crockpot pork carnitas

These Crispy Mexican Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas are the best, easiest carnitas you will ever make!  Tender, juicy shredded pork, filled with flavor and delicious crispy, caramelized "burnt ends" achieved by popping the shredded pork under the broiler, this is the perfect recipe for parties and large groups, and amazing in tacos, nachos, salads and burritos!

Crispy Mexican Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas with Escabeche

pork shoulder or pork butt

orange juice

Tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)

tomatoes

green salsa

Tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

Tablespoon cumin

Kosher salt

black pepper

oregano

chili powder

onion

jalapeno (seeds removed)

bay leaves

cinnamon

red onion (thinly sliced)

white vinegar

bay leaf

cloves

sugar

salt

black peppercorns

cumin

garlic (thinly sliced)

red pepper flakes

Place the pork in a large slow cooker.  Add in the orange juice, lime juice, diced tomatoes and salsa.

Mix together the brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, and chili powder in a small bowl and rub it into the meat.  Add the chopped onion, jalapeno, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, then cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.

At the 8 hour mark (or the 5 hour mark if cooking on high), remove the meat from the crock pot (do NOT discard all of the juices from the slow cooker) and place it in a large baking dish (so juices don't run all over your counter).  Remove any fat from the meat and then shred the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork.  Return the pork to the slow cooker with all of the juices from cooking and let it cook an additional 30 minutes while you prep garnishes and all the things you want to serve with your pork carnitas.

Turn on the oven to broil.

Transfer the shredded pork to a large baking sheet covered in tinfoil and spread into an even, single layer.  Broil in the oven for 5-8 minutes, then give the meat a good toss with some tongs so other parts can get hit by the broiler and return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes under the broiler.  This will give some of the pork a bit of char and create the crispy texture that really makes amazing carnitas even more amazing (and authentic).  Serve in corn or flour tortillas with cilantro, fresh avocado, maybe some thinly sliced radishes or chopped white onion and cotija cheese, and homemade escabeche.  Or add it to salads, nachos, soups, etc.

Carnitas

In a small saucepan, combine all of the escabeche ingredients except the sliced onion and bring to a boil.  Add the red onion and stir for about 30 seconds to combine and for the onion to be coated in the vinegar brine.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in a container and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Escabeche

A simple recipe for delicious Crockpot Pork Carnitas! This Mexican classic comes together in no time using flavorful pork butt, spices, onion, oranges, and blue moon beer! With a special trick to get your carnitas tasting better than what you get at a restaurant! Perfect for filling tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more!

Crockpot Carnitas

pork butt

onion, diced

chipotle chili powder

orange

(12 ounces) Blue Moon or similar wheat beer

Carefully cut pork butt into 4 even pieces....

Carefully cut pork butt into 4 even pieces. Transfer pork pieces to the crock. Add onion, chipolte chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt over top pork. Zest entire orange over top the spices and juice the entire orange into the crockpot. Slowly pour the beer overtop the crockpot contents. Cover the crockpot and set to LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Set oven to BROIL. Once pork is done...

Set oven to BROIL. Once pork is done (able to be easily pulled apart) transfer all the pork to a sheet pan. Pull pork apart and spread over the entire sheet pan. Measure out about 1/4 cup of liquid from the crockpot and sprinkle evenly over the pulled pork. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and broil 5 to 6 minutes until the pork gets nice and crispy edges.

Serve immediately. Suggested serving, for delicious tacos serve...

Serve immediately. Suggested serving, for delicious tacos serve with warm tortillas, queso fresco cheese, cilantro, and red onions.

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Top 2 crockpot pork carnitas recipes from across the web

The most viewed crockpot pork carnitas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Crispy Mexican Slow Cooker Pork Car...

Crockpot Carnitas

The most viewed crockpot pork carnitas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine