Crockpot Pork Carnitas
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.
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.
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.
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Corey, Darryl, Big D & Little D
Crockpot Pork Carnitas
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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
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.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Made the crockpot pork carnitas tonight. One word – AWESOME!!! So easy and my whole family LOVED them.
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?
Yes! In tacos, burritos, on top of rice, on top of salads, or in a sandwich wrap.
When you say “pour a few spoonfuls of sauce”, do you mean the sauce in the crockpot?
Yep 🙂 This will help to prevent the meat from drying out 🙂
Does it matter if it’s not boneless? I bought a pork shoulder with bone in. Thank you. ?
Would it cook okay on high for 4-6 hours?
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!
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. ??