Making pork carnitas in the slow-cooker is so easy and so delicious! The meat pulls apart so easily and is so juicy and flavorful with crispy bits. Tacos, salads bowl, quesadillas as well as eggs with pork carnitas are just out of this world!

We are huge fans of Mexican food in our home and living in San Diego we have the chance to eat the very best one! I used to love to order carnitas when eating out but now that we have perfected this homemade slow-cooker pork carnitas recipe, we just make it home and it is a game changer! It has the perfect combination of spices! For this recipe, you will need a pan to sear the meat and a slow-cooker also known as crockpot. This is NOT an instant pot recipe.

Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas Ingredients

Name: Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 480 min
Ingredients: 4-5 lbs pork butt ((or pork shoulder) ); 1 onion (white or yellow); 1 cup orange juice; 1/2 cup water; 3 tsp salt (more or less to taste); 1 tsp pepper; 2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1/2 tsp oregano; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Pork butt (or pork shoulder) weighing 4-5 Lbs. It can be bone-in or boneless. If bone-in you will need to cut the meat around the bone to remove it. Get a little bigger cut (closer to 5 Lbs.) if bone-in. My favorite is ButcherBox
1 onion, chopped. Yellow or white is best for this recipe
1 cup of orange juice. It can be fresh squeezed or bottled
½ cup of water. You can add a little more if your cut of pork is bigger than 5 Lbs.
3 teaspoon of salt. I know it seems like a lot but it's a big cut of meat. You can reduce the amount to taste
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 teaspoon of onion powder
2 teaspoon of garlic powder
½ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of paprika
½ teaspoon of oregano
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

How to make Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas

Step one- pat dry the pork butt and cut in large chunks. If it is bone-in, cut around the bone and discard it.

Step two- brown each piece of meat on medium high heat for about 3 min on each side or until nicely golden. You might need to do this step in batches depending on the size of your pan.

Step three- mix all your spices together while the meat is searing.

Step four- transfer the seared pork into the slow-cooker. Add all the spices, make sure to mix everything well so all the meat get some.

Step five- add the chopped onion, orange juice and water. The liquid should be at about half the slow-cooker. You can add a bit more water if the pork is larger than 5 Lbs.

Step six- put the lid on and set your slow-cooker on low. Cook for about 8 hours.

Step seven- once cooked, remove the pork, place on a cutting board and start shredding it with 2 forks. The meat will be so tender this step will be easy. Save some of the liquid from the slow-cooker to add back to the meat once shredded. Enjoy!

Tips

Leftovers- To crisp up the leftover slow-cooker pork carnitas, place them in a pan with a small spray of oil and cook on medium high for about 5-6min.

Storage- Store the carnitas in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.