Easy Low-Fat Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas

Step 1

Trim fat off meat and pat dry.

Step 2

Cut into chunks, 3-4 inches long. (This helps the pieces be shorter later like carnitas.)

Step 3

Season liberally all over with season-salt and sear on all sides in a hot pan with cooking spray to lock in flavor. Get a nice brown crust on it.

Step 4

Move to a crock pot and cover with the salsa, garlic, and onion and cook for 4-6 hours or until tender. Shred it and toss in juices. (I like to pull out my chunks and shred them in a new dish then pour a little more than half of the liquid over it.  Toss in those juices and then proceed to fry it up.

Step 5

OR for instant pot: Season meat, sear in instant pot on sautee setting, then cover with salsa mixture, seal lid and vent, press manual, and up to 45 minutes. When it's done, let it naturally release for 10-15 minutes, then open the vent , then lid when it lets you easily.

Step 6

***You can use the meat like this, or spread it on a pan and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes to get some crispy pieces, more like authentic carnitas. OR... my favorite way (AND THE ONLY WAY WE DO IT NOW... AND FOR SURE WITH ANY LEFTOVERS) is just crisp up as much as you need in a hot fry pan.  Quicker than the oven and SOO good when it gets a good brown on it!