Slow Cooker Carnitas
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Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth, tender pork is the star of my slow cooker carnitas recipe. After cooking the meat all day long, I like to make mine as crispy as possible for delicious taco and enchilada filling!
If you’re familiar with my blog, you know that I’ve got a bit of a thing for carnitas. I’ve made this flavorful taco and enchilada filling in my Instant Pot, and I’ve also made the traditional and authentic Mexican recipe. This one calls for a crockpot (and your stovetop!) for seasoned meat that will fall apart at the touch of your fork.
How can my slow cooker carnitas be so juicy and tender, and yet crispy at the same time? I get these results through the use of my specially seasoned rub and about 10 hours in the crock pot slow cooker. Then, I crisp up the pork to perfection in a skillet before serving (completely optional). And that, folks, is how you get juicy and crispy results every time!
Mexican cuisine often involves a spicy blend of seasoned meat, fresh veggies, and corn tortillas. It’s a combination that I constantly go back to and one that I try to recreate here on the blog.
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Boneless Pork – Opt for boneless shoulder (sometimes called pork butt) for your slow cooker carnitas. You’ll want to use skinless too as it’s a lot easier to shred with a fork once it’s been cooked.
- Oranges, Carrots, & Onions – You’ll add these fruits and veggies to the crockpot with the shoulder. You may not associate orange with this dish, but the citrus will add even more flavor and help tenderize the meat!
- Bay Leaves & Chicken Stock – You can feel free to sub in orange juice for the chicken stock! It plays nicely with the oranges already in the mix.
- Rub – When it comes to cooking meat, I can’t say no to a good marinade or rub. It just adds so much more to the recipe. My rub is made with:
- Garlic cloves
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- Mexican Oregano – You can substitute regular oregano if needed!
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
- Serving Add-Ons – Trust me – the meat is so delicious you’re going to want to eat it on its own. I’ve been known to eat it right out of the pan! But, I will admit, it is much better when enjoyed with:
- Corn tortillas – Use flour varieties if you prefer.
- Refried Beans
- Sliced White Onion
- Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- Lime Slices
- Pica de Gallo
- Salsa Verde
- Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Guacamole
- Pickled Carrots
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
1. Prep the Meat. Add all of the ingredients for your rub to a small bowl and combine. Use your hands to apply the rub all over the meat, being careful to cover the entire surface. This part can get a little messy!
2. Slow Cook. Put the shoulder in your crockpot with the fatty side up. Add the oranges, carrots, onion, bay leaves, and chicken stock (or orange juice if that’s your preference). Cover and cook on Low for 10 hours – or on High for just 6 hours.
3. Crisp. Remove the meat from the cooker. Let it cool a little, then shred it using two forks. You could then serve as is, but I can’t say enough good things about crisping it first! Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet and remove some of the cooking liquid from the crockpot. In batches, fry the shredded meat while pouring some of the cooking liquid over it. The results will be a perfectly caramelized filling!
4. Serve & Enjoy. Serve your slow cooker carnitas with warmed tortillas, refried beans, and your choice of toppings!
What’s the Difference Between Pulled Pork and Carnitas?
While both recipes call for slow cooking, pulled pork and carnitas do have their differences. The spices in both are quite different. What’s more, after pork carnitas has been slow-cooked, the meat is usually placed in a skillet for frying or in the oven for browning. The added crispiness sets it apart from pulled pork!
What Cut of Pork is Best for Carnitas?
If you want to serve up the best pork carnitas, you can’t use any old cut of meat. Opt for pork shoulder, which is also referred to as pork butt. Some recipes will say to use bone-in or bone-out, which is technically valid, but I prefer boneless. Whichever you choose, you do need to make sure the skin is removed!
Can You Put Raw Pork in a Slow Cooker?
Most definitely! Using your crockpot ensures more juicy and tender results. After you’ve applied my specially seasoned rub to the meat, cook for about 10 hours before transferring to a skillet to fry.
This recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking February 10, 2013 (to celebrate my birthday!) and has been updated with slow cooker/Instant Pot instructions, new photos and a video.
