Carnitas means 'little meats' and is traditionally fried then braised. This recipe is made much easier using the slow cooker but the results are just as tasty. This makes a great filling for tamales, enchiladas, tacos and burritos. This filling is also great combined with your favorite barbecue sauce and served on buns.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

salt

garlic powder

cumin

oregano

coriander

cinnamon

pork shoulder roast

bay leaves

chicken broth

Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.


Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.


As the aroma of this wafted through the house I just knew we were in for something good and boy, were we! I doubled the amount of spices but left out the cinnamon, and used 4 big cloves of minced, fresh garlic instead of the garlic powder.  I cut the roast into large chunks so the spices could penetrate the meat better and it worked like a charm. Finally, to make these more authentic, after shredding the meat into smaller chunks I spread it out in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and baked it in a 400 degree oven about 20 minutes, just long enough to crisp the exterior of the meat. Great on it's own, but in a tortilla with a little of the "Avocado Salad with Bacon and Sour Cream" this was just over the top good. The meat was tender and perfectly seasoned, keeping in mind, however, that I doubled up on the spices. We are looking forward to having the leftovers again tomorrow night!

GREAT!! The recipe is very similar to the one that one was given to me. I add several sprigs of fresh cilantro to the broth in which the pork is simmering. Also at the end, break apart the pork into large chunks and place in a pan with some of the broth and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. This step gets the edges crispy and resembles the authentic style carnitas which is usually fried in lard.

This was absolutely DELICIOUS! After reading some of the reviews, I tripled the spice mix and added chilli powder for heat- I also had a bigger pork roast than was specified. It is virtually no work whatsoever and the pork literally fell apart as I was taking it out of the slow cooker.

I let the whole thing cook for 10 hours on a Saturday and then shredded the pork, skimmed the fat off the broth and boiled the broth down. I then added 1/4 cup of chili sauce and 2 tbsp sugar and poured the sauce over the pork.

Served the whole thing as part of a make-your-own taco bar for my boyfriend's birthday and not a bit was leftover!

Amazing! my husband likes these better than chipotle. Since some reviewers said the seasoning didn't permeate the entire roast, I cut it into quarters or sometimes a little smaller and then apply the rub. I use a two pound roast with one 14oz can of chicken broth and the stated amt of seasoning. So if I were using a 4 lb roast I would probably double the rub.

mmmm, these were so good and the house smelled great, as well.  when my daughter came home, the first words out of her mouth were, ''what smells so good?!''  the meat falls apart and has the most interesting flavor, i think created by the addition of the cinnamon. i tripled all the spices, with the exception of the cinnamon, which i only doubled, and i thought that was the perfect amount--def. present without being over-powering. i also subbed Mexican oregano from my garden for the reg. variety. Last, i sliced half an onion and threw that in as well. !ole! p.s.  i didn't bother with turning the meat. there's really no need to.

I made this recipe with the suggestion to double up on the spices except for the cinnamon, but the cinnamon really ruined this recipe and it was too salty for my taste.  I liked the other spices and will make again using water and absolutely no cinnamon.  

I usually make carnitas in a pot on the stove and it always comes out great.  However, since I just bought a slow cooker I thought it would be so nice to try it this way since I wouldn't have to be home in order for it to cook.  It came out awesome!  I took another reviewer's advice and cooked it for 6 hours instead of 10.  (I've got one of those crock pots that gives you the option of 4-6-8 or 10 hours, and it automatically adjusts the temp based on how many hours you put in.)  The seasoning was great although once I shredded the meat I did add some salt for some extra flavor.  The leftovers were still nice and tender too.  Thanks for the recipe!!

Followed advice as given by "naples34102".  Liked it so much, I'm making it again for company.  Super moist.***Review Update:  I've made this 5 times now and it's been consistently fantastic until this last time.  It was a little bit drier and slightly more chewy.  I cooked this batch from a previously FROZEN rump roast and will NEVER FREEZE the meat again!  Why spoil perfection!

I quickly ran out of rub the first time I made these, so I have learned to triple the amount of rub the recipe calls for.  So tender and flavorful.  Very economical and can eat on this for days.  Served with tortillas, tomatillo salsa, mexican crumbly queso, chopped tomatoes & onions, and sour cream.  Got rave reviews from everyone.

Make an amazing slow-cooked pork filling for tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.

slow cooker carnitas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Total: 10 hours, 10 minutes

Servings: 10

Cost: $3.05 /serving

Author : Erin Parker

Ingredients

Instructions

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