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Get ready for a whole new world of flavor with my Pork Carnitas Recipe! With practically no prep and all the work done by the slow cooker, this melt-in-your-mouth Mexican pork is here to be a new dinner staple.
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Recipe for Carnitas
Carnitas is the type of meal that you eat once and never stop thinking about. The mouthwatering fall-apart-tender pork, the rich sauce, the incredible depth of flavor- what isn't to love? The minute I tried them, I knew I had to learn how to make them myself!
Well, I have great news: making your own carnitas meat is so, so easy! All it takes is a slow cooker, a sheet pan, and the self control to let them cook without digging in early! And trust me, with how good it makes the house smell, it's hard to resist.
Ready for practically effortless carnitas that'll keep you fed for a week? Then it's time to whip out the crock pot and start cooking! This recipe is about to be your new favorite. Serve it in rice bowls, tacos, burritos, or even as a sandwich!
What is Carnitas?
To put it simply, carnitas is a type of Mexican slow-cooked pork, where pork shoulder is cooked for a long period of time in savory broth until it falls apart.
The shredded pork is then briefly roasted in the oven to get crispy and delicious, and is served with the leftover juices. It's essentially just like pulled pork, but with a totally different flavor profile!
Slow Cooker Carnitas Ingredients
- Pork shoulder
- Onion
- Jalapenos
- Orange
- Olive oil
Carnitas Seasoning Ingredients
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Oregano
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Carnitas
- Dice the onion and cut the pork shoulder into cubes. Add the diced onion to the bottom of the slow cooker, then the whole jalapenos.
- Combine the cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then use it to coat the pork well, making sure all pieces are well coated.
- Place the pork in the slow cooker on top of the onions and peppers. Then squeeze the juice of a large orange over the pork, and add in the olive oil.
- Set the crockpot to low, and cook for 8 hours. Don't set it to high- the pork will get tough! Once the 8 hours are up, remove the pork and shred it with a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and spread the shredded pork over a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the top starts to get brown and crispy.
- Pour the cooked liquid from the slow cooker through a strainer, and discard any solids. Then pour the strained juices over the carnitas while serving, and enjoy!
Carnitas Meat Tips
- If you're in a rush, you can skip the step of crisping the pork in the oven, but this will result in softer meat.
- If you'd like, you can chop up the cooked jalapenos and add them and the onions into the juices instead of discarding them.
- A squeeze of lime juice always pairs well with carnitas.
- Pork shoulder is a perfect pork roast for this dish, as it's huge and budget friendly. However, you can also use beef chuck roast for delicious beef carnitas.
- You can use pork tenderloin to make carnitas, if it's all you have. Others may say you can't, but I promise you can! Use a 2 pound or slightly large tenderloin, or double up on tenderloins. Cook for the same amount of time and it should shred just as easily.
- For an extra boost of flavor, sear the pork chunks briefly in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat before adding them to the crock pot.
Pressure Cooker Carnitas Instructions
To make this carnitas recipe in the Instant Pot, cook it for 30 minutes on high pressure, then naturally release the pressure for 15-20 minutes. Nothing else needs to be changed unless adjusting for the size of your pressure cooker.
For best results, sear the pork ahead of time on saute mode, then bake or broil to crisp it after cooking, just as you would for the slow cooker version.
How to Serve Carnitas
The most famous way to serve carnitas is in the form of Carnitas Tacos! Pile corn tortillas with carnitas, melty cheese and some chopped onion for incredibly flavorful, incredibly easy pork tacos.
Looking for variation? Here are some of my other favorite ways to use leftover carnitas!
- Carnitas Flatbread Pizza: Pile up carnitas, jalapenos, onion, cheese, and a bit of the sauce on flatbreads and bake them like pizza! Garnish it with a little cilantro to taste, if you like.
- Carnitas Nachos: Instead of your typical taco meat, pile nachos high with carnitas for the most amazing nachos you will ever eat!
