Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
by Chungah
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The easiest carnitas you will ever make in the crockpot. Cooked low and slow for the most amazing fall-apart tender goodness! Yes, please!
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Why you’ll love slow cooker pork carnitas
- Feeds a crowd. This recipe feeds a big crowd, great for entertaining, weekend company or gifting to new parents or a loved one recovering from surgery.
- Great summertime recipe (as well as the rest of the year). Keep your kitchen cool during the hot summer months! The slow cooker allows for no fuss, hands-free cooking without warming up the kitchen.
- Versatile recipe. Pork carnitas can be served as tacos, burritos, salads, grain bowls, nachos and so much more. The sky is the limit here.
- Make-ahead convenience. This is one of those great slow cooker recipes where you can prep everything the night before and throw it right in the crockpot just before leaving for work. And when you get home, you’ll have the most tender, juicy pulled pork. So effortless, so good.
- Freezer-friendly. Pork carnitas can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, perfect for meal prep for those busy weeknights, thawing overnight and reheating in a pan for a quick and easy dinner.
What is carnitas? What is the best cut of meat for carnitas?
Pork carnitas
Carnitas is a Mexican pork dish from Michoacán, and translates to “little meats” in Spanish and often times described as Mexican pulled pork. Carnitas is traditionally slow cooked until incredibly tender and falling apart, using heavily marbled (inexpensive) pork butt or pork shoulder, then shredded and roasted until the edges are caramelized and crispy.
Best cut of meat
Pork shoulder is typically best for carnitas due to its high fat content, containing enough fat to stay moist during long cooking times, yielding tender, juicy meat when cooked low and slow (especially in the slow cooker).
How to make slow cooker pork carnitas
- Season the pork shoulder. Combine all the dry spices together first, then rub the mixture all around the pork.
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Add everything to the slow cooker – garlic, onions, orange and lime juices along with the well seasoned pork.
- Cook on low heat. Cover and cook for 8 hours, or until the pork is extremely tender and easily shreds with a fork (there should be no resistance when shredding). If the pork is not shredding easily, it will need more time to cook. Freeze or store as needed here, crisping up just before serving.
- Make it crispy. Heat the broiler to high heat, placing a rack 6 inches from the broiler. Broil the shredded pork on a sheet pan in a single layer with some of the leftover cooking juices until crispy and caramelized.
- Serve. Serve carnitas as tacos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas or nachos.
storage and freezing pork carnitas
Storage
Leftover carnitas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezing
Portion the meat into plastic freezer bags in individual servings with some of the leftover cooking fat and liquid (to prevent it from drying out), squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
Reheating
Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating in the oven at 350°F or in a skillet (adding a splash of broth or water if the meat looks dry) until warmed through and crispy.
What to serve with slow cooker pork carnitas
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas: Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe works very well with pork shoulder or pork butt due to its fat marbling (the high fat content helps keep the meat moist and flavorful) as well as its easy shredding capabilities.
Yes! If you do not have a broiler or want to crisp up just a small batch of carnitas, cook the shredded pork in a hot cast iron skillet over medium high heat until crispy.
Absolutely! Cook and shred the pork ahead of time, storing as needed (fridge or freezer) and broil just before serving for crispy, tender goodness.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! We have a recipe for that here.
We have an easy 30 minute stovetop recipe here!
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 pound pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 onions, quartered
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Season pork shoulder with spice mixture, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides.
- Place garlic, onions, orange juice, lime juice and seasoned pork shoulder into a 6-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Remove pork shoulder from the slow cooker and shred the meat before returning to the pot with the juices; season with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed. Cover and keep warm for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to broil. Place carnitas onto a baking sheet with some of the cooking fat and liquid, and broil until crisp and crusted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use the right size crockpot. A 6-qt slow cooker is ideal for this recipe. If the slow cooker is too small, the pork may not cook evenly. If the slow cooker is too large, the liquid may cook down too quickly, causing the pork to burn.
- Avoid lean meats. Opt for pork shoulder or pork butt, avoiding lean meats such as pork tenderloin or pork chops (lean cuts tend to dry out).
- Make it crispy. Broiling is essential for perfectly browned, crispy edges. Broil the shredded pork, about 6 inches from the broiler, in a single layer on a sheet pan with some of the leftover cooking juices until crispy and caramelized. Watch carefully as the pork can quickly burn under the broiler!
- Make ahead of time, but skip the broil. When making ahead of time, shred the meat and store as needed, broiling just before serving.
- Meal prep for the week. This recipe is ideal for big batch cooking! Repurpose the leftover pork throughout the busy weeknights for tacos, quesadillas, burrito bowls and salads.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Let the carnitas cool completely. Portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings with some of the leftover cooking fat and liquid to prevent the meat from drying out. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating in the oven or stovetop until crispy.
Did you make this recipe?
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This is delicious! Though I found that broiling dried out the meat too much for our taste so the 2nd time we made it, heated a little oil in a large skillet and browned the meat that way. It still got nice and crispy (don’t stir it, just let it brown on the bottom) but not dry. One of our favorite crock pot meals! We made it with both shoulder and loin cuts of meat. Both turned out great – I preferred the loin simply for less fat throughout.
