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A serving platter of slow cooker pork carnitas with parsley.
Bailey

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

5 from 1 rating
Slow cooker pork carnitas are fall apart tender, perfectly seasoned, and as easy as turning on the slow cooker.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 8 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 18 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Main Course, Pork
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Calories: 288
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 onion peeled and quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • 8 pounds pork shoulder roast
  • ½ cup orange juice fresh, about 1 orange
  • ¼ cup lime juice fresh, about 2 limes
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For Serving
  • corn tortillas
  • red onions
  • sour cream
  • salsa
  • shredded cheese
  • lettuce

Method
 

  1. Place sliced onions and garlic into a slow cooker. Trim excess fat off of pork shoulder. Place pork shoulder over onions.
  2. Add fresh orange and lime juice to slow cooker. Sprinkle pork shoulder with cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours. Pork shoulder should be tender enough to shred. Reserve 1 cup of slow cooker juices.
  3. Place pork shoulder on working surface. Shred with forks or shredders.
  4. Place shredded pork in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pour reserved liquid over carnitas. Broil for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden and crisp.
  5. Serve with favorite carnitas toppings.

Notes

Instead of broiling carnitas to crisp them, you can pan fry them over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.