Description
Easy Crockpot Carnitas is a flavorful and tender slow-cooked Mexican-inspired pork shoulder recipe perfect for tacos, burritos, bowls, or nachos. It features a delicious blend of spices, citrus juices, and slow cooking to achieve melt-in-your-mouth shredded pork with optional crispy edges.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Oil
- 3–4 pounds pork shoulder (boneless or bone-in)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Spices
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Produce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 orange, juiced (plus zest)
- 1 lime, juiced
Liquids
- ½ cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Prepare the Pork: Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder and cut into large chunks if necessary to fit into the slow cooker.
- Mix the Spices: In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper, mixing thoroughly.
- Season the Pork: Rub the spice mixture evenly all over the pork chunks to ensure full flavor.
- Sear the Pork: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork on all sides until browned, about 2–3 minutes per side; this step is optional but adds great depth of flavor.
- Set Up Crockpot: Place the seared pork into the crockpot. Add minced garlic, chopped onion, orange juice and zest, lime juice, and chicken broth.
- Cook: Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours or on high for 4–5 hours, until the pork is tender and can be easily shredded.
- Shred the Pork: Remove the pork from the crockpot and shred it using two forks.
- Optional Crisping: For crispy edges, spread the shredded pork on a baking sheet and broil for 5–8 minutes until edges are crisp. Drizzle a bit of the cooking juices over the meat before serving.
Notes
- Great for tacos, burritos, bowls, or nachos.
- Leftovers freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Add extra lime juice or fresh cilantro for a bright, zesty finish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 540mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
