Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
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The easiest carnitas you will ever make right in the crockpot, cooked low and slow for the most amazing fall-apart tender pork goodness!
Have you joined The Walking Dead fan club yet? The season premier is on Sunday night and they’ve been playing every single episode from start to finish on AMC for this premier. And even though I’ve already watched all the episodes, I’m still hooked.
There’s just something about creepy zombies that leaves you in front of the tv. That and Norman Reedus, his poncho, and his bow and arrow. But I digress. Zombies or not, it’s officially fall and the slow cooker is being put to very good use in these epic carnitas. After all, you can’t go wrong when you let this baby cook in all its glory for 8 hours.
You can even prep everything the night before and put it in the slow cooker right before leaving for work. And when you get home, you’ll have the most tender, most juicy pulled pork ever. Although I highly recommend finishing this under the broiler, letting these babies get nicely caramelized.
I should also mention that this recipe creates enough to feed an army so be prepared to have tacos, quesadillas and burritos all week long!
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
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
Equipment
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 and broil until crisp and crusted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Video
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This was absolutely delicious and easy. I was worried the oven was going to dry the meat out, but it was crisp on the outside and remained super juicy on the inside.
I have a 3 pound boneless pork roast in my freezer, would this cut of meat work or is it too lean. Or what would you suggest to keep it moist.
These were so easy and so delicious! I would highly recommend them. This was the first time I tried a recipe from this site and was so happy with the carnitas that this will be one of my go to sites for looking for recipes.
Can anyone tell me…if you don’t have very
Much liquid (only covering the bottom
Of the roast), can you add water???
Ty
Don’t add water. The pork creates more than enough juice. Adding water might take away flavor.
If you ABSOLUTELY needed more liquid, try adding more orange/lime juice, or even beer. But the pork will have plenty of moisture in the meat itself, so you shouldn’t need too much extra.
I keep coming back to this recipe! I love the simple and fresh ingredients. I fry it on the stove in batches but I’ll try it in the broiler this time. I usually add jalapeños in cooler to give it some spice.
I made theses as directed except I pit the lime in the pot after squeezing. They were delicious. Please do not skip the broiling step. I also skimmed the fat from the broth and added it to canned refried beans. Delish. Since there was a lot of broth, I’m going to make spanish rice using it next time
I have made this recipe a handful of times now and it is hands down the best carnitas recipe I have ever used. The meat is so flavorful and tender. I have found that this recipe is also very forgiving. If you don’t have one of the spices or as much as you need it is still really tasty. I always serve mine with corn tortillas, homemade salsa, and sliced avocado. I would love to try making enchiladas with this recipe. Thank you for this recipe, you are a goddess.
We love this recipe! For a party, I’m going to try cooking in the slow cooker the day before, then storing in the fridge and reheating/crisping up in the oven. Has anyone else done this? What time and temp for the oven, do you think?
Easy and delicious!
Thanks for the recipe! Looks great!! What do you think the oven temp and cooking times would be in Dutch oven? 🙂
The first time I made this I cooked it on high for 4 hours and it was too tough to shred. The second time I put it on low for 8 hours and it was perfect. So easy. And my picky boys love it!
Ive made this recipe a few times before.. it is definitely a family fave! Tonight.. i was looking through the comments to see if anyone has tried making them in an instant pot.. i was wondering the time difference.. if some one has tried, they didn’t leave a comment.. so, i will test my own theory..
You can try this recipe instead, Katrina:
https://damndelicious.net/2018/09/07/instant-pot-pork-carnitas/. 🙂
Did you test IP? I see one above since your post and wondered if you agree w 45 min and 15 min SR?
I’m trying this for the first time. May just go ahead and go with the slow cooker. Thanks for any Instant Pot versions!
Louann
GREAT RECIPE! I have made various slow cooker pulled pork / carnitas recipes over time, and this one is officially at the top of my list now! So glad to have found it! I did my pork on high for 5 hours and it came out PERFECT. It was so tender because of the orange-lime-based liquid, I was able to use a fork to shred the pork. Put it back in the crock pot with the juice and it was amazing. This will be my go-to recipe from here on out, thank you!
This was easy and delicious. I use it for my pulled pork tacos. My family loves it.
This is a family favorite. I have made it many times and for many people and it’s always a hit!
Could not have been easier!!! My guy said one of the best meals I’ve made!!! ❣️
If I use a bone in pork roast do I need to adjust the cooking time?
Yes, cooking time may need to be adjusted.
My family and friends LOVE this recipe! It takes a while to cook but most definitely worth the wait!
This was delicious!
This is my go to recipe when I have a pork shoulder i need to use. The ingredients are usually always on hand and super easy to put together. Toss it in the slow cooker and it’s good to go! My absolute favorite part is the trick of putting it on a baking sheet to crisp properly. I’ve done this in a pan and it takes way too long to crisp what I need. The broiler is the perfect solution. Meat will crisp at the edges but remain juicy inside. Definitely a must try!!!