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    Recipes » Main Course Recipes » Mexican Main Courses

    Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

    Published: Oct 21, 2019 · Modified: Oct 13, 2020 by Marissa Stevens ·

    Low CarbWhole30

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Mexican pulled pork) is my go-to recipe when I want to cook for a crowd or when I want to have a few days of delicious leftovers. It takes about 5 minutes of prep and then 8 hours of low and slow cooking to create deeply flavorful, melt-in-your mouth pork carnitas. (Watch the video to see the buttery texture you can expect.) Serve it straight or on brioche buns with coleslaw and BBQ sauce, or on tostadas with Tostada Shells from scratch, or (my favorite!) in Pork Carnitas Tacos!

    Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas served on a white oval platter

    I've intended to post a slow cooker carnitas recipe on this blog for at least a year. After three failed attempts, using recipes that looked great but tasted **meh**, I had nearly given up. But I'm thrilled to report that I've found it, the one! As a bonus, it takes no more than 10 minutes to put together in the slow cooker and then it's just a waiting game. (A tormented wait, I'll admit, because it smells incredible.) 

    But before I get to the recipe, I want to tell you a story.

    Keith and I had already scheduled a business trip to Portland when we discovered that if we headed up a day early, we could attend a demonstration and book signing for TheKitchn's cookbook, The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking. (The book is co-written by Faith Durand and Sara Kate Gillingham.) It sounded like fun, so we booked it. We left in plenty of time to arrive early.

    Or so we thought.

    thekitchncover

    It was a dark and stormy night. No really, it was.

    We had just 5 miles to go. But then: pouring rain, crawling wheels, stalled cars blocking lanes.

    It took us 2 hours.

    We arrived at The Cakery ½ hour late and were greeted by the lovely lady pictured below. Her name is Kelly. She didn't seem to notice my frazzled expression nor my frizzed, wet hair; she greeted us with a warm smile and assured us that we were not the only stragglers. (Perhaps, but we were the last to arrive.)

    If you hadn't heard of The Cakery, you'd probably drive right by as it's not very impressive from the outside. But inside, it's warm, welcoming and full of carefully curated treasures for the cooking and baking obsessed. I wanted to buy everything. They also make stunning cakes and host what they call Pages to Plate, "... a pop-up culinary event series providing guests with access to intimate book signings, cooking demonstrations and discussions." It's a perfect venue and hosts many wonderful chefs and cookbook authors, among them: Marisa McClellan, Alice Medrich, and, of course, Faith Durand.

    Kelly

    Despite the embarrassment of our tardiness, we had a wonderful time. Our efforts were rewarded by Sriracha-Honey Popcorn Clusters, Cinnamon Toast Bread Pudding Cupcakes (both recipes from the book), and a lively cooking demonstration where Faith made cupcakes and conversation, answering our questions and asking her own. It was just what we'd hoped for.

    “There is no question that the kitchen is the most important room of the home,” say Sara Kate Gillingham and Faith Durand of the beloved cooking site and blog, The Kitchn.

    From the moment you open this cookbook, you get the sense that Sara and Faith believe this deeply and that the book is a labor of love. The book is part handbook: cooking how-tos, lists of kitchen essentials, solutions to common kitchen problems, cleaning and entertaining advice, and even kitchen case studies. But it's also a cookbook: 150 recipes from the everyday to the festive. It's the kind of book that is just right for someone who is learning to cook and setting up their first kitchen, but that also inspires those of us who have been cooking for a while and could use some inspiration!

    Faith-Durand

    When I decided to write a post about the book, I started by making a list of recipes that I'd like to try - the list was getting long. But then I got to 'S' and there it was: Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas. My friends, if you like carnitas, you must try this. Just must! We made a marathon of it, first having carnitas on it's own with a salad on the side, then tacos, and finally tostadas and even served it alongside Carne Asada or Lamb Barbacoa for a huge feast with friends.

