This is delicious meat! Crispy carnitas is always my favorite at Mexican restaurants. After researching slow-cooker recipes, I dove right in last May for my husband’s birthday. It was a busy day, his parents arrived from Rockford, Il. My son had a t-ball game and I wanted a delicious meal that we could celebrate my husband with. It’s a great recipe to feed a crowd, but with all the prep ahead of time. All I had to do was broil the meat at the last-minute when we returned from the t-ball game. The meat was a hit in tacos topped with this Tomatillo Salsa Verde and Pickled Red Onions!
This Slow-cooker Pork Carnitas was succulent, tender with a bit of crispy that I found perfect. I like the added hit of cinnamon flavor.
1 tablespoon oil
4-5 pork shoulder (or butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut in 2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
2 cups water (or beer)
¾ cup orange juice (~2 oranges)
¼ cup lime juice (~2 limes)
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper the pork. In a frying pan or cast iron pan, heat oil. When the oil just starts to smoke add a single layer of meat. Brown the meat on all sides, place in slow-cooker and continue to brown another pan full of meat. Work in batches until all the meat is browned. Add water or beer to the pan. As it simmers, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.Turn off heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Pour in to the crock-pot over the browned meat.
Cook in slow-cooker until the pork is tender and falls apart easily, about 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 on low.
Remove the pork and shred, removing any fat. Spread a single layer of the pork on a baking sheet. Pour about a cup of liquid from the slow-cooker over the meat on the baking dish. Broil until meat crisps on top about 5 minutes. Flip and broil until crisp again, about 5 minutes.
Serve meat on its own or in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas any other suggestions?
This is the meat before the slow-cooker starts. It smelled and look delicious and it hadn’t even cooked all day.
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4-5 pork shoulder (or butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut in 2 inch cubes
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups water (or beer)
- ¾ cup orange juice (~2 oranges)
- ¼ cup lime juice (~2 limes)
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper the pork. In a frying pan or cast iron pan, heat oil. When the oil just starts to smoke add a single layer of meat. Brown the meat on all sides, place in slow-cooker and continue to brown another pan full of meat. Work in batches until all the meat is browned.
- Add water or beer to the pan. As it simmers scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Pour in to the crock-pot over the browned meat.
- Cook in slow-cooker until the pork is tender and falls apart easily, about 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 on low.
- Remove the pork and shred, removing any fat. Spread a single layer of the pork on a baking sheet. Pour about a cup of of liquid from the slow-cooker over the meat on the baking dish. Broil until meat crisps on top about 5 minutes. Flip and broil until crisp again, about 5 minutes.