crockpot carnitas

These are the easiest crockpot carnitas and simple enough for anyone to make! Juicy, flavorful, and perfectly browned with a crispy crust.

Easy Crockpot Carnitas

pork shoulder

garlic

salt

cumin

chili powder

black pepper

oregano

cinnamon

cayenne pepper

chipotle hot sauce (optional)

limes

orange juice

beer (a standard lager works great

salsa (I like to use a less chunky one)

Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Roughly chop the garlic and place in the slow cooker (I actually kind of rubbed it onto the meat to get as much garlic flavor as possible, but you could just toss it in, too).

Easy Crockpot Carnitas Step 1

Sprinkle the meat with salt, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne. Rub seasonings onto the pork.

Easy Crockpot Carnitas Step 2

Add lime juice, orange juice, beer, and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Easy Crockpot Carnitas Step 3

Shred meat with two forks directly in the slow cooker (or take out, shred, and replace in sauce). It should fall apart easily.

Easy Crockpot Carnitas Step 4

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shredded meat on the cooking sheet and pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until you get browned edges on the pork.

Easy Crockpot Carnitas Step 5

Serve on tortillas with fresh cilantro, avocado, and lime juice.

Easy Crockpot Carnitas Step 6

Holey moley this was insanely easy and soooooo good. I got the best compliment of my life from my hubby after making this, and I cook all the time. Broiling after it made it magic. Seriously. Thank you.

I'm sure it would,  but if you are in doubt just use a N/A beer (they make a lot of different flavors now- everything from a light IPA to a dark stout)

We had this tonight! Yum! The meat was a bit salty for us (and I'm down with salt!) but otherwise delish. Can't wait to try it again, maybe with 2 tsp. of salt this time. I did substitute chicken broth for the beer....which probably explains the saltiness;-)

These turned out AWESOME! And I thought I couldn't cook! ;) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Just came across it and your blog through Pinterest the other day. Can't wait to try out more of your recipes! And if we have enough leftovers (I only made a 3 lb batch), I'll definitely try out the Tamale Pie!

Put this bad boy together this afternoon. I was kind of on a time crunch so I put in on high for 6 hours. It came out perfect. Thanks for this awesome recipe. Best tacos I've ever made.

lovely!  hmmm did you use your rice cooker for this?

OMG!  Salivating looking at that recipe and it's still kind of morning here.  Am at home from work with a sick child otherwise would be off to the market to buy me some pork!  Oh and I love pork belly too so yes please share a recipe!  love the crunchy skin and then the under-layers that just melt in your mouth!  Living in Italy, we can't ever find this here so I always indulge when I go back home to Australia!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/HTsAZBvw.mp4

Juicy, lightly crispy pulled pork slow cooked in spices and citrus juices, slow cooker carnitas are perfect for tacos, burritos, and more!

Slow Cooker Carnitas

boneless pork butt ((Boston butt, or pork shoulder))

orange juice from about 1 large orange

lime juice

garlic (minced, about 1 tablespoon)

chipotle chile powder

onion

Flour or corn tortillas (or cooked brown rice)

Toppings of choice: chopped fresh cilantro (and feta

Trim

Trim the pork of excess fat and cut into 3 to 4-inch cubes. Season the meat on all sides with salt.

Stir

In a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, chipotle chile powder, cumin, oregano, chile powder, and black pepper.

Scatter

Scatter the onion in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.

Coat

Add the pork on top of the onion, then pour in the orange juice mixture. With a large spoon, turn the pork pieces to combine the ingredients and coat the pork with the juices on all sides.

Cook

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender and shreds easily with a fork.

Line

Place a rack in the upper third (but not topmost) rack of the oven and preheat the oven&#39;s broiler to high. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Shred

With two forks, shred the pork directly in the slow cooker, discarding any large bits of remaining fat. Stir the pork in the sauce to coat it evenly, then use a slotted spoon to scoop the pork onto the prepared baking sheet (it&#39;s OK for some of the juices to come with it). Spread the pork into an even layer.

Warm

To warm the tortillas, wrap them in foil and pop them into the oven’s center rack while the pork broils. Or, you can heat the tortillas in a dry skillet on the stove.

Broil

Broil the pork for 3 to 5 minutes, until the edges of the pork begin browning and crisping up (don&#39;t walk away! It can quickly start to burn).

Sauce

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Spoon a little sauce over the top, lightly toss and stir the pork to expose unbroiled sides. Return the pan to the oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes more (the meat should become nice and crispy at its edges). Repeat once more if you&#39;d like your pork a bit more crisp. Enjoy hot, piled into warm tortillas or over rice with toppings of choice.

Crispy, shredded slow cooker carnitas (pulled pork) are a Mexican favorite that you can make at home. Packed with flavor, easy to make, and minimal dishes. 

Slow Cooker Carnitas (Pulled Pork)

lb. boneless pork shoulder

tablespoon vegetable oil

teaspoons salt

teaspoon ground black pepper

teaspoons dried oregano

teaspoon paprika

teaspoon garlic powder

medium onion, coarsely chopped

cup water

scallions, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Pat dry pork shoulder or ribs with paper towel completely and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, stir well to combine oil with all the dry rub ingredients until smooth (salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and garlic powder). Rub and spread onto pork until evenly coated.

Spread chopped onions evenly inside a 6-quart slow cooker (or crockpot) and add water. Place pork on top of onions. If using ribs, you can stack them on top of each other. 

Cover and cook on 8-10 hours on the LOW setting or 4-6 hours on the HIGH setting until fork tender.

Shred the pork by using two forks to pull the meat apart into small bite size and discard the bones (if using ribs).

To crisp the shredded pork (optional), add shredded pork along with some drippings from the slow cooker into a large frying pan. Spread evenly. Heat over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes until the juices evaporate and pork turns nicely brown and crispy.

Garnish with scallions and serve with Cilantro Lime Rice or Pulled Pork Tacos. 

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Easy Crockpot Carnitas

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Easy Crockpot Carnitas

Easy Crockpot Carnitas

Slow Cooker Carnitas (Pulled Pork)

Top 5 crockpot carnitas recipes from across the web

The most viewed crockpot carnitas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Easy Crockpot Carnitas

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Easy Crockpot Carnitas

Easy Crockpot Carnitas

Slow Cooker Carnitas (Pulled Pork)

The most viewed crockpot carnitas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine