Pork Carnitas Slow Cooker Recipe

🥄 Ingredients

• 2 lbs. pork shoulder
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 orange
• 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chipotles in adobo sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• freshly cracked pepper
• olive oil
• 12-16 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• finely chopped cilantro
• 3-4 limes
• 4 tomatillos
• 1/2 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 10-15 sprigs cilantro
• 1 serrano pepper (jalapeno is fine too)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1

   In a mixing bowl combine the spice rub ingredients:  2 teaspoons oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 2 teaspoons salt, freshly cracked pepper, and a dollop of olive oil.

2. 2

   Trim off any excess fat from the pork shoulder and chop it into large chunks, approximately 2-3 inches wide.  Add to the mixing bowl and thoroughly rub the spices into the pork chunks.

3. 3

   Add the pork to the slow cooker, along with a roughly chopped onion, 4 peeled garlic cloves, and a jalapeno.  Squeeze as much orange and lime juice into the slow cooker as you can.  I add the leftover orange pieces to the slow cooker but this is optional.

4. 4

   Cook for 6-8 hours on low, or approximately 4 hours on high.  When the meat pulls apart easily and is fully cooked on the inside it is done. 

5. 5

   Remove any large veggie pieces and shred the pork pieces using two forks or a spatula.  Taste for salt level and add additional salt if necessary (very important!).  Let the shredded pieces cook for another 10-15 minutes in the slow cooker so the juices can infuse into the shredded meat.

6. 6

   To crisp up the carnitas, you can either cook them in a skillet over medium-high heat with a bit of oil until the juices evaporate and one side crisps up, or you can cook them under the broiler in the oven for 5 minutes or so. 

7. 7

   To make pork carnitas tacos, warm up 12-16 corn tortillas.  Each tortilla gets carnitas, Salsa Verde, finely chopped onion, cilantro, and a final squeeze of lime. 

8. 8

   To make Salsa Verde, pull the husks off the tomatillos and give them a good rinse.  Cut the stems out of the tomatillos.  Roast the tomatillos in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they start to turn army green.  Add tomatillos to a blender along with 1/2 onion, 1 garlic clove, 10-15 sprigs cilantro, and 1/2 of the serrano pepper.  Pulse blend and taste for heat level, adding more serrano if necessary.

9. 9

   Store leftover carnitas in their juices in an airtight container in the fridge.

📊 Nutrition (per serving)

Nutritional values are estimates from the original source.