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    Home » Pork » Mojo Beer Carnitas

    Mojo Beer Carnitas

    January 11, 2022

    355 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These crispy mojo beer carnitas are going to change your tastebuds life! Mojo marinated pork shoulder, slow cooked in beer all day, for the most tender, juicy pork. The cooked pork is shredded, drizzled in the mojo beer sauce, and broiled in the oven for delicious crispy carnitas. This mojo beer carnitas recipe is perfect for tacos, bowls, burritos, quesadillas, and more! 

    crispy shredded pork on a pan with a charred tortilla and minced onion on top
    crispy shredded pork on a baking pan with sliced oranges on the side

    What are carnitas?

    Carnitas translates to “little meats” and originated in Michoacán, Mexico. Carnitas are traditionally braised or simmered in lard for many hours (or even the entire day) until tender and juicy. 

    raw pork shoulder tied with twine

    What type of pork to use for carnitas

    For carnitas, pork shoulder is traditionally used. Boneless Boston butt is located just above the shoulder of the pig, and can also be used for this carnitas recipe. Pork shoulder has fat marbled throughout the meat, so when slow cooked, the meat becomes flavorful, tender and juicy. If you cook pork shoulder too fast with high heat, you will not get the fall apart juicy tender meat that we all love for shredded pork. 

    What is mojo?

    In cuban cooking mojo is a sauce typically made with oil (or lard), garlic, and citrus juices (traditionally orange juice). Mojo sauce is mostly used as a marinade for pork, chicken, or steak. The citrus in the mojo marinade breaks down and tenderizes meat, so when cooked you’ll have juicy tender meat to enjoy.

    pork shoulder being mixed with spices, onion, orange peels, and garlic in a metal bowl

    Marinating pork in mojo

    1. Cut the pork shoulder into large pieces. Fat gives the pork flavor, but if there is a thick layer on the top, trim the fat a bit and discard.
    2. Add spices to the pork: dark brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
    3. Add in 1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks, 6 cloves garlic pressed, orange juice, peels from orange, and lime juice.
    4. Mix all the ingredients so the pork is fully coated in spices. Cover and marinate overnight in refrigerator.
    mojo pork in slow cooker with beer, chunks of onion, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

    Slow cooking carnitas

    1. The next day, add the mojo marinated pork and all of the marinate to the slow cooker.
    2. Add in 6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, this will give a smokey flavor and little kick to the carnitas.
    3. Pour in beer.
    4. Using tongs, mix all the ingredients and set the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
    pork slow cooking in slow cooker

    Why use beer when braising?

    Braising meat in beer not only helps tenderize the meat, but it brings out the richness of the meats. The alcohol ends up evaporating with cooking, so you won’t taste it, just the notes of the beer in the meat. When using beer with pork, I use lighter beers. For this mojo beer carnitas recipe, I love playing up the citrus flavor with a beer such as blue moon or feel free to use your favorite light beer!

    straining carnitas sauce into pot

    Carnitas sauce

    After the pork is done slow cooking, remove with tongs and set aside. Laddle, or carefully pour all of the remaining sauce into a colander with a pot or bowl underneath. Using a fork or spoon, press down on the onions/peppers/oranges to release as much juice as possible. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then allow to simmer while you shred the pork.

    shredding pork on a cutting board

    Shredding pork into carnitas

    Using two forks, shred the pork into chunks. The pork should be very tender and easily shreddable. As mentioned before, high heat is not your friend when cooking pork to be shredded. Once all the pork is shredded, place on a large baking sheet, in one even layer.

    sheet pan with pork carnitas and side pot full of sauce

    Saucing the carnitas

    Using the mojo beer sauce, spoon a couple of tbsp of sauce over the carnitas. I would say I used about a ¼-1/3 of a cup total. You don’t want a ton of sauce or else the pork will have trouble crisping up in the oven. Keep the rest of the sauce for when you eat it, you can drizzle more on/dip your tacos in.

