Crockpot Pork Carnitas

Crockpot Pork Carnitas Recipe - Easy Family Fresh Meals

 

You all know how much I love my Crockpot. I use it for everything from baked potatoes to short ribs. But my very favorite thing to do with the Crockpot is take a really big, complicated recipe, like lasagna. and find a way to let the slow cooker do the work for me.

And now, I’ve done it again…with carnitas.

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The secret to good carnitas is a long, slow cooking over low heat. Traditionally, you do this in a big, heavy pot, and you stir the seasonings into the oil and then let the pork cook over a really low flame until it’s falling apart. Then you turn up the heat briefly to sear it, and you end up with meat that’s crisp on the outside, but tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

Crockpot Pork Carnitas - Easy crockpot pork recipe - Pork Meat browned on a baking sheet.

Well, this sort of long, slow cooking is exactly what the Crockpot is made for. So you don’t have to watch a pot for hours; you just let the meat cook on low, and once it’s falling apart, you zap it in the broiler to get those delicious browned edges.

You can enjoy this in a taco or burrito, or just serve it up by itself with all the fixings: tortillas, refried beans, guacamole, and some of my fresh Pico de Gallo salsa.

(printable recipe at bottom of post)

Crockpot Pork Carnitas 

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 pound pork shoulder
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
12 oz chicken broth
1 bay leaf

 

DIRECTIONS: 
1. Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Mix together chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt cinnamon and black pepper. Sprinkle seasoning on each side of the roast, and rub in. Next, add in mined garlic, orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth and bay leaf.

2. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. It should fall apart easily.

Crockpot Pork Carnitas - Pork placed in Slow Cooker with sauce and seasoning

 

3. Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shredded meat on the cooking sheet and pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top of the meat. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until you get browned edges on the pork.

Crockpot Pork Carnitas - Slow Cooker Pork Recipe browned on a baking sheet

 

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XO
Corey, Darryl, Big D & Little D

 

Easy Crockpot Pork Carnitas recipe. I LOVE this easy recipe for tacos, burritos, tostadas and salads!

 

4.73 from 11 votes

Crockpot Pork Carnitas

Author Corey Valley
These Crockpot Pork Carnitas Recipe can be enjoyed in a taco or burrito, or just serve it up by itself with all the fixings!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 pound pork shoulder
  • 4-5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 12 oz chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  • Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Mix together chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt cinnamon and black pepper. Sprinkle seasoning on each side of the roast, and rub in. Next, add in mined garlic, orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth and bay leaf.
  • Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. It should fall apart easily.
  • Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shredded meat on the cooking sheet and pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top of the meat. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until you get browned edges on the pork.

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 914mg | Potassium: 462mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 13.8mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1.9mg

Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.

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30 Comments

  1. Made the crockpot pork carnitas tonight. One word – AWESOME!!! So easy and my whole family LOVED them.

  2. Grandmaonwheels says:

    I hate to admit this, but how do you serve pork carnitas? It looks wonderful, and I plan to try this. Is it served in tortillas, or what?

    1. Yes! In tacos, burritos, on top of rice, on top of salads, or in a sandwich wrap.

  3. Heidi Monteith says:

    When you say “pour a few spoonfuls of sauce”, do you mean the sauce in the crockpot?

    1. Yep 🙂 This will help to prevent the meat from drying out 🙂

  4. Does it matter if it’s not boneless? I bought a pork shoulder with bone in. Thank you. ?

  5. Cherie Morrissey says:

    Would it cook okay on high for 4-6 hours?

    1. I have only made this recipe are stated Cherie, so I can’t say for sure. Has anyone else out there tried cooking it for 4-6 hours? Leave a reply to this comment to let us know!

      1. I cooked mine on high because it was partly frozen lol. It was done in 5 hours. I then turned it on warm, and then put under broiler. ??

  6. 5 stars
    I cooked this on low for 10 hours last time I made it and it came out beyond perfect! So soft and delicious, take the time to allow it to cook.

  7. I used beef broth.do you think it will make much difference

  8. 2 stars
    I thought this was quite mediocre. I guess i should have expected it with so little prep. The cinnamon was a bit strange and it just was lacking something. I cant put my finger on it. Meat was plenty tender but just not all there.

    Not bad i suppose for such little prep.

  9. 5 stars
    Hi, I’m planning on making this for meal prep next week. I have a 4oz crock pot. Will that work?

  10. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious! When I was frantically putting this together before work, I realized I didn’t have chicken broth. I did a quick search and discovered you can add a tablespoon of soy sauce per cup of water, so that’s what I did. I served this on corn tortillas topped with cheese, sour cream, avacado, and a bit of salsa. Absolutely delicious, and even my five year old approved! My husband forgot to put away the leftovers quickly enough because our German Shepherd got to them, but how can we be mad at him for being tempted by delicious meat? Thank you for the recipe and this will go in our rotation.