• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

La Piña en la Cocina

Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Mexican at Heart
    • Media
  • Contact
  • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
Home » Pork~Cerdo » Roast Pork Shoulder ~ Carnitas! Easy Recipe!

Roast Pork Shoulder ~ Carnitas! Easy Recipe!

September 20, 20165 Comments

452 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

I cannot say enough about how easy and delicious this roast pork shoulder was. In the past I fussed and fussed over how to season, how long to cook, should I marinate? No, more fussing when it comes to roasting a pork shoulder in the oven! I simply decided to treat it the same way I cook the pork belly. Simple seasoning, high temperature, initially, and a good old meat thermometer. That is all you need. For the seasoning after it roasted, I grabbed some dry spices from cupboard and combined them with a tasty sour orange marinade that I love and have used in various recipes. Of course I could have used real garlic, onion, chipotles and oranges, but sometimes we cook on the fly as I call it, Lol! This is when you create your best recipes, also known as inspiration, ha, ha, ha! After sharing a portion of the roast with some friends, we literally enjoyed pork tacos and Cuban sandwiches for quite a few days. I am not saying that everyone should do this, but I had a very busy work week, and I needed easy meals. Next week, more salad and fish, lol! #foodieforlife #tacoseveryday #porkcarnitas

 

Roast Pork Shoulder-Carnitas Tacos
Pork Roast up close

 

Hurry! Go to the end of the post to read a delicious variation on this easy recipe!

 

 

 

 

Sour Orange Marinade For Pork

I cannot say enough about this tasty marinade. So fortunate that the local market carries it readily. I grew up with La Preferida brand of Mexican foods.

 

Sour Orange Marinade -Mojo For Pork
 Never underestimate how much flavor your dried spices can add to your recipes. Stock your pantry with a good quality brand.
 
 
 
 
Roast Pork Shoulder

Scoring the skin is ideal, especially makes it easy to remove the crispy pork skin! 

Roast Pork Shoulder
Roast Pork Shoulder -Carnitas

Roast Pork Shoulder-Carnitas

Just that mix of seasonings with the sour orange marinade and water was enought of flavor all of the pork.

Extra Crispy Pork Skin!

The skin was so crunchy and delicious, I could not resist trying it and enjoting it!

Roast Pork Shoulder Carnitas
Roast Pork Shoulder Carnitas

To create the delicious carnitas flavor, simply add some of the cooked pork to a skillet with some of the broth. Cook at medium heat until the liquid evaporates. Continue cooking, turning as needed until the meat begins to caramelize, done!

Roast Pork Shoulder- Carnitas

Pico de Gallo is a must when it comes to pork carnitas tacos! Find the recipe on site!

Roast Pork Shoulder! Carnitas! Easy Recipe!

Beautiful, chicharron skin, roast pork straight out of your oven! What are you waiting for! Bring on the carnitas!
4.34 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course, Pork
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 hours hours 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 8-9 pound pork shoulder
  • Kosher Salt
  • Mojo
  • 2 cups Naranja Agria Marinade La Preferida Brand
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano crushed

Instructions

Directions

  • Place pork onto baking sheet and let it come to room temperature for 40 minutes. Score the skin on the pork shoulder.
  • Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Transfer pork to a roasting pan that has a rack insert. Sprinkle the pork skin generously with kosher salt all over.
  • In a large bowl, mix the mojo marinade, all the spices, salt to taste and 4 cups of water. Pour this mixture to the bottom of roasting pan.
  • Transfer to the oven on the middle rack and roast for 30 minutes to crisp up the skin.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. and continue roasting for 4-5 hours or until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F.
  • Once you reach 175 degrees F, the skin should be extra crispy and ready to eat!! Remove it, if you like. If not, cover the pork as tight as you can with heavy foil paper and return to oven for another hour or until internal temperature reaches 195-200 degrees F.
  • Remove pork from oven and let it rest for a good hour or more. Transfer pork back onto a baking sheet and remove all of the meat. Pull apart or shred as desired and place all the meat into a large dish. Take the broth and drippings from the pork and pour over the pork. Stir to distribute broth evenly. Ready to eat! Sooo delicious!
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

 

Updated Recipe using 30 cloves of fresh garlic, fresh orange, lime and double the dry spices! You will follow the recipe from above, but you will add these ingredients to the bottom of roasting pan.

30 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 6 oranges
Juice of 2 limes
2 cups store bought sour orange marinade(Naranja Agria)
4 cups water
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons chipotle powder or chile de arbol
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, crushed

30 Cloves of Garlic Mojo Roast Pork #garlicmojoroastpork

Served with tostones(fried green plantains) and cilantro lime rice.

30 Cloves of Garlic Mojo Roast Pork #garlicmojoroast

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Pork~Cerdo, Traditional Mexican Recipes Tagged With: Carnitas, Mojo Roast Pork, Pork, Roast Pork Shoulder, Tacos, Traditional Mexican Recipes

Previous Post: « Birria Style Beef Cheek (Birria de Res)
Next Post: Chicken Enchilada Soup With Chayotes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yolanda Beckers

    September 20, 2019 at 3:29 am

    How much mojo do you use?

    Reply
    • Sonia

      September 22, 2019 at 4:06 am

      Yolanda, you can use as much or as little as you want to be honest. I tend to use a lot. Super flavorful!

      Reply
  2. Yolanda Beckers

    September 22, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    Thank you, Sonia! I made this on Friday. It was phenomenal. I didn’t use the mojo, but I followed the secondary recipe in addition to the first part. So many compliments. I will use mojo next time for even more flavor. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Sonia

      September 23, 2019 at 11:22 am

      Oh! Good!!! I love to hear this Yolanda! I appreciate the feedback.

      Reply
  3. Tony L

    May 24, 2024 at 5:50 pm

    I love this. I used a can of pineapple chunks and some grapefruit juice. I also used all the spices plus some ground coriander. Roasting on a rack in the beginning is key, as is scoring the fat cap on the shoulder. The flavors are complex and every bite is succulent. This recipe is the perfect roadmap to the perfect meat, and it makes enough to share with all of your friends. If you don’t have all the ingredients, just read the recipe and make due! There’s salt, there’s acid, there’s spice, there’s umami. Use what you have and make it your own! It’s the perfect beginning to your own creation!

    Reply

Would Love to Hear From YouCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

Never Miss a Recipe

Get all the latest directly to your inbox

View Privacy Policy Before Subscribing

View our privacy policy

Mariscos-Seafood

Blackened Fish with Mango Salsa

Chilean Sea Bass in Adobo

chilean sea bass plated

Crispy Masa Crusted Shrimp and Poppers

popper with cheese and bacon filling

More Ceviche & Aguachile!

aguachile verde in a heart shaped cazuela

You might also like…

close up of longaniza taco

Tacos de Longaniza- Pork Sausage Tacos!

torta de jamon

Pan(Bread) Margaritas

Cazadores Tequila Añejo Cristalino

Cazadores Tequila Añejo Cristalino

Copyright © 2025 LA PIÑA EN LA COCINA

MENU & SEARCH
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Mexican at Heart
    • Media
  • Contact
  • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
452 shares
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie Settings Accept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Save & Accept
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d

      Rate This Recipe

      Your vote:




      A rating is required
      A name is required
      An email is required