Crockpot Pork Carnitas
A few years ago I made these pulled pork tacos with mango salsa that were to die for. BUT, I couldn’t remember the recipe. So I went to the drawing board and decided to make pork carnitas in the crockpot. They turned out AMAZING! This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I even I think it’s safe to say it’s a new family favorite. The best part is, it’s super easy to make!
We hope you and your family love it as much as we do. Enjoy!
🧂 Ingredients
We served it with hard taco shells and whole wheat tortillas alongside a mango salsa, guacamole and cheddar cheese. It’s so versatile you can use it in anything, tacos, quesadillas, burritos, you name it.
📝 Instructions
The meat is so juicy and tender and practically falls off the bone when you take it out of the crockpot. After shredding it, we let it cook just a little longer in the juice so it can absorb even more flavor. Then we broiled it to crisp the outside up a bit and oh my gosh… It is melt in your mouth amazing.
🥣 Storage
Place in tupperware in the fridge for up to 3 days, or portion it out in ziplock baggies and freeze for up tp 3 months!
🍜 Variations & Substitutions
- You can use more lemon if no limes are available!
- Increase cook time if using a lower quality cut of meat.
Crockpot Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 5-7 lb Pork Shoulder Roast
- ½ a Brown Beer we used New Castle
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 2 tsp Salt
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Onion diced
- Zest of 1 Orange
- Juice of 2 oranges
- Juice of 1 Lime
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1 cup Salsa Verde
- Tortillas or Taco Shells
Instructions
- Trim as much fat as you can off the pork shoulder roast.
- Pour half a beer in the crockpot and drink the other half 🙂
- In a small bowl, combine cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano and salt.
- Rub the spice mixture on the pork roast, thoroughly covering the entire outside and place in crockpot.
- Crush the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add to crockpot along with the bay leaf and diced onions.
- Add the orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice and top with the salsa verde.
- Cook on low for 8 hours (preferred) or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Remove pork shoulder from crockpot and shred.
- Strain the excess juice from the crockpot into a large saucepan and skim off excess fat.
- Add the shredded pork to the saucepan and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Spread the pork evenly on a baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet on the second highest rack in the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, or until the edges start to get brown and crisp.
- Place in a serving dish.
- Serve with tortillas and/or hard taco shells and your favorite topping.
Notes
Nutrition values are estimates, for exact values consult a nutritionist.
