Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe – Authentic & Crispy
Authentic & Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas make the best pork tacos! They are easy to make with the help of your crockpot!
Take a trip without ever leaving home. The flavors of this Authentic Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe are just like you would get from a taquería in Mexico. With only about 5 minutes of prep you are well on your way to a delicious dinner! Grab some tortillas, limes, and cilantro and throw together this amazing meal in minutes.
How to Make Slow Cooker Carnitas
Gather your ingredients and your crockpot. This time I used this 7 quart Black & Decker Slow Cooker.
Mix together the spices and rub on all sides of the pork shoulder. This creates incredible flavor and bark on your pork.
Add onion, garlic, orange juice and peel, lime juice and chipotle pepper to slow cooker. Give it a little stir.
Place the pork on top of the onions & juice. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the internal temperature is at least 145 – 150 degrees F.
Once the pork is done, remove the roast and shred it on a cutting board.
- Now you can choose to crisp up your pork on the stove or in the oven (see below). If you choose to do it in a skillet simply
- heat the oil in your skillet.
- Add some of your shredded pork and some of the juice from the slow cooker.
- Turn often to brown the pork until juices have evaporated and pork is nicely browned
- Repeat with more pork if your skillet doesn’t hold all of it
- Serve immediately with tortillas and toppings
Crispy Carnitas
Make these authentic carnitas by crisping them up! Place you cooked carnitas on a baking sheet under the broiler for 5 minutes. You can also follow the directions in the recipe card for crisping them up in a skillet. Makes the best crispy pork carnitas!
Serving
These crispy carnitas make amazing Pork Tacos. You can also use it in fillings for any type of wrap or sandwich. I personally love a carnitas rice bowl. Serve with a little lime and cilantro for some added freshness.
More Serving Suggestions
Storing
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also make these crockpot carnitas ahead of time and freeze. Just thaw and follow the tips for making them crispy to reheat for dinner. A HUGE time saver!
Tips
- Use a 4 quart or larger crockpot.
- Make ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze. Heat up in the oven and enjoy.
- Try this recipe with other cuts/types of meat. The seasonings are AMAZING on chicken too!
Slow Cooker Carnitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound pork shoulder trimmed slightly
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 onion small , diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoon orange peel finely shredded
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons oil – vegetable or canola
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dried oregano, cumin, salt and pepper
- Rub seasoning mixture onto pork shoulder on all sides
- Add onion, garlic, orange juice and peel, lime juice and chipotle pepper to slow cooker
- Place pork on top
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until internal temperature is 145 degrees F
- Remove pork from slow cooker onto cutting board, let cool slightly
- Shred pork with forks
- Heat oil in skillet on stove ** see notes
- Add pork and some of the juice from the slow cooker
- Turn often to brown the pork until juices have evaporated and pork is nicely browned
- Repeat with more pork if your skillet doesn’t hold all of it
- Serve immediately with tortillas and toppings
- Store leftovers in refrigerator
