Shredded Mexican Pork
This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This slow-cooked, Mexican Pork recipe is so tender, flavorful and just falls apart in shreds. Perfect for filling tacos, burritos, and nachos! Make it in the oven or crockpot. Enjoy stuffed into tacos or burritos with lots of salsa and guacamole!

Easiest Recipe for Mexican Pork
I big puffy heart love Mexican food. Mostly tacos. Lettuce tacos, actually. I seriously cannot get enough. Sometimes when I feel the tex-mex cravings running through my veins, I’ll scramble some eggs with onions, green peppers, and mushrooms and then top the whole thing with cheddar cheese and salsa. That and a little buttered toast and I’m in heaven. HEAVEN I tell you.
And THIS shredded Mexican Pork with some rice, black beans, and taco toppings is also heaven. So yummy and so darn easy that you could do this with your eyes closed.
This recipe could also be considered an untraditional carnitas recipe, though, you’ll definitely want to try my Traditional Carnitas Recipe first if that’s what you’re craving.
I cooked my Mexican pork in the oven but a crockpot (or pressure cooker!) would be a great option too. I think that’s all you need to know because this is the simplest Mexican Pork on planet earth. Oh, and did I mention this recipe contains like 5 ingredients. Hello, awesome dinner! Give this a whirl tonight 🙂

Main Ingredients Needed
That’s right, this ridiculously simple Mexican Pork recipe only needs 5 easy ingredients to make it. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Onions and Garlic – a classic combo that creates a great base flavor.
- Olive Oil – this is used to saute the onions and garlic and to brown the pork roast.
- Pork Roast – I love using a pork roast for this as opposed to a pork butt or shoulder. I love a good shoulder or butt as much as the next girl {wait…what?} but the pork roast is leaner and shreds nicely. Low fat is always good.
- Salt and Pepper – don’t forget to season! Seasoning while the pork is still raw and tender allows for the salt and pepper to penetrate all the way through the meat, making the whole thing even tastier.
- Green Enchilada Sauce – I use the brand with the palm trees on it… I don’t know if that helps you guys at all. Since this is the main flavor, make sure you pick a good one, ok? You can also use a red enchilada sauce if that’s your thing.
That’s it! Let’s get cookin’.

How to Make Mexican Pork
- Start by chopping half an onion. Is it just me or are all the onions at the store look like they’ve been dipping into the ‘roids?
- Mince up some garlic too. I love garlic.
- Now grab your pork roast out of the fridge and notice the black speck on it after you take a picture. Remove the speck and salt & pepper this big lovely baby.
- So, what you’re going to want to do is saute the onions and garlic in some oil–then once they are translucent, push them to the sides and sear the meat.
You want to get the meat brown on all the sides you can. Brown meat means yummy Carnitas! 🙂

- Once your meat has browned, transfer it to a baking dish OR put it into a warm crockpot {not a cold one!}.
- Find some yummy green enchilada sauce and slather the whole roast.
- Cover this with foil and bake at 225 for 2-3 hours. (Or cook in a crockpot on low for 4-6 hours or until mighty tender.) You basically cook this until it falls apart by just looking at it–super fork tender.
- Shred-it all up and leave it in that lovely cooking liquid until you’re ready to use it.
So, this is basically it. Suuuuuper simple Mexican Pork.

How to Serve Mexican Pork
Carnitas are fabulous in tacos, burritos, on nachos, in salads, or by the spoonful. Seriously tasty stuff right here.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerating: Any leftovers can be saved in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Frozen carnitas lasts up to 4 months in the freezer! As long as they are in a freezer-safe container, they should store perfectly.

More Meaty Recipes to Try!
For more Mexican meat recipes like this Mexican Pork, check out the recipes listed.
Printable recipe below. Have a great day, friends!

