Slow Cooker Carnitas (Easy Recipe)
Slow cooker carnitas made with pork shoulder and orange juice, then broiled until the edges turn golden and crispy. An easy, fall-apart taco night dinner.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ½ - 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (or pork butt), cut into 4 large chunks
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 jalapeño, halved (optional)
Instructions
- Season the Pork: In a small bowl, combine the salt, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and chili powder. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork chunks on all sides.
- Add the Pork to the Slow Cooker: Place the seasoned pork in a 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle the onion, garlic, and bay leaves around, then pour the orange juice and lime juice over everything. If using jalapeño, add it now.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 5-6 hours, until the pork is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Shred: Carefully remove the pork from the slow cooker and transfer to a cutting board or large bowl. Discard the bay leaves from the cooking liquid. Using two forks, shred the pork into medium chunks.
- Crisp: Spread the shredded pork in a single layer on a rimmed, broiler-safe baking sheet. Drizzle ½ of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker over the top. Broil on high for 5-8 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crispy. Watch closely, they can go from crispy to burnt quickly!
- Serve: Pile the carnitas into warm corn tortillas and top with fresh cilantro, diced white onion, and a squeeze of lime. Add salsa or pico de gallo if that’s your thing.
Notes
- Make it spicy: Add a halved jalapeño (seeds in for more heat, seeds removed for mild) to the slow cooker in step 3 for a spicier version. Otherwise this is a very mild recipe.
- Serving Suggestions: warmed corn tortillas, fresh chopped cilantro, finely chopped white onion, lime wedges, salsa or pico de gallo.
- Cooking Liquid: I like to drizzle extra cooking liquid over the meat after it has been crisped for extra juicy meat. I also store any extra carnitas with the cooking liquid. When ready to serve I’ll crisp the leftover meat in a pan with the cooking liquid so it doesn’t dry out.
- For a Lighter Option: I also have a recipe for slow cooker pork loin carnitas, if that's more your thing.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 (of 6) | Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 847mg | Potassium: 1263mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 186IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg
