Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

5 from 1 vote

An easy recipe for slow cooker pork carnitas. The blend of spices, citrus, and pork make delicious carnitas. These are perfect in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, burrito bowls. These are a party time favorite dish!

Course Main Course, Main Dish, Slow Cooker

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword slow cooker carnitas, slow cooker pork carnitas

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 15

Servings servings

Calories 233kcal

Author Eileen Kelly

Equipment

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Slow Cooker
Instant Read Thermometer
meat claw
Cutting Board
Knives
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
Whisk

Ingredients

Pork Dry Rub

1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Pork Carnitas

4-5 pound pork shoulder/pork butt trim excess fat
1 teaspoon corn oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded, rib removed, chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 large oranges, halved and juiced keep peel to add to slow cooker
1 large limes, halved, and juiced keep peel to add flavor to slow cooker
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pork Carnitas Spice Rub

In a small bowl, whisk together oregano, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt, and pepper.
Rub the spice mix over the entire piece of pork. Set the meat aside.

How to make carnitas

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add the corn oil. Add in the seasoned pork and brown on all sides. Once browned, remove and add to the slow cooker.
To the pan, add the onions and jalapeno and saute for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for a few seconds to blend flavors. Remove from heat and add the veggies and juices to the slow cooker.
Then add the juice from the orange, lime, and bay leaf. Also, add in the skins from the citrus for extra flavor. Cook on low, for 8 hours. high, 4 hours.
The meat will be fork tender and the internal temperature of the meat will be 170°F/77°C. Remove the bay leaf, and citrus peels and discard.
Remove the meat and let it rest on a cutting board about 10-15 minutes to let the juices set.
Shred the meat using forks or meat shredders.
If you like caramelization on the meat, Heat the oven to 450°F/232.°C
Place the shredded pork to a cookie sheet. You may need two cookie sheets depending on the quantity of meat.
Place cookie sheet in preheated oven and cook for about 5 minutes to crisp up the meat

Notes

Be sure to check the Expert Tips and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe

For parties, I generally make these a day ahead and keep them in an aluminum tin, reheat in the oven as per the recipe when ready to eat.
Pork Carnitas are amazing in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and any type of Mexican bowl.

I'm not a registered dietician, I do my best to provide the most accurate nutritional values. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation. Actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.

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Nutrition