Smoked Pork Carnitas are a delicious spin on traditional Mexican carnitas and make the most amazing tacos! Perfect for any night of the week or for an epic game day taco bar!
Smoked Pork Carnitas
Pork tacos are always a favorite at our house. I've made them from my Coca-Cola Braised Pork Loin a few times but these Smoked Carnitas make the best tacos ever!
I found a huge pork butt on sale and saved it for a rainy weekend. You see if it's raining, there's more time for hanging out around the house rather than building fence or baling hay. Our whole life revolves around the weather on the ranch.
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How to Smoke Pork Butt:
- Pat Pork Butt dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle with dry rub: brown sugar, Mrs Dash, kosher salt, black pepper and garlic.
- Prepare grill with hickory grilling wood.
- Place pork butt over indirect heat and close the grill.
- Smoke for 1 hour per pound at about 250-300 degrees, until internal temperature reaches 195 degrees.
Pork Butt Recipes:
Pork butt is so versatile. It is great for feeding a crowd or you can make several meals from one roast.
- Smoked Pork Butt with Italian Rub is a favorite for serving a crowd. The Italian rub adds so much flavor to the meat. A surefire hit!
- Pulled pork sandwiches with Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce and Creamy Coleslaw.
- Cheesy Pulled Pork Taquitos ~ an easy dinner or great for game day.
- Smoked Pork Carnitas ~ Seriously this is my new favorite!
- Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese ~ Nutmeg Nanny
How to Make Smoked Pork Carnitas:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Shred or chop two pounds of smoked pork butt and spread onto a baking sheet.
- Mix together orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and salt.
- Pour over pork and stir to coat.
- Cook for 25 minutes, stirring about half way through.
- Serve with tortillas, chopped onion, avocados, cilantro, salsa verde and any of your favorite taco toppings.
I could seriously eat tacos every day of the week. Thank goodness my family loves Mexican food as much as I do. Pork tacos are always a favorite.
Traditional carnitas are cooked in oil or lard. We put a different spin on these by smoking the pork butt and then tossing it with a citrus and garlic sauce and crisping it up in the oven. You will love these bold flavors!
We love to grill an Easy Smoked Brisket or a pork butt over the weekend and then make it into several meals through out the week. We enjoy cooking out and spending time outside as the weather cools down for fall.
Having the main course ready to go sure makes dinner time easier and much quicker. Trying to figure out dinner or remember to get meat out of the freezer isn't always the easiest for busy weeknights.
Tacos are always an easy one for me. I always have tortillas, cheese, homemade salsa and sour cream on hand. What are your busy weeknight shortcuts? I would love to hear your tips and ideas!
Delicious Dishes to Complete Your Meal:
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Smoked Pork Carnitas
Smoked Pork Carnitas are a delicious spin on traditional Mexican carnitas and make the most amazing tacos! Perfect for any night of the week or for an epic game day taco bar!
Ingredients
- For Smoked Pork Butt:
- 10-12 pound pork butt roast
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 2 tablespoons Mrs Dash Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons coarse ground pepper
- For carnitas tacos:
- 2 pounds smoked (or cooked) pork butt
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro and any other favorite toppings for serving
Instructions
For Pork Butt:
Pat Pork Butt dry with paper towels.
Mix together kosher salt, black pepper and garlic.
Prepare grill with hickory grilling wood.
Place pork butt over indirect heat and close the grill.
Smoke for 1 hour per pound at about 250-300 degrees, until internal temperature reaches 195 degrees.
For smoked pork carnitas tacos:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Shred or chop two pounds of smoked pork butt and spread onto a baking sheet.
- Mix together orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and salt.
- Pour over pork and stir to coat.
- Cook for 25 minutes, stirring about half way through.
- Serve with tortillas, chopped onion, avocados, cilantro and any of your favorite taco toppings.
John
Made this for 4th of July family get together. It was great. Doubled the rub recipe but didn’t use quite all of it, felt like original recipe wasn’t quite enough for 10 lb butt. I have filed this recipe and will use it again.
Milisa
Hi John,
So glad you tried it. My husband would totally agree with adding more of the rub and we will have to do that the next time we make these, they are always a hit.
~ Milisa