 hours, until pork is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Remove from the liquids onto a foil lined cookie sheet and let stand until cook enough to shred with your hands (some bigger pieces are okay).
  5. Spread pork out over cookie sheet and set under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to get pork pieces nice and crisp.
  6. Meanwhile, remove orange and lime rinds from the liquids in the pot. Set over medium high heat and bring a boil. Cook until liquids are reduced by half. Add crispy pork back into the liquids and toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
  7. Serve over cauliflower rice and top with your favourite fixings like cheese, guacamole, and cilantro.
Recipe Notes

Serves 8 to 10*. For 8 servings, each serving has 1.97 g NET CARBS.

*It can be more servings than this easily, if you pair it with cauli rice, guacamole, cheese, etc. A half serving with all the trimmings was quite enough for me.

Food energy: 672kcal
Total fat: 43.92g
Calories from fat: 395
Cholesterol: 225mg
Carbohydrate: 2.57g
Total dietary fiber: 0.60g
Protein: 57.12g

Nutrition Facts
Easy Slow Roasted Carnitas
Amount Per Serving
Calories 672 Calories from Fat 395
% Daily Value*
Fat 43.92g68%
Cholesterol 225mg75%
Carbohydrates 2.57g1%
Fiber 0.6g2%
Protein 57.12g114%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
3.1Kshares

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Low Carb, Main Dishes, Paleo

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Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

Reader Interactions

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Comments

  1. Lin says

    January 7, 2016 at 5:41 am

    Sounds amazing.,I can’t wait to make it!

    Reply
  2. Marcia says

    January 7, 2016 at 6:19 am

    sounds divine – think I will make this next week!

    Reply
  3. janet says

    January 7, 2016 at 9:44 am

    Carnitas is a favorite with us, and you must use lard to get the right flavor, well done!

    Reply
  4. Dorothy says

    January 7, 2016 at 9:52 am

    Sounds wonderful, can’t wait to try it!
    Do you have the recipe for the cauliflower rice also?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 7, 2016 at 10:59 am

      Cauli rice: http://asweetlife.org/recipes/cilantro-lime-cauliflower-rice/

      Reply
  5. Erin M. says

    January 7, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Will definitely be trying this out soon. My husband is a huge carnitas fan and would gladly eat it every day. I’ve tried many recipes over the years but nothing has been perfect so I’m looking forward to trying yours out!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 7, 2016 at 1:25 pm

      Hope you love it!

      Reply
  6. Kate says

    January 7, 2016 at 1:23 pm

    I love carnitas, and this recipe looks fabulous ! I’m going to get the roast this weekend and try it out ! I’ve actually made your Cilantro-Lime Cauli-Rice before and it’s seriously great. It would be perfect with this as a topper. I’m drooling already, LOL.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 7, 2016 at 1:25 pm

      Let me know what you think!

      Reply
  7. Elaine Markley says

    January 7, 2016 at 1:25 pm

    Looks great! It would also be wonderful as tacos!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 7, 2016 at 7:35 pm

      It would indeed!

      Reply
  8. Cindy says

    January 7, 2016 at 7:44 pm

    Do you think you could skip the oven and do this in the crock pot if you don’t have a dutch oven?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 7, 2016 at 9:59 pm

      Yes, that should be fine. If you can brown the meat in a pan first, it will be better.

      Reply
  9. Isis says

    January 8, 2016 at 12:23 pm

    My boyfriend’s mom is a big fan of carnitas. She mentioned it once, and up until that point I had never heard of the dish; so I asked (stupidly), “what’s a carnita?” LOL!

    Reply
  10. Denise S. says

    January 9, 2016 at 9:35 pm

    I went off the beaten path and put all the ingredients you suggested (except I used coconut oil and banana pepper instead of a chipotle pepper) in a pressure cooker. At first I cooked it for 85 min. After trying it, it was still tough….so, I put the lid on and cooked it for another 60 minutes. After this, it was extremely tender with a great flavor of orange with just the right amount of heat. I really could put it under the broiler to get it to crisp a little. The meat is so tender and perfect. I’ve never heard of carnitas before and so glad I made it!

