Slow Cooker Mexican Carnitas Recipe | Whenever I am asked if there are any foods I don’t like or if I have any allergies I declare that I eat all the foods. And this is a true statement.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t have strong preferences for one food over another. If given the choice, I will always choose pork over beef. Especially when it comes to tacos. Ground beef is a sad comparison to the hearty, fall-apart tenderness of Mexican pulled pork.
Let’s be honest, I will never turn down any type of taco. But I will snatch a pork taco out of your hands. I will! This is why I insist that, for your next Taco Tuesday, you ditch the ground beef, get yourself some nice pork roast, switch on the slow cooker, and make these Mexican carnitas!
Pork carnitas tacos and tacos al pastor are my two favorite types of tacos. Today is all about amping up your taco night with this slow cooker carnitas recipe.
Taco Tuesday has taken the internet by storm as a family favorite because it’s easy and–let’s be honest–no one says no to tacos. There’s something comforting in flavorful meat and gooey cheese in a delicious tortilla envelope. And toppings take things to a whole different level.
This taco night, let’s bypass the ground beef, taco seasoning envelope, and taco shells that break. Nobody wants taco juice spilled all over their white shirt. Because that is usually how it works, doesn’t it? Let’s up the Taco Tuesday game and make some crispy pork carnitas and warm tortillas.
Slow Cooker Carnitas
The great thing about these tacos is that, with the help of a slow cooker, they come together as easily as the other tacos. In fact, with the whole “fix it and forget it” simplicity of the slow cooker, I dare say that these are easier than traditional tacos. But you won’t be forgetting these any time soon.
Carnitas meat is tender and flavorful with all the savory elements of an authentic taco at a street stand. Spoiler alert, it’s the browned bits involved in the searing and the addition of orange juice to the warm Mexican carnitas spices that make these the best. So don’t skip out on those steps.
To finish off this Mexican carnitas recipe, all you need to do is crisp them in a skillet to create those irresistible edges, warm some tortillas, and layout a spread of toppings. Everyone has their ideal taco, after all.
Carnitas Tacos Toppings
- cilantro
- onion
- sour cream
- queso fresco
- pico de gallo
- mango salsa
- grilled pineapple
- cotija cheese
- lime juice
- Tajin seasoning
- crema mexicana
What are Carnitas?
In the simplest terms, carnitas are tender morsels of meat heaven. To be more specific, the word “carnitas” literally translates to “little meats” or “meat nuggets.”
Traditionally made of pork, sometimes the term “carnitas” will be used in reference to beef. However, if you are at a Mexican home or restaurant and carnitas is on the menu, 9 times out of 10 they will be pork.
Carnitas is a Mexican dish originating from the state of Michoacán, which is made by braising pork and then frying in oil or lard until tender.
What’s the Difference Between Carnitas and Al Pastor?
If you’re Team Tacos al Pastor, the biggest difference between these two is the preparation and the seasoning. Carnitas are typically marinated in a mixture of spices, citrus, and oil. Then they are braised until tender and shredded.
Al Pastor literally means “shepherd style.” The pork is marinated in a combination of spices, chilies, and pineapple. It is then traditionally prepared shawarma-style, which is a slow cooking vertical rotisserie. This preparation style was brought by the Lebanese immigrants to Mexico.
The only thing these two preparations have in common is that they are both pork tacos. So as we established above, you cannot go wrong with either one.
Ideas for Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Leftovers
I love to make this dish in large batches! Because there are so many things you can make with them. One of my favorite dishes to make with leftovers is posole, a comforting pork and hominy soup.
Leftovers are also great for enchiladas, breakfast hash, panini sandwiches, breakfast tacos, or over a salad. In fact, they are the secret to making the ultimate salad bowl. They can also be frozen to enjoy later.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy leftovers is nachos! I just spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet and top them with shredded carnitas and cheese. After they come out of the oven, they can hold up to a substantial pile of toppings.
There are so many ways leftover slow cooker carnitas can add more versatility to your weekly meal plan. But they’re also a great way to feed a crowd for game night, movie night, or another gathering without a lot of fuss.
How to Make Slow Cooker Carnitas
I have used both pork butt and pork shoulder for this recipe. They are my favorite cuts of pork for this recipe because both of these cuts have a healthy ratio of fat, producing fall apart tender carnitas.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork roast with salt, cumin, and oregano. Drizzle with olive oil and rub seasoning and oil evenly over roast.
- Sear the roast on all sides until brown and crispy, 3 minutes per side. Place the roast to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken stock into the hot skillet and scrape all the brown bits from the pan. Don’t skip this step, there are a lot of flavors in the brown bits. Transfer scrapings to the slow cooker.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Set slow cooker on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4. The longer it cooks, the more tender the pork. You want the pork to be falling apart.
- Heat the cast-iron skillet or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat and drizzle with vegetable oil. Using a slotted spoon transfer the pork from the slow cooker to the pan in batches.
- Fry the pork until brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it. Do not crowd the pan as this will lead to the pork steaming and not crisping.
- Serve on tortillas garnished with chopped onions, avocado, fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge.
What to serve with Pork Carnitas
Part of the ultimate carnitas experience is also serving some killer side dishes and drinks. One of my most popular recipes Elote Corn (Mexican Street Corn) is the perfect accompaniment to carnitas.
Do you like to drizzle salsa over your tacos? You may like Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde. And of course, you can never go wrong with some authentic Mexican Rice. Finally, consider washing everything down with some Spicy Pineapple Margaritas.
If you are looking for more slow cooker pork recipes, check out this slow cooker pork ramen, slow cooker Puerto Rican pork, or spicy malta slow cooker pulled pork. To prove my love for pork check out all of my pork recipes.
more pork love
more tasty ideas for your Taco Tuesday
Not a pork fan? We can still be friends!
