Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas are slow-cooked with for hours with a blend of Mexican inspired spices and citrus juice to become tender and full of flavor!
The pork is then pulled and crisped in a skillet or oven to be added to tortillas or burrito bowls!
With a prep time of just 10 minutes, you can easily have these pork carnitas on the table by dinner time with little effort!
Adobe Sauce, Citrus, and Toppings
The flavor of this simple slow cooker pork roast carnitas is so yummy and good! Who knew that the combination of cumin, oregano, and garlic would send your taste buds over the top!
If you’re craving a new Mexican dish for Taco Tuesday, this is the one for you.
And since your crockpot gets to do all the work for you, you’ll actually have some time to sit and rest, too.
This simple meal for the family is literally always a hit!
INGREDIENTS + VARIATIONS
Pork Roast
Using a pork roast is what makes this meat so tender. It’s easy to cook, holds flavor extremely well, and shreds up quite nicely once slow cooked in the crockpot. I use a pork shoulder for this recipe. Just like Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, this slow cooker recipe uses a fattier cut of meat to become tender and full of flavor after it’s cooked.
Spices
The blend of spices are perfect for taking this roast recipe from blah to AMAZING!
Adobo Pepper
For an added kick!
Orange & Lime Juice
Adding in the citrus juices to this simple carnitas recipe brings out a fun citrus flavor that takes this roast over the top!
Dr. Pepper Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Dr. Pepper Crock Pot Pulled Pork is another awesome recipe using pork in the slow cooker. And the flavor of this recipe is too good to pass up!
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER PORK CARNITAS
1. Whisk
In a small bowl, whisk together the dried oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper
2. Season
Rub seasoning mixture onto pork shoulder on all sides
3. Add
Add onion, garlic, orange juice and peel, lime juice and chipotle pepper to slow cooker
Place pork on top
4. Cook
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until internal temperature is 145 degrees F
Remove pork from slow cooker onto a cutting board, let cool slightly
5. Shred
Shred pork with forks
6. Heat
Heat oil in a skillet on stove ** see tips for success below
7. Cook in skillet
Add pork and some of the juice from the slow cooker
Turn often to brown the pork until juices have evaporated and pork is nicely browned
Repeat with more pork if your skillet doesn’t hold all of it
8. Serve
Serve immediately with tortillas and toppings
Store leftovers in the refrigerator
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- You can also crisp the pork on the baking sheet in the oven under the broiler for 5 minutes or until crispy.
- If you have meat leftover, add to your freezer for later.
- Add in as many toppings as you want for the ultimate burrito bowl or salad!
EASY PORK RECIPES
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound pork shoulder, trimmed slightly
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup of orange juice
- 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons oil - vegetable or canola
Serving
- Tortillas and toppings
- Buns
- Lettuce wraps
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dried oregano, cumin, salt and pepper
- Rub seasoning mixture onto pork shoulder on all sides
- Add onion, garlic, orange juice and peel, lime juice and chipotle pepper to slow cooker
- Place pork on top
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until internal temperature is 145 degrees F
- Remove pork from slow cooker onto cutting board, let cool slightly
- Shred pork with forks
- Heat oil in skillet on stove ** see notes
- Add pork and some of the juice from the slow cooker
- Turn often to brown the pork until juices have evaporated and pork is nicely browned
- Repeat with more pork if your skillet doesn’t hold all of it
- Serve immediately with tortillas and toppings
- Store leftovers in refrigerator
Notes
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