These slow cooker Pork Carnitas are rich and juicy with the most irresistible crispy edges! This recipe has just a few simple pantry staple ingredients, and minimal prep time for authentic tasting carnitas perfect for any weeknight meal.
You can cook these flavorful carnitas in a slow-cooker and have it ready in as little as 4 hours (just add 10 minutes time to crisp them in the oven). This recipe is so easy and perfect for making ahead to feed a crowd. Those delicious little morsels of magic can be served in so many different ways: street tacos, quesadillas, nachos, burrito bowls (my husband’s favorite!), enchiladas, burritos, salads or served over white or authentic Mexican rice.
This is definitely a carnitas recipe that you will be making again and again! They truly are the best crispy pork carnitas – so full of flavor and tender, juicy perfection! Please take the extra 5-10 minutes for the finishing step in the oven; it makes an enormous difference in the crisp, juicy, amazingness of these carnitas!
What Cut Of Pork Is Best For Carnitas?
The best meat to use for carnitas is pork shoulder (it’s often called pork butt). If you’ve ever made pulled pork, it’s usually made with the same cut of pork!
How Do I Serve Pork Carnitas?
Toppings for street tacos: Sprinkle generously with fresh cilantro, red onion, fresh squeezed lime juice (optional), crumbled cheese (feta, queso fresco, cotija), and a drizzle of cilantro lime crema. We love using corn tortillas for these.
Make it a burrito bowl: White rice mixed with as much or as little salsa as you like, whole kernel corn, black beans, chopped lettuce, chopped avocado, fresh chopped cilantro, and drizzled with chipotle crema sauce.
Serve it on nachos: tortilla chips, black beans, shredded cheese and top with fresh or jarred jalapenos after you pull them from the oven.
Storing your cooked pork:
Refrigerator: Place cooked pork in an air-tight container and it will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Freezer: Place meat in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yield: serves 9-12
INGREDIENTS
- 4lb boneless pork shoulder roast
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Trim and discard fat from pork and cut into 3-inch chunks.
- In a small bowl combine chipotle chili pepper, ground cumin, sea salt, black pepper and chili powder. Generously apply dry rub to the pieces of pork and place in the slow cooker. Add chopped onion, minced garlic, and chicken stock around the pork.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- Preheat the oven broil temperature to HI and lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Remove pork from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, spreading the shredded meat in an even layer.
- Place the baking sheet under the broiler for 4-5 minutes (watch it closely!) until the carnitas are crispy on the outside. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, then ladle some of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the pork, and then give it a good toss with some tongs. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle about 1/4 cup of the juices over the the pork pieces.
- Serve inside warm corn or flour tortillas for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, or on nachos.