    a gold baking sheet with shredded pork carnitas, surrounded by cilantro and orange slices

    Crisping carnitas

    What we all love most about carnitas, is the crispy bits of pork. After you have sauced the pork, put it in the oven under the broiler on high. You have to keep an eye, because last thing you want is to burn everything after all these hours! Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until carnitas begin to crisp on top.

    corn tortilla with carnitas, minced onion and lime wedges

    How to eat carnitas

    I like to keep it simple when having carnitas, to let the pork shine. I char corn tortillas, add the mojo beer carnitas, drizzle some extra sauce, top with minced white onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime on top. You can also enjoy these mojo beer carnitas in a bowl, in a burrito, a quesadilla, the options are endless!

    crispy shredded pork on a pan with a charred tortilla and minced onion on top

    Other taco recipes

    • Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
    • Carne Asada Tacos
    • Chicken Poblano Fajitas
    • Chicken Tinga Tacos
    crispy shredded pork on a baking pan with sliced oranges on the side

    Made these mojo beer carnitas and loved them? Leave a star rating below!

    crispy shredded pork on a pan with a charred tortilla and minced onion on top

    Mojo Beer Carnitas

    These crispy mojo beer carnitas are going to change your tastebuds life! Mojo marinated pork shoulder, slow cooked in beer all day, for the most tender, juicy pork. The cooked pork is shredded, drizzled in the mojo beer sauce, and broiled in the oven for delicious crispy carnitas. This mojo beer carnitas recipe is perfect for tacos, bowls, burritos, quesadillas, and more! 
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Pork
    Cuisine: Mexican/Cuban/American
    Keyword: beer carnitas, carnitas, carnitas tacos, mojo carnitas, pork, pork carnitas
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 hours
    Additional Time: 8 hours
    Total Time: 14 hours 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 -6 Servings
    Calories: 557kcal
    Author: Stephanie

    Equipment

    • Vegetable Peeler
    • Garlic Press
    • Sauce Pan Enameled Cast Iron 2.5-Quart
    • Williams Sonoma Goldtouch® Corrugated Nonstick Half Sheet Pan
    • Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker 

    Ingredients

    Carnitas Marinade

    • 3 ½ pounds pork shoulder
    • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons dark chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 6 cloves garlic pressed or minced
    • 1 large yellow onion large dice
    • 2 large oranges outsides peeled with vegetable peeler, then rest of orange juiced (½ cup)
    • 4 limes juiced (¼ cup)
    • 3 bay leaves

    For crockpot after marinade

    • 7 ounces chipotles in adobo 6 peppers used
    • 12 ounces Blue Moon beer or light beer/lager of choice

    Serve Carnitas with

    • Corn tortillas charred/warmed
    • 1 white onion minced
    • ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
    • Lime wedges

    Instructions

    Marinating pork

    • Cut the pork shoulder into large pieces. Fat gives the pork flavor, but if there is a thick layer on the top, trim the fat a bit and discard. Add into a large bowl.
    • Add spices to the pork: dark brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.
    • Next add in the rest of the ingredients: yellow onion, pressed garlic, orange juice, orange peels, lime juice. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients until the pork is fully coated in the spices. Tuck the bay leaves into the pork, cover with wrap, and place in refrigerator. Marinate overnight.

    Slow Cooker

    • Once the pork is done marinating, dump all of the marinade ingredients into a slow cooker. Add in 6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and pour in the beer.
    • Using tongs, mix all the ingredients and set the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. *Note: high heat cooking is not recommended for this recipe*

    Finishing Carnitas

    • After the pork is done slow cooking, remove the pork with tongs and set aside on a cutting board.
    • Laddle or carefully pour all of the remaining sauce into a colander with a pot or bowl underneath. Using a fork or spoon, press down on the onions/peppers/oranges to release as much juice as possible. Bring the sauce to a boil on the stovetop, then allow to simmer while you shred the pork.
    • Using two forks, shred the pork into chunks. The pork should be very tender and easily shreddable. Once all the pork is shredded, place on a large baking sheet, in one even layer.
    • Turn high broiler on the oven, on
    • Using the mojo beer sauce, spoon a couple of tbsp of sauce over the carnitas, about a ¼-1/3 of a cup total. Keep the rest of the sauce for when serving.
    • Put the tray of carnitas in the oven under the broiler on high. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until carnitas begin to crisp on top. Keep a close eye, so they do not burn. Remove from oven.

