Crockpot Pork Carnitas – juicy, tender meat that will melt in your mouth. These pork are carnitas are incredibly simple to make and extremely versatile, perfect for tacos or burritos!
I absolutely LOVE making pork carnitas, which is essentially just another way to say Mexican pulled pork. There is so much flavor in this meat, the pork will blow your mind. I make pork carnitas often because of their versatility. They are perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and enchiladas – to name a few.
I’ve discovered that these are much easier to make in a slow cooker, it requires very little effort. The beauty of cooking in a slow cooker is that you can basically throw all of your ingredients in it, set it and forget it. The end result is incredibly juicy, tender pieces of pork with unbelievable flavor.
What Are Carnitas?
Carnitas are a dish originated in Mexico. Carnitas actually means “little meats“, the Mexican version of pulled pork.
Carnitas are made by either braising or simmering pork in oil or sometimes, lard – until tender and then shredding it into small pieces to be used as a filling for a variety of Mexican dishes. The only difference between carnitas and pulled pork is that carnitas are typically put under a broiler after cooking to give the meat a crispy finish.
Ingredients
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for a full list of ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Pork – I used a pork shoulder.
- Onion – Large, quartered.
- Herbs and Spices – I used a blend of garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and dried oregano.
- Salt and Pepper – To taste.
- Bay leaves – If you don’t have bay leaf, you can substitute 1/4 tsp. dried thyme or oregano for each leaf.
- Cinnamon – I used a full stick. If you don’t have cinnamon sticks you can use whatever cinnamon you have in your pantry.
- Orange Juice – You can use freshly squeezed or store bought.
- Beer – I like using a light beer or lager. Modelo is a nice Mexican beer that works well.
How to make pork carnitas in the crockpot
- Cut Pork – Cut the pork shoulder into large 2 inch chunks. Trim some of the fat if needed.
- Cook Pork – In your crockpot add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Add the pork to the crockpot and stir. There should be enough liquid to cover the pork. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.
- Shred Pork – Take 2 forks and start shredding the meat into smaller pieces. Pour some of the leftover liquid over the meat or strain the liquid and use it to make a gravy.
- Serve – Serve on tacos, burritos, tamales, sandwiches, etc.
The right cut of meat
The trick to getting perfect pork carnitas is using the right cut of meat! And in my opinion, that is pork shoulder or pork butt. The reason for this is because it’s a fattier cut of meat. I wouldn’t recommend using pork tenderloin since it can tend to turn out dry – you won’t end up with the same juicy, tender pork other cuts will render.
How to serve
You have options when it comes to crockpot pork carnitas! You can serve it as is, straight out of the crockpot – shredded on a bun, in a taco or wrap. If you want a little crispiness, pop the meat under the broiler. You can even make a gravy with the leftover juices! (See recipe notes for how to make gravy)
I loaded my burritos with the pork and then filled them with lettuce, red peppers, herbs (cilantro and dill), scrambled eggs, pickled beets, some with Sriracha, some with gravy and some with mayo – the ultimate breakfast burritos! You can go for a more traditional option if you’d prefer.
Can I make this in advance?
Absolutely! You can prep everything the night before, turn on your slow cooker and in the morning, your house will smell fabulous and you’ll have mouthwatering pork ready to be shredded for breakfast, lunch or dinner throughout the week!
Leftovers
Leftover pork should be stored in airtight containers or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Properly stored, your leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
If you want to preserve the life of your leftovers, you can keep them in the freezer – sealed or tightly wrapped for up to three months. While the pork will keep longer, it will lose some of its texture quality.
More great recipes to try:
- Beef Carnitas Tacos
- Pork Carnitas
- Pork Loin Roast
- Spanish Rice with Ground Beef
- Pork Fajitas
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork
- Cheesy Beef Quesadillas
- Mexican Beef and Rice Casserole
- Steak Fajitas
- Pork and Balsamic Onion Quesadilla
- Mexican Beer and Chicken Taco Casserole
- Crockpot Mexican Chicken
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Crockpot Pork Carnitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork shoulder
- 1 large onion quartered
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 cup orange juice
- 12 oz beer
Instructions
- Cut the pork shoulder into large 2 inch chunks. Trim some of the fat if needed.