Hi Chungah,
I’m literally writing this as my husband is watching the latest episode of The Walking Dead. I’m a working mom with young kids who enjoys cooking, and out of desperation, we bought a slow cooker hoping that it would help us find the time to make weeknight dinners. We broke in our slow cooker with this carnitas recipe, cooked it for 2 hours on high, and then 4 hours on low. I was skeptical about the cooker even working, but it did indeed. This recipe is delicious. I am so excited about our carnitas tacos this week. We are trying out the Honey Sesame Chicken next. I never post comments on anything, but I had to. Thank you so much! Please keep sharing more slow cooker recipes!
d.
Would the recipe be as good if I used a pork loin?
Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. Please use your best judgment.
I’ve made it with both. The loin is definitely less fatty and was my preference. My husband liked the shoulder but I think he’s weird. LOL
This is currently in my crockpot & smells fantastic! My question is do you set to high or low broil?
Either option will work – it just depends on how closely you are watching them 🙂
Does this Pork Carnitas recipe work with Pork Sirloin Roast as well?
I have not tried this with sirloin roast myself so I can’t really say with certainty – please use your best judgment.
Making these tomorrow after reading all the wonderful comments – so excited! Using a 2 1/2 lb bone-in pork shoulder and orange juice in lieu of actual oranges (don’t feel like going to store). Will report results!
Made the carnitas this weekend. Turned out sooooo good! Meat fell apart coming out of crock pot & was super tender. Used boneless pork shoulder strips & little cuties & finished in pan on stove-top. These were the only modifications. Lots of left overs to freeze for my family for a quick weeknight meal. Printed the recipe cuz its a keeper!! Thank-you!
Looks and sounds amazing. Can I use a taco packet for the spices instead? Or do you think that it might over-power the pork flavor too much. Just curious. Thank you!
I think it would be a great substitute for the spices!
My family and I love this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Hello,
I bought a bone-in pork shoulder. Will I be able to make this work for the recipe? Do you think I should debone it before cooking it?
Yes, bone-in pork should work just fine, and you can really debone before or after – it’s up to you!
When in doubt always buy meat with the bone in. That is where the flavor is. You can de-bone this Butt with 2 fingers after 8 hrs. it will be that tender.
This recipe came out perfectly – we loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
These were ABSOLUTELY amazing. Thank you so much. This is the first thing I’ve ever made in the slow cooker that I liked. Fantastic.
The garlic and onion aren’t addressed after putting them in the crockpot. Do you leave them in for that additional 30 minutes that the carnitas is back in the crockpot?
Lilly, the garlic and onion are cooked down during this entire process and inevitably combines with the carnitas.
I have huge pieces of onion & the whole clove of garlic. You say it “combines” but I don’t know if you mean that I should mince the cooked onions/garlic and put that in the oven too????
You can discard the onions/garlic prior to broiling the pork.
This recipe is great, I used pork shoulder butt and doubled ingredients as the roast was 8lbs. the 8lbs fed family and I that night and the rest went on camping trip that weekend everyone loved the carnitas. Thanks for the great recipe.
Wow, made these last week and they were terrific! I used country style boneless ribs and cooked them for 6 hours on low and they came out juicy and perfect. Always love your recipes as they make me look like a star!
Chungah, thanks for the great recipe. I made this two nights ago and it was fantastic. I made a couple minor tweaks for my own needs. (I used 6 cloves of garlic, 2/3 c bottles orange juice, and 4 TBS bottle lime juice, and I didn’t finish it in the oven because I prefer the moist texture. I also added the cooked onions, garlic, and 5 large spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to the meat and shredded it all together in a large bowl.) I served mine with cilantro, a little pico, and cotija cheese. Yum, yum, yum. 🙂
Great recipe! This was my first time making carnitas and they turned out perfect!
I have made carnitas in the oven before and they turned out great, but the crock pot makes amazing carnitas, thank you!!! No muss, no fuss. Fabulous when you have a carnitas craving in the summer and don’t want to heat up the house! I also add a couple of cinnamon sticks to the mix. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe, everyone LOVES it! I thoroughly enjoy your blog.
I started these yesterday morning but, since I could only find an 8lb pork shoulder and had to double the recipe, it took longer to cook than I expected and it wasn’t ready before we had to leave for an orchestra concert. I shredded it when we got home and put it back in the crockpot on warm overnight to sit in all those yummy flavors. I strained and drained it this morning and put it in the fridge until I crisped it up for dinner tonight. This is the first of about a jillion of your recipes that I pinned a couple days ago and it is fantastic. I served ours on corn tortillas with sour cream, limes, cilantro, avocados, and fresh onions. The best part is that I have another batch that I can freeze and break out again in a week or so for another meal. A+
I have to say, I came back to this page just to tell everyone how delicious this recipe is. I don’t even like mexican food, but my husband and friends from out of town do, so I made this last night for 4 adults. All 4 lbs were devoured by lunch today, and I certainly did my part. Our guests are staying us for the week and requested I make it at least once more before they leave.