Slow Cooker Carnitas
Slow-cooker carnitas are juicy and highly seasoned pork, slow-cooked until tender enough to pull apart with forks, then broiled slightly for crisp, delicious edges. The most delicious, easiest, and healthiest version of carnitas! Great filling for tacos, burritos, or bowls.
Roasted pork is one of my preferred meaty dishes to make. It has a lot of upsides: easy to make, a crowd-pleaser, plenty of leftovers, and great for entertaining (makes an excellent centerpiece). Can you guess what the best part is? I don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen.
An added bonus is that you can incorporate various spices, pantry ingredients, and, of course, lots of onion and garlic goodness to make this pork very tasty. Very tasty could even be an understatement!
What Are Carnitas?
Carnitas are one of the best dishes usually served during Cinco de Mayo parties. But through the years of eating and preparing this, I can always attest that this pork dish here is a crowd-pleaser year-round.
If you enjoy pulled pork, carnitas is the spicy Mexican equivalent. It literally means little meat and is made by braising or simmering pork traditionally with lard over very low heat for hours until tender.
After achieving that desired tenderness, the heat is cranked up until the outside portion of the pork starts to crisp. It’s then pulled apart by hand or fork and used as fillings for tacos, tamales, burritos, and a whole lot of other exquisite Mexican dishes.
How to Slow Cook Carnitas
Prep the roast, layer everything in the slow cooker, and let it do its job while you live your life. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- There’s no need to sear the pork, as it gets reverse seared later under the broiler.
- If you don’t want to heat the broiler, sear the shredded pork in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
- It takes around 8 hours on low and 4 hours on high.
Make Ahead Instructions
If you want to serve it later, shred the pork but don’t broil it. Store the pork and juice separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. We love having meal-sized portions in the freezer for a quick dinner on a crazy weeknight.
What to Serve With Pork Carnitas
Traditional sides include Mexican rice, corn and flour tortillas for tacos, and salsa. This recipe makes amazing nachos with homemade tortilla chips, pico de gallo, shredded Jack cheese, and guacamole.
More Incredibly Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
This post was first published in February 2014 and has been updated with gorgeous photos, more tips, and a better recipe update.
Slow Cooker Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3½-5 pounds (1½-2½kg) pork shoulder (either butt or picnic works great)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) chili powder
- 1 cup (240g) orange juice (or the juice of 2 oranges)
- 1½ teaspoons (9g) salt, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons (4g) dried oregano
- 1 cinnamon stick (preferably Mexican, but whatever you have will work)
- 1 large onion, chopped (finely dice about a tablespoon and reserve for garnish)
- 16-24 corn tortillas, warmed for serving
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the pork roast from the package and gently rinse it under cold water. Cut off excess pork skin and fat.
- Add half of the minced garlic, bay leaf, chili, and the orange juice to the slow cooker.
- Season pork with salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano, and place it in the slow cooker.
- Add the remaining crushed oregano leaves, cinnamon stick, and onions to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on Low for about 8 hours or until the pork shreds easily with a fork. If you want to speed it up on High, it should take 3-4 hours.
- Remove the pork roast from the slow cooker, let it rest for 10-15 minutes, and shred it with two forks. Reserve cooking liquid.
- Place the shredded pork on a foil-lined baking sheet. Pour over some of the cooking liquid to moisten the meat.
- Broil on high for 10-15 minutes, stirring once, or until the edges of the pork begin to crisp and brown. Keep a close eye on it to avoid burning, and use tongs or a spatula to turn as needed.
- Serve hot as a filling for tacos, burritos, or diversity bowls.
Tips & Notes:
- Mexican cinnamon is the softer, loose-bark variety of cinnamon stick commonly available at grocery stores. You can usually find it in a Mexican market, specialty stores, and online at Amazon. However, regular cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon also work fine.
- Pineapple juice works well instead of orange juice if you prefer the flavor.
- If you like spicy pork, throw in a scotch bonnet pepper.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
I love this recipe.
Thanks, Johny!
i love this recipe and i like this post
Thank you Vikas. I appreciate your comment.
Broiling for 10-15 minutes seems that it would burn anything. What temp are you saying to broil at? 500 degrees, as is normal or lower? What part of the oven do I place the pan? The very top or the middle of the oven? I’m very confused by the broiling part, do you mean baking it to get it crispy?
Hi, Sharon. This is an optional step, though. After you have shredded the meat, you may put it back in the oven and broil it on high (about 500F) for 10-15 minutes to get that lovely crisp texture on top. Please watch it closely and take it out if it’s browning too fast. As to which part of the oven should you place it, that depends on your oven coz there are some that have it at the top part and others at the bottom. The key with broiling is to get your food as close as possible to the heat source (around3-5 inches).
What is the difference between dried oregano and crushed dried oregano?
Oops. They’re the same thing. I’ve fixed it.
For the 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper, is that a fresh chili minced or chili powder?
It is chilli powder
Hi, I’m curious if I can use the instant pot?
Yes you sure can. You might want to consult your instant pot Manuel for cooking times .
Good recipe. Easy to make in the slow cooker. Great taste.
this looks wonderful! I’m going to try it for a dinner party next week…. ! Thank you. I think I’ll serve it with couscous and a salad. Your recipes are wonderful!
Hi Kathryn,
Am sure your guests are going to love it .
Thanks you so much!!!!
I don’t have a slow cooker. How long would it take to cook it on the stovetop ?
Could I cook it in the oven?
Hi, Claudia. Please understand that it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a slow cooker recipe. However, it would probably need about 3 hours and a little more liquid as it will evaporate faster.
Could you substitute chicken or beef for the pork?
Yes you can. The cooking times might vary.
Hi,
Is the juice from 2 oranges enough fluid for the pork to cook in or will additional water be needed.
Hi Leroy! Yes, it’s for the pork to be cooked in. No additional water will be needed.
Wow congratulations my support.
Thanks