- Carnitas Quesadillas: Use all of the same flavors you would use for carnitas tacos or burritos, and gently cook between two tortillas layered with cheese.
- Carnitas Rice Bowls: Deconstruct a taco into a hearty and filling Mexican rice bowl! Serve over fresh white rice or Spanish rice, then top it all off with a bit of cheese, the carnitas juices, and your favorite toppings like beans, pickled onions, or fresh corn.
- Carnitas Salad Bowls: Carnitas are the perfect topping for a burrito bowl or salad bowl! Fill a bowl with your favorite salad mix, then add any combination of rice, beans, veggies, salsa, cheese and carnitas. Top it with crushed up tortilla chips for extra crunch!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months (don't forget to label with the date).
Pork Carnitas Recipe FAQ
Typically, pork carnitas is made from pork shoulder. This heavy, thick cut of meat is budget-friendly and rich in flavor, but the muscle fibers tend to be tough and require long cooking time to render them soft and tender. This makes the cut absolutely ideal for slow cooker recipes like carnitas!
Carnitas is a variety of pulled pork originating in Mexico. "Pulled pork" is just a way to cook pork, so any pork that's slow cooked and shreds is considered pulled pork! The difference with carnitas is the seasonings and add-ins that make it unique.
While both Mexican pulled meats that are typically slow-cooked, the difference lies in the kind of meat and the seasonings. Carnitas tend to be made with pork and use orange juice, onions, and jalapenos for flavoring, while barbacoa is usually beef and relies upon a blend of peppers, chipotles, broth, and vinegar.
Both pork loin and pork shoulder are great for carnitas, but I prefer to use pork shoulder. The cut tends to be larger, and the high concentration of marbling means that the pork will be infused with a ton of incredible flavor and turn out silky smooth. Pork loin, as a more lean meat, may need more liquid added to the crock pot to ensure it doesn't dry out.
Pulled Pork Recipes
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Pork Carnitas Recipe
Equipment
- Slow cooker 7 qt
- Sheet pan
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Pork shoulder
- 1 Yellow onion
- 2 Jalapenos
- ½ cup Orange juice from 1 large orange
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Chili powder
- 3 teaspoons Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Salt
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Dice the onion and cut the pork shoulder into cubes. Add the diced onion to the bottom of the slow cooker, then the whole jalapenos.1 Yellow onion, 2 Jalapenos
- Combine the cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then use it to coat the pork well, making sure all pieces are well coated.3 lbs Pork shoulder, 2 teaspoons Cumin, 2 teaspoons Chili powder, 3 teaspoons Oregano, 2 teaspoons Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Pepper, 2 teaspoons Salt
- Place the pork in the slow cooker on top of the onions and peppers. Then squeeze the juice of a large orange over the pork, and add in the olive oil.½ cup Orange juice, 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- Turn the crockpot on low, and cook for 8 hours. Don't turn it on high- the pork will get tough! Once the 8 hours are up, remove the pork from the crock pot and shred with with two forks.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and spread the shredded pork over a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops start to get brown and crispy.
- Pour the juices from the slow cooker through a strainer, and discard any solids. Pour the juices over the carnitas while serving, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
-
- If you're in a rush, you can skip the step of baking the pork, but this will result in softer and less crispy meat.
-
- If you'd like, you can chop up the cooked jalapenos and add them and the onions into the juices instead of discarding them.
-
- Pork shoulder is a perfect cut for this recipe, as it's huge and budget friendly. However, you can also use beef chuck roast for delicious beef carnitas.
-
- For an extra boost of flavor, sear the pork chunks briefly in a cast-iron pan before adding them to the crock pot.
- Make this recipe in the Instant Pot by cooking it on high pressure for 30 minutes, then naturally releasing the pressure for 15-20 minutes. For best results, sear the pork on saute mode beforehand, then broil or bake the pork after cooking to crisp it.
Nutrition
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