- lighter loaded chicken nachos
- skirt steak with mole and cilantro
- instant pot Texas brisket
- carna asada with orange salsa
Slow Cooker Carnitas
Make taco night a special night! Ditch the ground beef with the taco seasoning and try these easy and flavorful slow cooker carnitas tacos.
Ingredients
See notes before starting this dish.
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (butt) roast
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- olive oil
- 1/4 cup of chicken or beef stock
- 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 7 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Season pork roast with salt, cumin, and oregano. Drizzle with olive oil and rub seasoning and oil evenly over roast. Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear the roast on all side until brown and crispy, 3 minutes per side. Transfer roast to the slow cooker.
- Pour the chicken stock into the hot skillet and scrape all the brown bits from the pan, transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Set slow cooker to low for 6-8 hours. The longer it cooks the more tender the pork.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon transfer the pork from the slow cooker to the pan in batches.
- Fry the pork until brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it. Do not crowd the pan with pork for best results.
- Serve on tortillas garnished with chopped onions, avocado, fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.
Notes
Reserve juices for Posole soup.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 468 Total Fat: 26g Saturated Fat: 9g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 15g Cholesterol: 154mg Sodium: 973mg Carbohydrates: 9g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 6g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 47g
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This is in the crockpot now!! Can’t wait to eat it tonight! Love your site, keep up the great work!
You just can’t beat really good pork carnitas! Loving the simplicity of the flavors in this one.
Words cannot describe how much I love carnitas!
This is happening soon, looks incredible!
Mmmm! I need these tonight!
Seriously salivating here!!
Yes! We were going to have tacos this week, but this meat will be much better!
My love for carnitas is well known. This looks heavenly!
I love, love, LOVE the combination of spices and citrus on these carnitas. And it looks so danged pretty in that skillet!
This looks fabulous! I always order carnitas at Latin American restaurants but I’ve never made it at home. This recipe I might try. On the last step, the frying, are you doing that dry or should I use oil in the pan?
The pork already has quite a bit of fat content so I do it dry in a non-stick skillet.
I’m just drooling over here – this is my all time weakness! YUM!!!!!!
I don’t think I can stress enough how delicious this is. Ohhh my god.
I browned the meat first as suggested… haven’t made it without browning, so I can’t compare, but it was phenomenal!
Messeidy, you are my hero! I make these carnitas all the time (and actually just posted a slightly tweaked version of them today!) and my husband absolutely adores the posole recipe you posted to use up leftovers. We make this in the crockpot and brown the whole pork roast beforehand. Amazing!
great recipe. The pork is so tender. You can take it out of the crock pot and make your tacos without frying them for a healthier version. the flavor is great. I only cooked it for 4 hrs on high and came out perfect. so easy!!!!!! I am making my posole tomorrow! I was just wondering if you used the fried carnitas for the soup or the pork without frying it.
Amazing!! I used a cast iron skillet to crisp up the meat at the end and deglazing it with the beer made this dish perfect. I also used the skillet to heat up the corn tortillas so that they didn’t fall apart while eating the tacos. I added sliced grape tomatoes to the chopped avocados. My family said it was the best Mexican dish I’ve made in 20 years. Thank you!!
I know this post is older, but I just wanted to say I made this for dinner last night and it was absolutely delicious.
After reading this Pro blog i decided to bookmark it!
I was wondering if you can tell me what kind of chilies you used? There are so many different chilies and in Australia (where I live) they don’t have canned chillies. I once found a tin of roasted poblano chillies, which have a very distinct taste, at a specialty shop. Is that the kind you mean? I really want to make this but have had some crockpot disasters from using ingredients that ended up not being comparable.
Thanks heaps
I am confused. I didn’t use any chilies in this recipe.
These were fabulous! I made them a couple nights ago and my husband (who is a huge authentic mexican food lover) LOVED them! It took a lot of work to keep him from eating the leftovers so we could make the Pasole… We are trying that tonight and hopefully its worth the sacrifice! At any rate, we are already planning to make them for our whole extended family at our next get together! Fabulous!
These were great! Carnitas are now right up there with fish tacos for me. Thanks for a super recipe. I plan to also make the posole very soon.
wow, look at that, I’m already drooling, great color, looks delicious
Made this tonight and our tacos were great! Next time I think I will sear the pork longer and add orange zest/orange pieces to the crock pot for a tad more orange flavor. Thanks so much for this post – always wanted to make this at home and it was so easy/accessible with your recipe! Yum!!!
I’m just checking out the featured blogs on the foodie blogroll today.
Great blog! I love your photography and food. I’ll be putting this in my reader.
Excellent job on the carnitas. I like to use the left over tips from trimming spare ribs for making carnitas but pork shoulder like you used is more traditional. Yum!
Found you off PW and saw this recipe. My husband is Latino (Chilean) they don’t make anything like this, but we both love anything Latino. Anyway, I made this today and it is TO.DIE.FOR. We loved it. I saved the juice and some pork for the posole… can’t wait. So happy I found your site!
well now, this is a fine way to kick-start my saliva glands first thing in the morning! what a scrumptious batch of pig product–nicely done!
I love carnitas and these look great! Good idea using the crockpot. Because my crockpot isn’t out on the counter I usually forget about using it, but always love it when I do remember!
Carnitas are great. After the slow cooker you can broil the pork for 5 minutes and crispy it up. Nothing like moist crispy carnitas.
Love it! I’m in the midst of cooking only from my slow cooker for all of January so I’ll definitely have to give this one a try! thanks for the idea!
I’m saving this one-that says a lot!!!
Those look amazing!
I use a marinade similar to this for carne asada, but never thought of using it for carnitas! And using the slow cooker for them is brilliant!