Slow Cooker Carnitas

These Slow Cooker Carnitas are cooked low and slow for 8 hours until fall-apart tender. Then they get broiled in the oven until perfectly crispy on the outside! They are amazing in tacos, burritos, salads, and quesadillas.

Short on time? Try my Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas or my Instant Pot Pork Carnitas! Both of these recipes can be made in under an hour!

Kelley’s Tips

Before You Get Started

• Choice the best cut of meat! I recommend using pork shoulder or pork butt for super tender fall apart shredded pork! The higher fat content leads to the best juicy pork! I’ve made this recipe with and without a bone in and both work great!
• Sear the pork before slow cooking it. Searing the meat adds a ton of flavor and locks in the juices making the pork carnitas taste even better! This process is called braising when you both sear the meat and cook it in liquid (broth).
• Freeze leftovers! I like to freeze half for later when I’m making this for just my family as the recipe feeds 6-8 people.
• Don’t skip the broiling! This makes the pork carnitas perfectly crispy. It is my favorite part!
• Save the dripping for when reheating the pork to keep it super juicy and tender!

Ingredients

• Pork – For the cut of meat, you can use either pork shoulder or pork butt. Make sure you trim off the excess fat and sear it before adding it to the crockpot to lock in the juices!
• Onion & Garlic – These two key ingredients pack in so much flavor.
• Chiles – For a kick of heat I added one can of diced green chiles. If you can’t find them in your grocery store, add in a chile pepper of your choice, or add a little extra chili powder.
• Broth – Chicken broth provides salt and liquid to braise the meat perfectly.
• Herbs & spices – For the best flavor, I added bay leaves, salt and pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and chipotle chili powder which is spicy and smoky. If you can’t find chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika with a little extra chili powder would be fine!
• Lime – The juice of one whole lime is added to give the pork carnitas a kick of tartness and to balance out the other flavors. It is delicious! I like to add a squeeze of fresh lime when I’m serving it as well.

How to make Authentic Slow Cooker Carnitas

1. Brown the pork: I like to sear the pork before adding it to the slow cooker. It adds so much flavor and also helps to lock in the juices! Make sure to choose either skinless pork butt or pork shoulder for the best carnitas. To sear the pork start by heating oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned, about 1-2 minutes per side.

2. Slow cook carnitas: Transfer pork to a large slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours or until the pork is tender. Remove the bay leaves.

3. Shred the meat: Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred. (Make sure to keep the liquid)

4. Broil: Transfer the shredded pork to a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until crispy.

5. Add juices and broil: Remove from the oven and pour 1/4 cup of the reserved juices from the slow cooker onto the crispy pork and toss. Place the baking sheet back in the broiler for an additional 5 minutes or until the meat is crispy. Pour an additional 1/4 cup liquid over the crispy pork and serve immediately with cilantro for serving, if desired.

More Carnitas Recipes To Try

• Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
• Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas

Recipe

Crispy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

4.79 from 47 votes

These Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas are cooked low and slow for 8 hours until fall-apart tender. Then they get broiled in the oven until perfectly crispy on the outside! They are amazing in tacos, burritos, salads, and quesadillas.

Author: Kelley Simmons

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 8 hours hrs

Total Time: 8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Serves 6

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Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 4-5 pound pork shoulder/pork butt trimmed of excess fat
• 1 lime, juiced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• cilantro for serving, if desired

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a large slow cooker.
  
• Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours or until the pork is tender. Remove the bay leaves.
  
• Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred. (Make sure to keep the liquid)
  
• Transfer the shredded pork to a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until crispy.
  
• Remove from the oven and pour 1/4 cup of the reserved juices from the slow cooker onto the crispy pork and toss.
  
• Place the baking sheet back in the broiler for an additional 5 minutes or until the meat is crispy. Pour an additional 1/4 cup liquid over the crispy pork and serve immediately with cilantro for serving, if desired.
  
• The pork can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
  

Nutrition Information

Calories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 37gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 702mgPotassium: 761mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 525IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 3mg

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