Mexican Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Easy Recipe)

These Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas are tender, juicy, and flavorful! They are cooked low and slow in the crockpot for 6 to 8 hours so that all of the flavors meld together perfectly. If you are looking for a great busy weeknight meal these slow cooker carnitas are what you need to make. 

For another favorite dish be sure to try this Taco Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing.

Why You’ll This Recipe

• Super easy to make and requires minimal preparation making it perfect for weekdays.
• The carnitas can be made ahead of time and frozen for later use.
• They are perfect served in tacos, burritos, or even salads so they are great for meal prep.

If you love making Mexican food at home you may also enjoy this Air Fryer Al Pastor Spicy Pork Tacos recipe.

Equipment Needed

You will only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this crock pot pork carnitas recipe. Gather these ingredients and get ready to enjoy this crock pot meal. 

• Slow Cooker
• Large skillet or cast iron skillet for crispy carnitas.
• Or baking sheet to broil carnitas in the oven.

Ingredients

You will only need a few simple ingredients to make these delicious carnitas.  All of these ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store which means you don’t have to worry about needing any specialty items. 

• Pork shoulder or pork butt – Do you want to know the difference? Check out this Slow Cooked Kalua Pork recipe.
• Orange juice
• Water
• Herbs/Seasonings – bay leaves, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, oregano, ground clove, salt and pepper.
• Cooking oil – any natural-tasting oil to crisp up the carnitas.
• Pico de Gallo – try my homemade recipe or you can also purchase it from the grocery store.
• Corn tortillas – We serve carnitas tacos with corn tortillas, but you can also make homemade flour tortillas.

How to Make Pork Slow-Cooker Carnitas 

Making these slow-cooker pork carnitas is so simple. Just follow the instructions below and you will have a delicious meal that your whole family will enjoy in no time at all. You will be amazed at how easy this recipe is. 

Step 1: Prep and season the pork 

Remove excess fat from the pork shoulder. Season the pork with salt and pepper, and then place in the slow cooker. 

Step 2: Add the sauce ingredients

Once you placed the pork in the slow cooker poke whole garlic cloves into the meat. And, then add orange juice. water, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, oregano, and ground cloves.

Step 3: Slow-cook the carnitas 

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.

Step 4: Shred the meat

Once tender, move the meat to a platter and shred it with two forks or shred it right in the Crock Pot.

Step 5: Crisp the meat

In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat, add the shredded meat (cook in batches) and fry until crispy (one side only so it doesn’t dry out). Alternatively, you can place it on a baking sheet and broil for about 2-4 minutes but watch closely so you don’t burn the meat.

Step 6: Serve and enjoy

Serve with warm corn tortillas, shredded pork, and pico de Gallo, and top with fresh squeezed lime juice.

What To Serve With This Dish

These crockpot carnitas are great served on their own, but if you want to round out your meal you could also serve them with these Healthy Tortilla Chips and this Homemade Guacamole recipe. 

You should also dust off the blender for a Blackberry Margarita or a Low-Sugar Margarita. Don’t forget dessert!  How do Kahlua Tres Leches Cupcakes or these Authentic Churros sound?

Substitutions and Additions

• If you want to use a different type of meat, you can use pork tenderloin or pork butt instead. However, you will need to adjust the cooking time according to the type of meat that you use. 

How To Store

Storage – Store leftover carnitas in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. 

Freezing – You can also freeze the cooked pork in a freezer-safe bag or container for up 3 months.

Reheating – I like to reheat crispy carnitas in the oven at 350 degrees f on a baking sheet for 10 – 12 minutes. 

Sandra’s Pro Tips

Here are a few tips to ensure that this slow cooker carnitas recipe turns out perfectly for you every time that you make them. 

• Don’t forget to warm your tortillas, warm tortillas taste better with this easy recipe.
• If you want to save a little time instead of using a skillet to get the crispy edges, you can add the shredded pork to a rimmed baking sheet and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. Just make sure the pork is in a single layer so that it all gets crispy. 
• Garnish your carnitas with your favorite toppings, sour cream, salsa, pico, guacamole, red onion, and fresh cilantro all make great toppings.

FAQs

Do you have questions about this slow cooker pork carnitas recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe. 

Mexican Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Easy Recipe)

Carnitas slow cooked to perfection! The recipe is perfect for a crowd or stretch this meal out for days and enjoy on tostadas or burritos.

4.94 from 32 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Uncategorized

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: crock pot, dinner, pork, slow cooker

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 servings

Calories: 354kcal

Author: Sandra Shaffer

Ingredients

• 4 pounds pork shoulder
• 3/4 cup 100% orange juice
• 2 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon clove grounded
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons oil avocado, vegetable, canola
• 1/4 of a juiced lime per taco
• Pico de gallo
• 20 corn tortillas

Instructions

• Remove excess fat from the pork shoulder. Season the pork with salt and pepper, and then place in the slow cooker. Poke whole garlic cloves into the meat. Add orange juice. water, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, oregano, and ground cloves.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
• Once tender, move the meat to a platter and shred with two forks.
• In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat, add the shredded meat (cook in batches) and fry until crispy (one side only so it doesn’t dry out).
• Serve with warm corn tortillas, shredded pork, pico de gallo and top with lime juice.

Notes

• Don’t forget to warm your tortillas, warm tortillas taste better with this easy recipe.
• If you want to save a little time instead of using a skillet to get the crispy edges, you can add the shredded pork to a rimmed baking sheet and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. Just make sure the pork is in a single layer so that it all gets crispy. 
• Garnish your carnitas with your favorite toppings, sour cream, salsa, pico, guacamole, red onion, and fresh cilantro all make great toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 128mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g

Disclaimer

Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.