Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
by Chungah
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
The easiest carnitas you will ever make in the crockpot. Cooked low and slow for the most amazing fall-apart tender goodness! Yes, please!
Featured Comment
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This is one of my favorite recipes! Over the last year I started making it the instant pot on high instead of slow cooking. Cook time of 45 mins plus pressure build up and release times. The best carnitas I’ve ever had in under an hour! Thanks for another great recipe!
thank you for IP info
Great recipe. I didn’t do the broiling step right. 1- Do you remove the onion before returning the shredded pork to the pot?
2- Should I drain the pork well before broiling or keep some juice with it? 3-Do you broil in batches? For 4 lbs of pork, your picture shows the pork is not crowded on the tray. 4- Do you broil with the tray on the 1st highest level rack or 2nd level rack? I will make some correction next time sand my pork will be PERFECT.
Thank
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!