    Serving Carnitas

    • To serve, add mojo beer carnitas to charred corn tortilla. Drizzle a little sauce over the top, follow by the minced white onion, chopped cilantro, and add a squeeze of lime over top. Enjoy!

    Notes

    What type of pork to use

    1. For carnitas, pork shoulder is traditionally used. Boneless Boston butt is located just above the shoulder of the pig, and can also be used for this carnitas recipe. Pork shoulder has fat marbled throughout the meat, so when slow cooked, the meat becomes flavorful, tender and juicy.

    Cooking pork

    1. If you cook pork shoulder too fast with high heat, you will not get the fall apart juicy tender meat that we all love for shredded pork. I do not recommend cooking on high heat or for less than 6 hours.

    Other uses

    1. These mojo beer carnitas are so versatile. You can use the meat in burritos, quesadillas, bowls, sandwiches, there are endless possibilities.

    Storing/reheating carnitas

    1. Store carnitas in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Store sauce in a seperate airtight container.
    2. You can cool and add into a freezer bag to freeze for longer keeping. Freeze sauce separately. Move into refrigerator to defrost.
    3. To reheat, you can place in oven at 325F for 15 minutes, or you can microwave. If pork is no longer crispy, broil to crisp back up. I recommend adding a bit more sauce when reheating, because pork can dry out in refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 557kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 1085mg | Potassium: 1271mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 923IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 6mg
    Made this recipe?Mention @GirlWithTheIronCast or tag #girlwiththeironcast!
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    355 shares

    Originally Published: January 11, 2022 Post Updated: November 16, 2022 Filed Under: Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall Favorites, Marinades, Sauces, Dressing, Mexican, Pork, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Summer, Tacos, Winter Comfort Tagged With: Chiles, Cilantro, garlic, Lime, Onions, Oranges

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Colleen

      June 16, 2022 at 7:48 am

      Hello,
      I don’t have a slow cooker. Is there a way to do it in the oven for a slow time?

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        June 16, 2022 at 9:18 am

        Hi Colleen, yes you can do them in the oven at 300F for 3 1/2 hours. You will still need to transfer to a baking sheet after pulling it, to crisp it up. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    2. Nicole

      April 06, 2022 at 4:21 am

      Have you tried making the day before? I totally forgot to do the marinade the night before! :-/

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        April 06, 2022 at 8:03 am

        Hi Nicole,
        You can do it the day of, the flavor just won’t be as strong through the meat, but the slow cooking it will give it time to still be flavorful.

        Reply
    3. Nicole

      February 15, 2022 at 4:39 pm

      Hi! I have the pork shoulder butt roast with the bone in it and I was wondering should I leave the bone in the crockpot while it cooks with all the other meat ?

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        February 15, 2022 at 4:40 pm

        Hi Nicole, yes you can leave the bone in and then just remove it before shredding the meat

        Reply
    4. Cynthia

      January 19, 2022 at 2:10 pm

      Looks delicious. I was wondering if you could use this recipe for chicken?

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        January 19, 2022 at 3:29 pm

        Hi Cynthia! I haven’t tried it with chicken, but I don’t see why not! The chicken would probably only need 6 hours in the slow cooker on low. Let me know how it turns out if you do!

        Reply
    5. Roberto

      January 14, 2022 at 12:10 am

      5 stars
      This recipe was so delicious and flavorful. Loved it!

      Reply

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