    Reply
  11. Bobbie says

    January 10, 2016 at 8:21 am

    What does one Chipotle pepper in adobo chopped mean?
    Bobbie

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 10, 2016 at 8:41 am

      These are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Take one out and chop it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00061DFEQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00061DFEQ&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&linkId=PAEW5EPM2UA4V76V

      Reply
  12. Carol says

    January 10, 2016 at 1:07 pm

    Great site! I want to try the carnitas soon and have printed it. But, in using the “Print” button, it didn’t come up “clean”. Is there a way to print without the extras? (e.g., the large blank space at top where it reads “advertisement”). I’d love a concise 1 or 2-page document as I’ve printed on some other sites; this one came up 3 pages. Have you heard of this issue before? Or is it me?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 10, 2016 at 1:38 pm

      I don’t print out my own recipes. Let me look into it. But there’s always cute and paste!

      Reply
      • Carol says

        January 10, 2016 at 2:20 pm

        thanks, carolyn! i tried to cut and paste but it pasted looking like code?????

        Reply
  13. Isis says

    January 24, 2016 at 2:17 pm

    This recipe blew my mind. It was some of the absolute best pork I’ve ever eaten. In fact, it could possibly be the best pork I’ve EVER had. Served it with the Cilantro Lime Cauli-Rice as suggested. Beyond delicious!!! TRY THIS OUT, EVERYONE!!!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      January 24, 2016 at 3:45 pm

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  14. Christine | Mid-Life Croissant says

    February 7, 2016 at 8:07 am

    God that sounds incredible. Might be time to make carnitas!

    Reply
  15. R Franklin says

    February 26, 2016 at 9:30 pm

    I made this shortly after you posted the recipe, but being the type to never ask where something is (I couldn’t figure out where they kept lard to save my life!) I went with bacon fat. It was delicious. Literally JUST finished making it a second time, but this time I used the lard (located in a non-refrigerated section of the market, where I would never have looked and found completely by accident) and the difference kind of out of this world. I mean it was good before but something magical is sitting on my stove and I had to let you know this one is yet another winner! Thanks so much for all you do!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      February 27, 2016 at 1:06 pm

      So glad you liked them. Now I want to make them again…

      Reply
  16. Pam says

    March 1, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    This sounds amazing!! Thank you. I just told my husband I found a recipe for carnitas. We are both so excited to try it. I love your blog. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      March 1, 2016 at 10:37 pm

      Hope you love it!

      Reply
  17. Elaine Markley says

    March 16, 2016 at 9:47 pm

    Could I substitute a dried chipotle that I’ve ground into a powder, or does the adobo add a different flavor? I have both.

    Reply
  18. Lori says

    March 31, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    I made this last week and it was fabulous!! I can’t say enough about how delectable these carnitas were. My husband, who does not follow a low carb diet, also enjoyed them immensely. I made the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice as a side dish and together with the carnitas it was a very delicious, satisfying meal. Thank you for this excellent recipe.

    Reply
  19. Samantha Hilliard says

    April 25, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    Just made this…. Soooooo good! Made it in crock pot and used bacon grease instead of lard. Thank you for making my first attempt at carnitas so easy!

    Reply
  20. Ava says

    July 6, 2016 at 7:54 am

    Is this to spisy from the pepper or can you taste the orange/lime to much ? I have 5 kids can’t make it to spicy and my husband would not like the orange taste… So I can’t make all this meat and noone eats it ! ? So how is the taste ladies?

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      July 6, 2016 at 11:36 am

      It’s not spicy at all. You can leave out the orange if you like. Use more lime instead.