- In your crockpot add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Add the pork to the crockpot and stir. There should be enough liquid to cover the pork.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker using a slotted spoon. Take 2 forks and start shredding the meat into smaller pieces. Pour some of the leftover liquid over the meat or strain the liquid and use it to make a gravy. See notes for instructions.
- Serve on tacos, burritos, tamales, sandwiches, etc.
Recipe Notes
- To make a gravy from the leftover juices, strain the liquid through a sieve. Add the liquid to a saucepan and sprinkle 2 to 3 tbsp of all-purpose flour over it. Whisk it vigorously until smooth and comes to a boil, over medium heat.
- If you wanted crispy pork carnitas, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the pulled pork over the prepared baking sheet and place it under the broiler for about 3 to 5 minutes or until crispy.
- Store pork carnitas leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
- Nutritional information is only for the pork caritas, not for the burritos. Calories for burritos can vary greatly based on ingredients used.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Really nice. Made this for Mother’s Day lunch yesterday (cooked night prior) and served with soft taco shells and mini hamburger buns. Didn’t have any onions and had to sub in some hard apple cider for beer. Replaced chilli powder with some leftover paprika rub and slow cooked for closer to 10 hrs. Summary – very forgiving recipe, lots of flavours, gravy was awesome.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Gary! 🙂
Excellent!! Thank you for a great receipe. Its keeper
We are so glad you like it!
Hello! I love your recipes and enjoy getting one each day in my email! This sound wonderful. We are living in an R V for a couple years. I opted to have an instant pot instead of a crockpot. Is there a way to make this with the instant pot instead of cooking all day with the slow cooker feature?
Thanks,
Yes you absolutely can! There are instructions on how to do this in this recipe here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/pork-carnitas/
I thought I had commented on this recipe last night but I don’t see it. If I did, then your recipe get 10 stars! The aroma throughout the day was driving us crazy. I invited my brother and sister-in-law for dinner, along with my son. My brother had 3 helpings, my sil 2 and my son 2. It was out of this world and I followed the recipe to a tee but only used 2# of pork shoulder. Our sides were pico de gallo, sliced avocado with lemon and salt, taco sauce and shredded taco sauce. It was so delicious! Thank you for sharing, Jo.
I just woke up to a beautiful slow roasted pork shoulder all ready to be the star of tacos for tonight’s supper. The only variations I used was adding both Silk Road Spice Merchant’s ground Morita chilies and some Epazote. I love everything about this recipe, though next time I will add 1-2 tbsp of brown sugar to the mix! So happy to have found this site!
Hi Jo,
This is the first carnitas recipe that I’ve ever used that is actually flavorful. I think it is the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and all the great acids, but also just the perfect amount of spices used. I just made this last night and it was AMAZING. I didn’t get my act together early enough to crock pot it, so I cooked it in a dutch oven, first getting the liquid and meat to a boil, then stuck it in a 325 degree oven for about 3 hours. The only adjustment that I made was increasing the kosher salt to 1.5 tsp and squeezing fresh lime over it before serving it minimally dressed on tacos with green onions, cilantro, avocado and lettuce. It was perfection and I am so excited to now have this recipe in my arsenal. Thank you thank you!
Thank you Suzy for commenting and so glad you enjoyed the carnitas as they are a favorite of ours as well.
This sounds so good. In the remarks, someone mentioned browning the pork before putting it in the crockpot, but it was not in the directions. Should it be browned? Also, love your pictures!
Hi Pam,
Thank you! You could brown it if you wanted to but it’s not necessary.
I’ve made this recipe twice. It is delicious and so versatile! Just hubby and me now so I saved half back each time and froze it for later. It freezes up beautifully–a bonus. The second time I made it I discovered that we were out of beer, so I used tequila. Came out just fine ;~). So thanks for the recipe and also for the cookbook. I bought two–one for me and one for my new daughter-in-law.
Thanks Terri for commenting and for buying the cookbook. Thanks for being.a part of the Jo Cooks community, we appreciate it!
Yummy! Can’t wait to try this