These Crockpot Pork Carnitas are a delicious combination of juicy and tender meat that will simply melt in your mouth. These carnitas are incredibly simple to make, requires only 10 minutes prep time and extremely versatile, perfect for tacos or burritos!
Crockpot Pork Carnitas
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.
Why Make These Carnitas
- Quick 10 Minute Prep Time
- Very flavorful and delicious!
- Extremely versatile!
- Perfect freezer food!
- Great for picnics, barbecues and parties!
Ingredient Notes
- Pork – Pork shoulder is the best to use, cut into 2 inch pieces.
- Onion – You’ll need one large onion quartered, for lots of great flavor.
- 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 teaspoon 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 the pork: Cut the pork shoulder into large 2 inch chunks. Trim some of the fat if needed.
- Combine ingredients and cook: 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 the 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.
FAQs
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.
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!
You can if you want. They are great crispy as well. Simply heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and spread some pork carnitas. You can also add some of the juices, to keep the pork from drying out. If adding liquid, let it evaporate and then the bottom of the carnitas wills tart to crips up. Toss gently to toss on both sides and enjoy!
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 Carnitas
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 or sear it in a skillet. 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.
You can also serve carnitas over some Mexican rice with some fresh Pico de Gallo and my delicious guacamole.
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.
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Crockpot Pork Carnitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork shoulder
- 1 large onion quartered
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 cup orange juice
- 12 ounce beer
Instructions
- Cut the pork: Cut the pork shoulder into large 2 inch chunks. Trim some of the fat if needed.
- Combine ingredients and cook: 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 the pork: 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.
- Serve: 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.
- You can also crisp them in a skillet. Simply heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and spread some pork carnitas. You can also add some of the juices, to keep the pork from drying out. If adding liquid, let it evaporate and then the bottom of the carnitas wills tart to crips up. Toss gently to toss on both sides and enjoy!
- 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.
This was very, very good, to say the least. No one could go wrong making this. I think Jo is an excellent recipe developer, and I have all of her books in my Barnes & Noble shopping cart for pickup today.
Thank you, Lorena! I really appreciate your comment. 🙂
I would like to only suggest that if you have time to look up the Restaurant in Tijuana Mexico, called Carnitas Uropan.
I’ve lived most of my life in San Diego until about 21 ago I left at age 55, but anyway Caritas Uropan used huge copper pots two of them in the front parking lot full of Oil “lard no doubt” and inside the restaurant was bench seating and you ordered Carnitas by the Kilo along with the order came stacks of tortillas, salsa, radishes, and I don’t remember what all else, but that was authentic the pork came in 2 x 2 inch chunks more of less and was crispy tender and tasty. O’ yes and pickled chili peppers. If you can find the recipe i’d be surprised and if you do and make you’ll love it.
Sounds delicious! If I’m ever around there, I’d be looking for this place for sure!
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