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–+ servings
This is a picture of tacos filled with slow cooker pork carnitas.
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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Incredibly flavorful, juicy and fall-apart tender with crispy edges, these slow cooker pork carnitas are a classic Mexican cuisine favorite. By letting the crockpot do most of the work, this recipe is so easy to make, and great to use many different ways from tacos to nachos. A must-try!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 331.6kcal
Author: Ryan Lawrence

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 onion diced
  • 6-8 pounds pork shoulder bone in or not
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

  • Dice an onion and add it to the bottom of the slow cooker.
    Trim the large pieces of fat for the pork (optional but recommended).
    Cut the pork into 3 to 4 inches squares.
  • In a large skillet add a couple spray of oil. Once hot add the pieces of pork and sear each side on medium high heat for a couple minutes each, rotating them with tongs (this might need to be done in batches depending on the size of the skillet used).
    This is a picture of the pork getting seared in a skillet.
  • Once the pork is seared, add them to the crockpot on top of the diced onion. Pour the orange juice and water over the pork, then sprinkle all the seasoning spices. Add the lid on and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or about 4 hours on high).
    This is a picture of the pork added to the crockpot with seasoning.
  • Once the meat is cooked, remove lid and transfer the pieces onto a large cutting board. Reserve some of the juice.
    This is a picture of the pork carnitas in the slow cooker after it's cooked.
  • Shred the meat inserting two forks into the meat, one on each side, then pull in opposite directions. Transfer the meat into a container, pour over about ½ cup of reserved juice (more or less) and serve as desired. Enjoy!
    This is a picture of the slow cooker pork carnitas being shredded with fork on a cutting board.

Notes

  • To make the carnitas crispy: after shredding the meat you can crisp it up in a skillet on high heat, or on a baking sheet and broil in your oven for a few minutes. Pour over some of the reserved juices afterwards to keep the meat juicy.
 
*The nutritional values shown in this recipe are approximate for one suggested serving size using the ingredients listed but not including any optional items and may vary per actual preferred portion sizes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 331.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.6g | Protein: 41.2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6.8g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 451.8mg | Potassium: 813.4mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 3.3g | Vitamin A: 206.7IU | Vitamin C: 18.3mg | Calcium: 45.9mg | Iron: 3mg