    And the cooking liquid that comes from this recipe should not be thrown away. We not only used it to reheat the carnitas, but also to season homemade refried beans which tasted better than any I'd ever made and certainly better than anything from a can.

    How to Serve Pork Carnitas

    • Pork Carnitas Tacos
    • Pork Carnitas Tostadas
    • Pulled Pork Quesadillas
    • Pulled Pork Nachos
    • Pulled Pork Enchiladas
    • Pulled Pork Chili
    • And for a lightened up version with all the flavor, try my Chicken Carnitas!

    How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

    Step 1: Rub pork shoulder all over with spice mixture and place in a large slow cooker. Sprinkle pork with garlic cloves

    Step 2: Whisk together tomato juice, orange juice, and chipotle hot sauce. Pour over meat. Cook on low 8 hours or until fall apart tender.

    Step 3: When cooled enough to handle, transfer pork from juices to a large bowl. Shred meat with two forks. (Skim fat from slow cooker juices and and use remaining liquid to moisten carnitas when reheating.) Serve.

    Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Recipe Video

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    Plate of shredded pork carnitas ready to serve.

    Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

    Marissa Stevens
    Adapted from The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking with a few changes to tone down the spice.
    5 from 13 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 8 hrs
    Total Time 8 hrs 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 15 people
    Calories 286 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 boneless pork shoulder (6 to 8 pounds; also called pork butt and boston butt)
    • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
    • 8 cloves garlic smashed
    • 1 cup tomato juice
    • 1 cup orange juice
    • 2 tablespoons chipotle hot sauce such as Tabasco or Cholula brands

    Instructions
     

    • Place trimmed pork shoulder in a large slow cooker.
    • In a small bowl, stir together salt, cumin, pepper, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne; rub mixture over pork on all sides. Sprinkle on garlic cloves.
    • Whisk tomato juice, orange juice and chipotle hot sauce in a medium bowl and pour over meat. Cook 8 hours on low, or until pork is pull apart tender.
    • Let meat cool slightly in cooking liquid before carefully transferring to a large bowl. Shred meat into bite size pieces using two forks.
    • Skim fat off of cooking juices and discard (recipe note #3). Stir 1 cup or more of the cooking juices to the meat to moisten. Refrigerate remaining juices for reheating the pork (see note #1) or freeze for another use (see note #2).
    • Serve pork immediately or reheated in tacos, on tostadas, in burritos, on salads, and more! (See post for links to my favorite recipes.)

    Notes

    1. My favorite way to reheat pork carnitas is in a slick of hot oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet until the meat is heated through and the edges are crisp, adding a little bit of the cooking liquid for flavor and moisture. 
    2. Don't throw the cooking liquid away! If you have some left over when your pork carnitas is gone, you can freeze it. It makes a great start for chili or other savory soup.
    3. Or save the fat and use to fry tortillas for decadent delicious pork carnitas tacos!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 48gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 1114mgPotassium: 903mgSugar: 2gVitamin A: 240IUVitamin C: 12.2mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2.5mg
    Keyword Cinco de Mayo, crockpot, easy, keto, low carb, party food
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More Mexican Main Courses

    • Pulled Pork Nachos
    • Green Enchilada Sauce
    • Grilled Shrimp Tacos
    • Shrimp Tacos

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Niki says

      July 02, 2022 at 2:35 am

      5 stars
      This was unbelievably good. The pork was straight up amazing and the broth had me dreaming of some outstanding future soup. Only change l made was using tomato puree instead of juice because l didn't have juice. I did make two mistakes though. The first was halving the quantity and the second was putting it in the slow cooker overnight for a meal the next day. It wasn't a big deal but, it meant that instead of sleeping l was standing in the kitchen at 4am eating a bowl full of pulled pork and its broth because it smelled so good l couldn't wait. Not gonna lie, l also had some for breakfast and hid a portion in the back of the freezer for my next solo dinner. Word of warning, do not halve the quantity, you will regret it.