Slow Cooker Carnitas (Mexican Pork)
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1 1/2 lb. pork roast
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 1/4 cups green enchilada sauce good quality
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees or turn on crockpot to medium. Preheat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Saute onions for 2 minutes or until they start becoming translucent. Pour in minced garlic and cook another minute.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over pork liberally. Push onions and garlic to the edges of the pan and sear meat on all sides until brown.
- Transfer entire contents of the pan into a baking dish with high sides. Pour enchilada sauce over top, cover with foil and bake for 2-3 hours or until meat is fork-tender. Shred pork and serve in tacos, burritos, on nachos, etc.
Pulled pork is a favorite around here. Love the idea of using enchilada sauce!
Hey – do we share a brain? Or a stomach? Or have some weird telepathy or something?? You keep making these dishes I am dreaming about. This looks fabulous – and I absolutely LOVE how easy it is. This is perfect for marathon school/activity nights! Thanks for such a great recipe!
We love Mexican food, too, and this sounds delicious. I cannot wait to try it out for Tuesday Tacos soon.
That looks amazing! I’ve been craving some Mexican food lately, and this looks like it would hit the spot and have amazing leftovers. I love that it can be done so easily in the oven, which would be nice since I haven’t gotten my hands on a crock pot yet.
Thanks so much for sharing this!
This looks amazing. I’m always looking for other ways to prepare pork.
yes, please! This would surely be a husband pleaser!
This looks delicious! Definitely adding this to our dinner menu for next week! Simple, delicious and tasty. Can’t beat that! 🙂
Oooo I will have a happy mister tonight with this little gem. Off to brave the elements to pick up the ingredients right now. (yah not to bring anyone in arctic places down but San Diego cold is a relative term and I’m freezing my kishkas off here!)
I also don’t have a crock pot so I like recipes that i can cook slowly in the oven! Love mexican flavours too so this is right up my street.
Looks easy and delicious!
What a delicious and simple weeknight recipe, Lauren! This looks so flavorful and delicious – not to mention warm for those cold winter nights! Thanks for sharing.
O.
M.
G.
Y.
E.
S.
I’m with you on the Mexican food love! I have to try this (and you have to get a crockpot!! :))
Tons of Mexican food is consumed in our house as well. Love the cooking method on this…so simple!
Looks fabulous! I love Mexican food SO much, but I haven’t made shredded pork in ages! I love it in crepes with a poblano sauce. Yummmmm!
love it! Looks great 🙂
yumm! I love Mexican flavors with shredded pork. It’s the best with tacos and enchiladas!
I am SO with you! I had taco salad for lunch yesterday and a quesadilla for dinner last night!
Cannot wait to try this! Thanks!
Thank you for such mouth watering, tongue tingling, appetite squelching recipes! I recently discovered your blog (thank you Pinterest) and am now an everyday reader. My cooking repertoire is greatly expanded (and my husbands waistline) thanks to you!
I made this for the in-laws for dinner last night,everyone loved it. We all said it was even better than we thought it would be. I used my LeCruset heavy pan so I could brown the meat and do the onions all in one pan then put the cover on it and put it in the oven. Soooooooo good! Thanks Lauren!
[…] these purdy little enchiladas. Full of porky cheesy green chile-y goodness. And, if you have this pork made ahead of time, they come together in a snap! Also, this recipe makes about 24–2 pans […]
Would red enchilada sauce work instead of the green?
Can you tell me what brand of green enchilada sauce you use?
I don’t remember the brand but it’s the green can with the palm trees….los palmas or something?
Robert from Nampa. Glad to see you and the fam and all your postings. Just love em. Keep it up kiddo. Just to steer you in the right direction regarding the Brand name you seem to have forgotten; if you translate “the palm trees” into Spanish you get Las Palmas. Bingo, yes? Love your sweets postings but rats, I recently found out I’m diabetic now. Oh well, I can still just look! Bye now.
Why is it that when I get to the last ingredient it’s one we don’t have overhere in The Netherlands. And I can’t figure out something simular and international to replace it. 🙁
I prefer to do this in a large oval shaped slow cooker. How long should I cook this for on low? I plan to use this as a filling with some Monterey Jack cheese topped with more sauce, shredded cheese, diced red onion and black olives. Thanks so much and no kitchen is complete without a slow cooker.
Did you use a pork loin roast or pork roast?
Pork loin, or tenderloin. Not a pork shoulder or butt.
I’m looking forward to making this. We love green chile and pork so this will be great for us. I have made several of your recipes. Thanks!
sometimes pork roast is mostly white meat which can be drier than dark. Do you usually use pork roast that’s mostly white or dark?I use pork shoulder roast/butt & slow cook it in oven or crock pot seasoned with spice to make pulled pork & sometimes the white meat portion is harder to shred.
Silly question would I cook this in the crockpot? I might of missed it. Thank you in advance
Thanks Lauren, I can’t wait to try this recipe. I see tacos in my near future.
Looks so good!
I am looking forward to trying this in the crockpot!
This looks so simple and delicious to make and you can freeze it for later which is a huge plus. Thanks for the recipe I look forward to trying it.
I made this several weeks ago. Super yummy!
My husband and son would love this! I pinned it to try after the holidays.
I want to try this!!
This looks yummy and I want to try it soon!
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Looks yummy!
Can’t wait to try!!
Seriously, this recipe is myyyyyy faaaaaavorrite!! Yum yum yum! I have followed you for a while now and love following your family…and yum-oh recipes! You make living in NYC look so dreamy! 🙂
This looks perfect. I need to make it soon.
Yum! I need to do this for our next taco night!
I’ll definitely have to make this soon… I’ve been making beef tacos a lot lately but they’re getting a little old. I could use a change of pace, and this looks amazing!
This looks so good and easy to make! Looking forward to trying this for some nachos for football watching parties this season!
[…] Mexican Pork […]
I definitely want to try this.
Yummy! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Will this recipe work with red enchilada sauce?
yes!