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A large bowl of slow cooker carnitas with lime wedges. Some guacamole, salsa, and tortillas on the side.
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Slow Cooker Carnitas

Made with a few simple ingredients, this Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe is a crowd-pleaser. It's tender, juicy, and beyond flavorful!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings 10 - 12 servings
Calories 258kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • 5-quart slow cooker
  • mixing bowl
  • Baking Sheet
  • Paper towels

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 pound boneless pork roast fat trimmed (Boston butt or shoulder) (1.8-2.25kg)
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 yellow onion chopped (260g)
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • ½ cup orange juice (120mL)
  • ¼ cup lime juice (60mL)

Instructions

  • Pat the pork dry with paper towels. In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork.
  • Place the pork in a large slow cooker. Top with the onion and garlic. Pour the orange juice and lime juice over the top.
  • Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 6 hours or until very tender and the meat easily pulls apart. Shred with two forks. Stir well to coat the pork in drippings.
  • Preheat the oven to Broil.
  • Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shredded pork onto the baking sheet, leaving the drippings in the slow cooker, and spread into an even layer.
  • Broil for 4 minutes or until the edges of the pork start to brown. Remove from the oven and spoon a small amount of dripping over the pork. Toss to coat then spread back out into an even layer. Return the pork to the oven and broil for another 4 minutes or until the edges are crispy. Drizzle with more sauce before serving. Serve as tacos in tortillas, on salads, or in burrito bowls.

Notes

  • If you do not want to use the oven to crisp up the shredded pork, you can add the meat to a skillet with oil over medium heat. Cook until the meat has browned to your liking and is crispy.
  • Carnitas go with everything! Try serving them with chips and salsa or queso, guacamole, sweet potato fries, pineapple salsa, or pico de gallo.
  • If you’d like the carnitas to be on the spicier side, add some cayenne pepper to the spice rub before adding the pork to the slow cooker. Alternatively, you can serve the carnitas with jalapenos.
  • The fat and connective tissue in the pork butt or shoulder requires time to break down. If you try to shred the pork and it feels tough, you may need to cook it longer, especially if you use a large cut of pork than I am.
  • Avoid opening the slow cooker’s lid while the pork is cooking. Opening the lid releases the built-up heat, requiring extra time to rebuild the lost heat.

    • Nutrition

    Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 801mg | Potassium: 761mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg