This slow cooker carnitas recipe is the ultimate set it and forget it meal that delivers incredibly flavorful, tender Mexican-style pulled pork with minimal effort! Just season the pork with warm spices, add citrus juices, and let your crockpot do all the work while you go about your day. The result is melt-in-your-mouth carnitas that are versatile enough to use in tacos, burritos, salads, and so much more.
We absolutely love crockpot cooking in our house, especially hands-off recipes like this one that make meal planning so much easier. Living in the Midwest, we love hearty, comfort food recipes that can feed a crowd without much fuss, and I’ve really come to appreciate recipes that can simmer away while we work and coordinate busy family schedules. As someone who’s always looking for ways to simplify dinner without sacrificing flavor, this carnitas recipe has become one of my go-to solutions for busy weeks. I can throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to the most amazing smelling house and dinner that’s ready to go.
This recipe is also fantastic for meal prep and bulk cooking since it makes a generous amount that freezes beautifully. It’s become our favorite way to mix up taco Tuesday and add some variety to our weekly meal rotation without spending hours in the kitchen.
You’ll Love These Slow Cooker Carnitas!
True set it and forget it cooking. We’re not pre-cooking anything or searing our meat for this recipe. Just trim, cut, and season the pork, add the citrus juices, and let your crockpot do the rest.
Incredibly versatile protein. Use these carnitas in tacos, burritos, bowls, nachos, salads, pastas, or even just eat them on their own with some sides.
Great for meal prep. This recipe makes plenty to feed a family with leftovers, and it freezes beautifully for future quick meals.
Amazing flavor. The combination of warm spices and citrus creates deeply flavorful meat that tastes like you spent hours cooking when you actually didn’t have to spend much hands-on time with it at all!
Carnitas Slow Cooker Recipe Ingredients
- Pork shoulder roast, well trimmed. The star of the show that becomes incredibly tender and shreddable after slow cooking. Boneless is ideal if you can find it (more meat for your money!), but bone-in works just fine too (that’s what our store carries and what we used for the photos). We cut the roast into large 4-inch pieces for this recipe so more surface area gets seasoned.
- Spice rub combination (ground cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, onion powder, salt, black pepper, chili powder, chipotle chili powder). This blend of warm spices creates the authentic carnitas flavor with earthy cumin, smoky chipotle, and aromatic oregano. Mexican oregano is preferred if you can find it for its more citrusy, floral notes. But we’ve use both types of oregano to make this recipe, and either way your carnitas turn out great!
- Fresh citrus juices (orange juice and lime juice). The citrus juices helps tenderize the meat while adding bright, sweet and tart flavors that balance the warm spices perfectly. Fresh-squeezed is best for the brightest flavor.
All ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page as well as all recipe instructions.
What’s the Best Cut of Meat to Use?
Pork shoulder is the ideal cut because it has the right amount of marbling and fat that breaks down during the slow cooking process, keeping the meat moist and resulting in incredibly tender, flavorful meat that shreds beautifully.
Look for a well-trimmed pork shoulder roast (or be sure to trim it well) and cut it into large, 4-inch pieces before seasoning. This allows more of the meat surface to get coated with those delicious spices and actually helps it cook a bit faster too.
Avoid leaner cuts like pork loin or tenderloin, as they’ll end up dry and won’t shred properly.
How to Make Crock Pot Carnitas
Mix the spices. Add the ground cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, onion powder, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and chipotle chili powder into a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Prepare the pork and place into the slow cooker. Remove any excess fat from the outside of the pork shoulder roast and then cut into large 4-inch pieces, trimming any additional excess fat as needed. Then place the pieces into your slow cooker basin.
Season the pork. Generously sprinkle the seasoning blend over the pork, rubbing it into the meat.
Flip the meat and continue to season so all sides of the pork pieces are generously coated with the spice blend, continuing to rub it into the meat.
Add liquids to slow cooker. Pour the fresh orange juice and fresh lime juice into the slow cooker, aiming for the edge of the slow cooker basin so you don’t wash the spices off the meat.
Cover and cook. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.
Cook until the pork is tender enough to shred easily with a fork (this will happen when it temps out at 205°F).
Shred the meat. Remove the cooked pork from the slow cooker and transfer to a large baking sheet. Shred the meat using two forks, pulling them in opposite directions to break the meat into bite-sized pieces. The pork should be so tender it practically falls apart on its own. Remove any large pieces of fat (and the bone if you had a bone-in roast) and discard.
Add cooking liquid and toss to coat. Pour about ½ to 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker over the shredded pork, tossing to coat and keep it moist.
Optional crisping step. For extra texture, preheat your oven’s broiler to high and broil the carnitas on the baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until some of the edges are crispy.
Serve and enjoy! Use your shredded carnitas in tacos, burritos, bowls, or however you’d like!
Tips for Making Great Carnitas
Take the time to trim off excess external fat! This is done for a few reasons. First, removing excess fat from the outside of the roast allows the spices to actually penetrate and flavor the meat. Second, no one likes a weird/fatty bite, and trimming off the tough or the harder fat cap helps avoid this.
Cut the pork into large pieces before seasoning. Cutting the pork shoulder into 4-inch chunks allows more surface area to get coated with spices and actually helps the meat cook a bit faster too.
Don’t skip the cooking liquid when shredding. Adding some of that flavorful liquid back to the shredded meat keeps it moist and adds extra flavor that you don’t want to waste.
Use fresh citrus juices for best flavor. Fresh-squeezed orange and lime juices make a noticeable difference in the brightness and overall taste compared to bottled juices.
How to Serve Slow Cooker Carnitas
These carnitas are incredibly versatile and can be used in so many different ways! The classic approach is to serve them in warm corn or flour tortillas with diced onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for authentic street-style tacos. We love adding radish slices or match-sticks on ours too! They’re also amazing in burritos, quesadillas, or burrito bowls with rice, beans, and your favorite toppings.
They also make fantastic nachos when piled on tortilla chips with cheese and all your favorite nacho toppings. For a lighter option, try them over salads or in lettuce wraps. You can even serve them on their own as a main dish with sides like Mexican rice, refried beans, or roasted vegetables.
What to Do With Leftover Carnitas
The possibilities for your leftover carnitas are nearly endless! Make a quick breakfast hash by sautéing them with diced potatoes and topping with fried eggs, add them to omelets and breakfast burritos, or toss them with scrambled eggs for a protein-packed meal.
For lunch and dinner, try them in grilled cheese sandwiches, use them as the protein for quick quesadillas, pile them on baked potatoes, or stuff them into baked sweet potatoes with black beans and cheese. They’re also amazing mixed into mac and cheese for a fun twist, added to soup with broth, beans, corn, and vegetables, or used in pasta dishes and on pizza.
Storing Leftover Crock Pot Carnitas
Store fully cooled, leftover carnitas in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure to include some of the cooking liquid to keep the meat moist and flavorful. When reheating, add a splash of the reserved cooking liquid or a bit of water to prevent the meat from drying out.
For longer storage, these carnitas freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Portion them out into freezer-safe containers or bags with some of the cooking liquid. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use them, then reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding liquid as needed to keep them moist.
FAQs
Absolutely! You can season the pork and store it in the refrigerator overnight, then just add it to the slow cooker with the citrus juices in the morning. The finished carnitas also make excellent make-ahead meals since they reheat so well and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
No, the broiling step is completely optional, but it adds nice texture by creating some crispy edges that contrast beautifully with the tender meat. If you’re short on time or don’t want to use the oven, the carnitas are totally delicious straight from the slow cooker too.
Pork shoulder works best because it has the right amount of fat running through it that melts during cooking, making the meat incredibly tender and easy to shred. Leaner cuts like pork loin don’t have enough fat which will be more apt to turn out dry and tough. Pork shoulder is really your best bet.
The pork is ready when it shreds easily with a fork and feels very tender. If it’s still tough or difficult to shred, give it more time in the slow cooker. The exact timing can vary depending on the size of your pork pieces and your specific slow cooker.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Easy Slow Cooker Recipes Next!
Carnitas Slow Cooker Recipe
Equipment
- Boning Knife / Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 4 pound pork shoulder roast, well trimmed and cut into large 4-ince pieces (if boneless aim for a 4 pound roast, if bone-in aim for 4.5-5 pound roast)
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (Italian or Mexican, Mexican preferred)
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ¼ Cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (about the juice of 1 large orange)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice (about the juice of 1 lime)
Instructions
- Mix the spice blend together. Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl and set aside.1 Tablespoon ground cumin2 teaspoons garlic powder2 teaspoons dried oregano2 teaspoons onion powder2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon black pepper1 teaspoon chili powder½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- Prepare the pork and place into the slow cooker. Remove any excess fat from the outside of the pork shoulder and then cut the roast into large 4-inch pieces, trimming any additional excess fat as needed. Then place the pieces into your slow cooker basin.4 pound pork shoulder roast, well trimmed and cut into large 4-ince pieces
- Season the pork. Generously sprinkle the seasoning blend over the pork, rubbing it into the meat. Flip the meat and continue to season so all sides of the pork pieces are generously coated with the spice blend, continuing to rub it into the meat.
- Add the liquids to slow cooker. Pour the fresh orange juice and fresh lime juice into the slow cooker, aiming for the edge of the slow cooker basin so you don't wash the spices off the meat.¼ Cup fresh-squeezed orange juice2 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
- Cover and cook. Cover and slow cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the pork should be tender enough to shred. *It will shred perfectly once the meat hits an internal temperature of 205°F.
- Remove and shred the meat. Remove from the slow cooker and transfer the meat onto a large baking sheet. Use two forks to shred the pork, the meat should be fall-apart tender and shred easily. Remove any large pieces of fat (and the bone if you had a bone-in roast) and discard.
- Add some of the cooking liquid and toss to coat. Pour ½ to 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker over the shredded pork, tossing to coat it (this helps keep the shredded meat moist).
- Optional step: crisp the meat. For extra texture, preheat your oven's broiler to high and broil the carnitas for 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until some edges are crispy
- Garnish and serve. Top with your favorite toppings (like chopped fresh cilantro and more lime juice), then serve in tacos, burritos, bowls, or however you like!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Isabel Eats.
Kathy says
This is so easy! Crockpot does all the work 🙂
Meredith says
🤲thank goodness for the crockpot!
Meredith says
So easy and flavorful! This one’s a family favorite.