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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I have 4 lbs of New York style pork chops that I need to use up can I substitute them instead of the shoulder
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I’ve made these many times now and my family just eats it up. We love it! Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Hello. Do place the meat on top of the liquids and onions or are we supposed to cover the meat with liquid?
The pork will not be fully covered with liquid when it is first added to the slow cooker.
Hi! I love your recipes. I am just trying to figure out how much to make. I am planning to make this for a party of about 15 people and I will also have tamales and lots of sides. Do you think I should get two shoulders and have both my crock pots going? Or is a 4 pounder enough to feed a big group?
Also my broiler is a bit unpredictable so I was thinking of “crispifying” it in a stainless pan with a little olive oil, probably in batches?
Would super appreciate your thoughts! Thanks
It’s hard to say – it may be best to double the recipe just in case but as always, please use your best judgment. Hope that helps!
I love this recipe but I’m kind of wanting to try doing it in the instant pot pressure cooker, has anyone tried that?? I am new to instant pot so I’m not sure how to go about it!
I just did this recipe with instant pot a couple nights ago. My meat was 5.2 lbs, and I trimmed at least 1 lb off of it in fat. I followed this recipe exactly (2 oranges, 2 limes, 2 onions, 4 garlics) except I used a Mccormick’s packet of seasoning that said “Pork Carnitas” (which looks like it had basically the same spices in this recipe). I put it in on manual high for 75 minutes. It was too long, but we still smashed it because the flavors are amazing! Next time I will try 60 minutes.
This recipe is delicious!!!! I have made pork carnitas several times and always been quite underwhelmed. I was at the point of giving up and just going back to southern pulled pork, but then I found this great recipe. It is so good, and the addition of the orange juice gave it such a nice zing. As I was short of an orange I added the rind and also squeezed some lime on the meat just before serving. The broiling of the meat also enhanced the texture and flavor with the caramelization. Thanks so much for this, a keeper of a recipe.
I’ve made these following this recipe many times now. I love the simplicity of this recipe, very little prep time required but the results are always amazing!
Thank you Chungah!
This is one of our favorites! I love your recipes and the way you explain them. You are teaching me to be a good cook, Thank You!!!!
Hi! This is so so good! I was wondering how the carb count could possibly be that high though? Does that include a tortilla?
As I am not a registered dietician, I cannot answer with certainty. Sorry! And no, it does not include tortilla.
I’ve got a 4lb bone-in pork shoulder that I’d like to use for this recipe. Will I need to change the cooking time and/or method? Or just follow the instructions as they’re written? Not sure if the bone changes things… thanks!
It should be relatively the same. But as always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
ive made this many times already and this recipe has not failed me! my husband prefers this recipe over the local mexican restaurants, i make this at least 2 x a month, thank you for sharing your recipes with us!
Best carnitas I have ever made. The flavors were great and broiling it at the end was money. I made some Spanish spiced rice, roasted sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli and zucch, added the pork in a bowl and topped with avocado, cilantro and fresh salsa. Thanks from me and my family for this great recipe!
YUM! Broiling now but I snuck a piece of meat while shredding…so juicy and flavorful! Thanks for all the great recipes, we love Damn Delicious at our house! <3
This will be brief, as I have a big ol’ pile of pork waiting for me – This pork is AMAZING. I will be cooking this frequently. Now I need to go eat.
Making this for the third time. So delicious. I do one thing different. After juicing oranges and lime I put the whole thing in the crock to cook. Juiced rinds add a great boost
I have made this recipe once a month for a couple of years now – it is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Chungah 🙂
Absolutely delicious, and so easy! Came out perfect, thanks so much for the great recipe!
Just made tonight. Delish. Would you recommend freezing the leftovers in the juices and then just following the broiling part of the recipe when I make it again?
Yes!
Can I wait and keep on warm?
Yes.
Thank you for this recipe. I made this for guests this week as I was intrigued at the simple ingredients. For chili powder, I used a Chipotle Morita (which gave it wonderful fragrant flavor) and added a dash of cinnamon to the rub. Also, rather than broil the meat afterwards (I found that step to be unnecessary for this meal) we put it in a heated dish, added some of the onions from the slow cooker and some hot juice and served in warm homemade corn tortillas (made 10 mins ahead) with avocado, pickled red onion, caramelized onion (made ahead) tomatillo salsa (made fresh) and goat cheese with cilantro garnish. It was devoured by our guests.
High quality natural pork is the key, I cooked on low for 8-9 hours on low, used only one large onion sliced 1/4 inch, used juice from only one lime. It came out fork tender.
With the juice left over, I skimmed of the fat (saved aside for leftovers) reduced the juices it down to a cup or less on the stove, then froze the concentrated reduction in ice cube tray to save for future flavor boost.
This recipe is a winner!