      • Marissa Stevens says

        July 06, 2022 at 9:13 am

        You had me cracking up with this comment, Niki! So glad you're enjoying the recipe.

    2. Gail says

      June 30, 2022 at 3:42 pm

      My husband has been wanting me to make this for awhile now. I tossed out my slow cooker when I fell in love with the instant pot. How long should I cook this in the IP? Thank you.

      • Marissa Stevens says

        July 07, 2022 at 8:52 am

        Hi there, Gail. I haven't made this recipe that way, but check out this guide for converting slow cooker recipes for an instant pot. Hope that helps!

    3. Linda says

      June 04, 2022 at 8:27 pm

      I made this today. 6.5 pork roast. I followed the recipe exactly as It says. If i make it again I will leave out the cinnamon. It was way too strong for my taste.

      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 05, 2022 at 5:16 pm

        Oh no, Linda. I'm sorry that the spicing was off for you.

    4. KellyT says

      January 30, 2020 at 7:45 pm

      Yummmm!!! Made these tonight!! Super yummy- and easy to throw together in the morning! The house smelled soooo good when I got home from work!!

      • Marissa Stevens says

        January 31, 2020 at 9:44 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Kelly! Thank you for coming back to let me know!

    5. Lisa says

      January 23, 2020 at 1:58 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is GREAT! The pork shoulder roast I used was only 3 lbs (not 5-6 lbs like the recipe calls for) so I cut the amount of added salt in half, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.. For the chipotle hot sauce, I used the liquid from Goya canned chipotles in adobo sauce. This came out DELICIOUS!

      I really think it’s a 2-in-1 recipe. You can actually serve the shredded pork in its cooking liquid as a tasty stew over rice— it’s that good. Or; leave the liquid aside and crisp up the shredded pork in a hot frying pan, for tacos.

      I actually even combined some leftover Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (another Pinch & Swirl recipe home run!) with the last of the shredded pork and made a fantastic green chili pork stew!

      • Marissa Stevens says

        January 23, 2020 at 2:59 pm

        You made my day, Lisa! Thank you. 🙂 Love your idea of serving this as a stew and the combo green chili pork stew sounds amazing too!

    6. Erin says

      November 05, 2019 at 8:38 am

      Can’t wait to try this, sounds like a crowd pleaser. Although, my family is Really averse to spicy, should I cut down or cut out/replace any of the ingredients? How spicy does this turn out? Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!

      • Marissa says

        November 05, 2019 at 8:49 am

        Hi Erin! I reduced the spice quite a bit from the original Kitchn cookbook recipe. You could reduce it even more by reducing or eliminating the cayenne pepper and the hot sauce.

    7. Liz says

      October 28, 2019 at 6:28 pm

      5 stars
      Oh, yeah! It's been way too long since I've made carnitas and your fabulous recipe is just the nudge I needed 🙂

      • Marissa says

        October 29, 2019 at 10:27 am

        woohoo! Love to hear that, Liz!

    8. David @ Spiced says

      October 28, 2019 at 4:37 am

      5 stars
      I couldn't agree more that the kitchen is the most important room in a home! It's where people gather during parties, and it's where I spend a lot of my time. Love that quote! I also love this recipe. Slow cooker anything is always a win, but when it's slow cooker pulled pork? Well go ahead and sign me up! This looks delicious, and great tip about the cooking liquid, too!

      • Marissa says

        October 29, 2019 at 10:27 am

        Thanks, David!

    9. Neil says

      October 27, 2019 at 1:28 pm

      5 stars
      That trip to make it to the cookbook signing sounds like an absolute nightmare Marissa. I'm glad you made it there safely in the end. I so wish I could get Lynne to like Pork so I could make this. Alas I think I'm just going to have to make do with staring at the beautiful images and dreaming. Thanks for sharing the recipe though!

      • Marissa says

        October 29, 2019 at 10:27 am

        It was quite a night, lol! Thanks, Neil!

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