Here’s a look at what my old photos looked like back in 2013…
We quadrupled the carnitas batch for a party of 40 friends and I used my iPhone with the yellow kitchen lights on. Really quality pics! I used to add fresh cilantro and orange concentrate to the boil and have since refined the recipe.
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Slow Cooker Carnitas
Ingredients
Carnitas
- 6 lbs boneless pork shoulder pork butt
- 2 oranges cut in half
- 2 large carrots cut in half
- 1 onion cut into quarters
- 3 bay leaves
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 cup orange juice
Rub
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp oregano Mexican or regular
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Assembly
- flour or corn tortillas
- refried beans
- 2 white onions sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 3 limes sliced
- pico de gallo
- salsa verde
- roasted tomato salsa
- guacamole
- pickled carrots
Instructions
- Combine the rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Use your hands to apply the rub over the entire surface of the pork.
- Place the pork butt in the slow cooker, fat side up. Add the oranges, carrots, onion and bay leaves and pour the chicken stock (or orange juice) over and cover.
- Slow cook on low heat for 10 hours, or high heat for 6 hours.
- Use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the pork carnitas to a serving platter. Allow the meat to cool slightly, then shred by hand or by using two forks. Eat as is, but BEST if crispy.
Crispy
- Remove and discard cooked orange and vegetables from cooking liquid. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over high heat add a tablespoon of oil and fry shredded carnitas meat in batches, pouring 1/4 cup of cooking liquid in and simmer until juices have evaporated and meat is crispy and caramelized.
- Serve with hot tortillas, refried beans, sliced onions, tomato slices, cilantro, limes and salsas of choice.
Video
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Definitely going to make this–my husband loves all things pork-related lol. In the video, you show the shredded pork being pan-fried, and you only put a small amount of pork into the skillet at a time. Was that just for the purpose of making the video more clear, or do you really have to put such a small amount at a time? I worry that it would take forever to crisp up a 6 lb. roast at that rate.
Yes, just for the sake of the video Sheryl. I’ve even shredded it all and placed it in a roasting pan then under the broiler, turning occasionally. Enjoy!
I made this about 2 weeks ago and a container is coming out of the freezer for Tacos Carnitas today. I used a cast iron dutch oven to cook it in. Browned the roast on the stove top and then added the other ingredients and into the oven at 225 F for about 4 hours. Took what we were going to eat that day and chopped it and served it on Tacos with all the fixings.
Can’t go wrong with carnitas Mike! Enjoy!
if I’m doing the stove top could I add chicken stock and water to it for more flavor along with the oranges and then just use that liquid to baste it in the oven?
I can’t think of a reason that wouldn’t work, Liz. Sounds like a fantastic idea… please come back and let me know how it turned out!
Do you cut the pork shoulder into cubes before rubbing the spread and cooking?
I cut it into 3″ cubes Rae. Thank you for stopping by!
Which do you recommend more, slow cooker or pressure cooker
When time is tight, the Pressure Cooker (I use an Instant Pot), otherwise the slow cooker Tina.
For the stock pot version, when do you add the 3/4 cup chicken stock/orange juice?
Thanks Stephanie, I’ve updated to be clear… Carefully transfer pork from pot using a slotted spoon or spider to a large roasting pan. Discard the cooked orange and vegetables. Roast carnitas for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with 3/4 cup chicken stock/orange juice or cooking liquid.
Do you think I could put the pot on the smoker & cook the meat that way?
You could put the pot in the smoker and cook it that way, but follow the timing for my smoked version. Here is a link to my Smoked Pulled Pork Barbecue Recipe you could check out! https://keviniscooking.com/smoked-pulled-pork-barbecue/
Now, that’s what called Perfection. Keep up!!
Can you do this in an Instant Pot and still render the same flavors?
Yes, please see new updated recipe instructions.
cooking your carnitas right now yummy. I can’t wait to taste in about 3 hours. Love your site. Thanks will
Let you know how we will enjoy!
Thanks so much Joanna! Let me know how they turn out and I envy your house smelling delectable right now. 😉