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A rustic bowl filled with tender, crispy slow cooker carnitas garnished with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Daniel

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Melt-in-your-mouth pork with crispy edges and bold citrus-garlic flavor, made effortlessly in your slow cooker.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 385

Ingredients
  

For the Pork
  • 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (pork butt) cut into 4-inch chunks
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 tsp dried oregano Mexican oregano preferred
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
For the Cooking Liquid
  • 0.5 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
  • 0.25 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 6 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 medium yellow onion quartered
  • 2 bay leaves
For Finishing
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil for broiling

Equipment

  • 6-quart Slow Cooker
  • Large Rimmed Baking Sheet
  • Tongs

Method
 

Prep the Pork
  1. Pat the pork shoulder chunks completely dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin. Rub the spice mixture evenly over all sides of the pork.
Slow Cook
  1. Place the seasoned pork in the slow cooker. Add orange juice, lime juice, smashed garlic, quartered onion, and bay leaves. The liquid should come about one-third of the way up the pork; do not submerge it completely.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the pork is fork-tender and easily shreds. The meat should practically fall apart when prodded with a fork.
Crisp and Finish
  1. Transfer the cooked pork to a large cutting board with a slotted spoon, leaving the cooking liquid behind. Discard the bay leaves. Use two forks to shred the pork into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat.
  2. Position a rack 6 inches below the broiler and heat to HIGH. Spread the shredded pork in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid and the vegetable oil. Broil for 4-6 minutes, until the edges are deeply browned and crispy in spots. Watch closely to prevent burning.
  3. Transfer the crispy pork to a serving bowl and toss with a few more spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to keep it juicy. Serve immediately with warm tortillas, diced onion, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.

Notes

For deeper flavor, sear the seasoned pork chunks in a hot skillet for 2-3 minutes per side before slow cooking. The carnitas freeze beautifully - portion into freezer bags with a little cooking liquid and freeze for up to 3 months. Save the leftover cooking liquid; it is liquid gold for rice, beans, or soup.