Slow cooker pork carnitas is slow cooked pork that is pulled apart and then broiled until there are both crispy and tender pieces. My recipe is super easy and gives the perfect slow cooker pork carnitas. You could also use a pressure cooker like an instant pot if you wanted to speed up the cooking process but I believe low and slow is the best way.
Its ssoooooo good and can be used with warm tortillas in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or on its on with sides. After I made this I actually put some to the side and skipped the broiling step and mixed it with BBQ sauce and had pulled pork for sandwiches. Making slow cooker pork carnitas are so easy and there are many possibilities to make with the pork when it's done.
Slow Cooker Carnitas Ingredients
Pork- Pork butt which is actually pork shoulder is the best cut of pork to use for this recipe. If you have a boneless skinless piece, that would be great. In this recipe I had a skin on bone-in pork shoulder. Just remove the skin before placing in the pot. The meat will fall right off the bone when done so no need for butchering. I would not use pork loin because it is lean and the higher fat content of the pork shoulder is what brings a lot of the flavor and breaks down over the slow cooking time.
Citrus- Used for both flavor and tenderizing the meat. Lime juice and orange juice is used and fresh is always best.
Aromatics- White onion, garlic, bay leaves, and seasonings.
Let's Make This Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Recipe
Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder.
In a small bowl combine all the seasonings to make a rub.
Poke holes in the pork shoulder with a knife. Stuff the garlic into the holes and then season all of the pork meat with the seasoning blend rubbing it in.
Place pork in slow cooker seasoned side down and repeat the seasoning steps above for the other side. Arrange onions around the pork and pour orange juice, lime juice, and chicken broth over top.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours on low.
Take pork out and shred with two forks. You may need to use a slotted spoon to get out some of the pork from the crock pot that has broken away because it will be super tender.
Add shredded pork to a foil lined baking sheet / sheet pan in one layer. Ladle some of the cooking liquid (about 1/3 cup) from slow cooker depending on how big the baking sheet is. You want the meat to be moist but not drowning in the liquid.
Broil for 5- 10 minutes carefully watching so that it doesn't burn. You just want to get crispy edges.
Different Ways To Use Crispy Pork Carnitas
- Burrito Bowls
- Mexican Pizzas
- Loaded Nachos
- Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Quesadillas
More Recipes You May Enjoy
- Mexican Style Street Corn (Elote)
- Birria Quesa Tacos with Consommé
- Spicy Jalapeno Margarita
- Beef and Cheese Empanadas
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6-7 lbs pork shoulder skinless and boneless
- 2 oranges juiced, 3/4 cup
- 1 lime juiced, 1/4 cup
- 7 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder.
- In a small bowl combine all the seasonings to make a rub.
- Poke holes in the pork shoulder with a knife. Stuff the garlic into the holes and then season all of the pork meat with the seasoning blend rubbing it in.
- Place pork in slow cooker seasoned side down and repeat the seasoning steps above for the other side. Arrange onions around the pork and pour orange juice, lime juice, and chicken broth over top. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours on low.
- Take pork out and shred with two forks. You may need to use a slotted spoon to get out some of the pork from the crock pot that has broken away because it will be super tender.
- Add shredded pork to a foil lined baking sheet / sheet pan in one layer. Ladle some of the cooking liquid (about 1/3 cup) from slow cooker depending on how big the baking sheet is. You want the meat to be moist but not drowning in the liquid.
- Broil for 5- 10 minutes carefully watching so that it doesn't burn. You just want to get crispy edges.
Video
Leave a Reply