I love this carnitas recipe! It really might be one of my favorite things about our site. These tender pork carnitas are easy to make (in the slow cooker), full of flavor, and require only a few ingredients for a very inexpensive meal. We also love that you can serve carnitas in so many different ways: tacos, rice bowls, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and more!
The word “carnitas” literally means “little meat.” And while I definitely think of this pork carnitas recipe as a Mexican or Tex-Mex recipe, it also has French roots, like the Rillons de Tours dish. If you’ve never had it before, I’d describe it as Spanish pulled pork.
relevant: Next, try this pozole recipe, also made with pork shoulder.
ingredient
- pork shoulder
- salt and pepper
- onion
- jalapeño
- garlic
- lime
- dried oregano
- cumin
- brown sugar
- Canola oil – or you can use lard
And depending on how you want to serve your carnitas, you might want some salsa, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, tortillas, chips, or rice.
How to Make Slow Cooker Carnitas
Pat the pork cuts dry on both sides and season generously with salt and pepper. Rub 1 tablespoon oil, oregano, cumin, and other spices of your choice along with the pork. Rub all over the meat. Place this in your slow cooker, which I call a crock pot.
Coarsely chop the onion and jalapeño and remove the inner veins and seeds. Add this on top of the meat. Chop the garlic and add it. Now juice all 3 limes and add this to the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 10 hours. Remove any large onion or jalapeño pieces as you remove the meat from the slow cooker liquid. Using a fork, shred the meat into small pieces and remove the bones if using bone-in cuts.
Heat two teaspoons of oil or lard in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pan and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Cook for a few minutes to get crispy edges, then flip. For crispier pieces, cook a few more minutes and place on a plate.
Serve traditional or your family’s favorite with refried beans, chopped onion, fresh cilantro and lime on corn tortillas.
Tips for Success
- Pork shoulder is also called picnic roast or picnic shoulder, pork butt or Boston butt. Here I used bone-in pork shoulder, but it doesn’t have to be bone-in.
- If you want to replace the lime juice with orange/orange juice, feel free to do so. Oranges go well with pork or beef when cooking.
- Browning the carnitas in a skillet after they’ve already been slow cooked is optional, but I think it’s worth it! This is also a great way to reheat leftovers.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
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Slowly cook the pork shoulder and fry it in a pan with brown sugar to add a crispy texture.
guideline
Pat the pork cuts dry on both sides and season generously with salt and pepper.
Rub 1 tablespoon oil, oregano, cumin, and other spices of your choice along with the pork. Rub all over the meat. Place this in your slow cooker, which I call a crock pot.
Coarsely chop the onion and jalapeño and remove the inner veins and seeds. Add this on top of the meat. Chop the garlic and add it. Now juice all 3 limes and add this to the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 10 hours.
Remove any large onion or jalapeño pieces as you remove the meat from the slow cooker liquid. Using a fork, shred the meat into small pieces and remove the bones if using bone-in cuts.
Heat two teaspoons of oil or lard in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pan and sprinkle brown sugar on top.
Cook for a few minutes to get crispy edges and you can flip them over. For crispier pieces, cook a few more minutes and place on a plate.
memo
-
- Pork shoulder is also called picnic roast or picnic shoulder, pork butt or Boston butt. Here I used bone-in pork shoulder, but it doesn’t have to be bone-in.
-
- If you want to replace lime juice with orange/orange juice, feel free to do so. Oranges go well with pork or beef when cooking.
-
- Browning the carnitas in a skillet after they’ve already been slow cooked is optional, but I think it’s worth it! This is also a great way to reheat leftovers.
-
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. Heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Carnitas
Amount per serving
% Daily Value*
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Note: Nutrition is automatically calculated using Spoonacular for your convenience. We recommend using your own nutritional calculations where applicable.
