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slow cooker pork carnitas
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Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

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!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: crock pot, crock pot pulled pork, mexican, pork, slow cooker, slow cooker pulled pork, tacos

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

You can also crisp the pork on the baking sheet in the oven under broiler for 5 minutes or until crispy