Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

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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 bowls. A must-try!

Prep Time20

Cook Time7

Total Time7 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired

Servings: servings

Calories: 331.6kcal

Author: Priscilla Lawrence

Equipment

Ingredients

1 yellow onion diced
6-8 pounds pork shoulder bone in or not
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked 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).
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).
Once the meat is cooked, remove lid and transfer the pieces onto a large cutting board. Reserve some of the juice.
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!

Notes

To make the carnitas edges 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