      Reply
  21. joanna schupp says

    September 4, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    I made this yesterday and followed the directions to a T. Sadly, 5 hours was too long and my dutch oven was black when I opened it. The pork was okay but the surrounding ingredients were completely charred to the pot. So if you value your cookware, check after 3-4 hours!!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      September 4, 2017 at 8:58 pm

      I think it has more to do with the seal of your cookware lid. If it isn’t closed well and the liquid evaporates, yes that’s going to happen. But I’ve never had that complaint from any other reader so I suspect it’s your cookware or your oven.

      Reply
      • joanna schupp says

        September 15, 2017 at 9:16 am

        The liquid did evaporate!! Thanks for the tip. I didn’t realize it was my cookware. This is one of those big red dutch ovens from Kohl’s. Not sure how good the quality is to be honest. I want to make this recipe again so my plan was to add more water this time but I might just need to cover my pot with foil instead.

        Reply
        • Kevin Hangman says

          November 15, 2020 at 10:19 pm

          Put a piece of aluminum foil over the pot, then put the lid on. Makes a better seal…

          Reply
  22. Amber Weber says

    March 15, 2018 at 7:37 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! About to make this for the second time for my friend (who just had a baby) and her family. <3

    Reply
  23. Jennifer Farley says

    April 4, 2018 at 9:57 pm

    5 stars
    This is tomorrow’s dinner for sure!

    Reply
  24. gerry speirs says

    April 5, 2018 at 10:26 am

    5 stars
    Looks like perfection!!

    Reply
  25. Jennifer Blake says

    April 6, 2018 at 10:09 am

    5 stars
    Low and slow is always a winner… and fat = flavor… we all need a little of this in our lives!

    Reply
  26. Erin says

    April 6, 2018 at 11:27 am

    5 stars
    These are so tender and good. Carnitas are always a favorite when I make them!

    Reply
  27. Korene says

    May 7, 2018 at 6:32 am

    Could this be made with a bone in shoulder? Or would that change the cook time?
    I usually make mine in a pressure cooker all chopped up, but you make this look & sound so good, I want to try your method!
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      May 7, 2018 at 7:44 am

      It can but you will need to give it more time. At least 5 minutes, I would say. Then check the internal temp and cook longer if needed.

      Reply
  28. Gretchen says

    July 20, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    4 stars
    I made this tonight with a 5lb bone in pork shoulder. Cooked it 6 hours on high. Cooked perfectly! However we could taste the bitterness from the orange and lime rinds. Next time I will just use the juice.

    Reply
  29. Niki says

    August 29, 2018 at 3:32 pm

    4 stars
    Hi, once I sear the meat in an iron skillet, Can I transfer it into a slow cooker? How long will that have to cook for ? Asking coz I don’t have a Dutch oven and would like to put my slow cooker to good use!

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      August 29, 2018 at 4:00 pm

      Hi Niki…you totally can and it should be slow cooked on low for 6 to 8 hours. If you can stick a fork easily into it and start shredding it, you’re good to go. But don’t skip the searing step, it really gives it the best flavor.

      Reply
  30. Ben says

    March 13, 2019 at 4:19 pm

    I followed this recipe exactly.
    After I pulled the pork out of the broiler, it was PERFECT. About the best carnitas I’ve ever had. Then I put them back into he Dutch oven with the sauce and the sauce completely ruined the meat. I think the chipotle had too much flavor. I tried everything to mask the flavor and I was unsuccessful. We couldn’t handle the after taste and we tossed it out.
    I’m looking forward to trying this one more time. The Dutch oven is awesome.

    Reply
    • Carolyn says

      March 13, 2019 at 7:39 pm

      It might not be the chipotle… if your orange peel is really bitter (some are) that can affect the sauce too.

      Reply

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Carolyn PortraitLooking for the best low carb recipes? You've come to the right place! I'm Carolyn, a major carnivore and an unrepentant sweet tooth. Here you will find all you need to enjoy the low carb keto lifestyle to the fullest! Read more

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