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Pork Carnitas · Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas

Pork shoulder slow-cooks all day with orange, lime and garlic, then gets shredded and broiled until the edges turn crisp. Pile it into warm tortillas with onion, cilantro and lime.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
8 hr 20 min
Total
8 hr 40 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy

Ingredients

Rub

  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano, Mexican oregano if you can find it
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Carnitas

  • 4 lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of thick fat, cut into 3-inch chunks
  • 1 medium onion, quartered
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • ½ cup orange juice, from about 2 oranges
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cup chicken broth

To serve

  • 16 corn tortillas, warmed
  • white onion, finely chopped
  • fresh cilantro, chopped
  • limes, cut into wedges
  • salsa (optional)

Cook to 145°F inside (check with a thermometer).

Steps

  1. Mix the rub ingredients in a small bowl.
  2. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and rub the spice mix all over the pieces.
  3. Scatter the onion and garlic in a 6-quart slow cooker and set the pork on top.
  4. Pour the orange juice, lime juice and broth around the pork and tuck in the bay leaves.
  5. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours (or HIGH for 5 to 6 hours), until the pork falls apart when pressed with a fork. It will be far past the safe 145°F (63°C); pork this tender is usually 195 to 205°F.
  6. Lift the pork into a large bowl with tongs. Discard the bay leaves and onion pieces.
  7. Shred the pork with two forks, pulling out any soft chunks of fat.
  8. Skim the fat from the liquid in the cooker. Stir 1/2 cup of the liquid into the shredded pork.
  9. Move an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Spread the pork on a foil-lined sheet pan in a thin layer.
  10. Broil until the top edges are browned and crisp. Watch closely; broilers vary.
  11. Stir the pork, drizzle with another few spoonfuls of liquid if it looks dry, and broil again until crisp in spots.
  12. Serve in warm tortillas topped with onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and salsa.

Tip: Crisp only what you will eat right away; store the rest in its juices so it stays moist.

Tip: No broiler? Crisp the pork in a hot cast iron skillet with a spoonful of the skimmed fat, in batches, without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.

Storage: Refrigerate the pork in some of its cooking liquid up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.

Make ahead: Slow-cook and shred up to 3 days ahead. Crisp under the broiler just before serving.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 660 calories · protein 42 g · carbohydrates 26 g · fiber 4 g · sugars 3 g · fat 42 g (saturated 14 g) · sodium 670 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 13 of 13 ingredients.