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 recipe video to see the buttery texture you can expect.)
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After a few failed attempts, I had nearly given up on finding an easy pork carnitas recipe worthy of posting here. 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.)
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need to Make Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Boneless Pork Shoulder: also called pork butt and Boston butt
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Cumin
Dried Oregano: ideally Mexican oregano
Cinnamon
Cayenne Pepper: use more or less to adjust spice level
Fresh Garlic Cloves
Tomato Juice
Orange Juice: fresh squeezed or store bought orange juice
Chipotle Hot Sauce: such as Tabasco or Cholula brands
If you love pork carnitas, you must try this. 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 and Lamb Barbacoa for a feast with friends.
Why you should keep the cooking liquid.
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.
FAQ
Carnitas (meaning “little meats”) are a pulled pork dish that originated in the state of Michoacán in Mexico. The Southern United States pulled pork barbecue dish uses the same cut of pork (pork shoulder / pork butt), but is slow smoked, uses different spices and is typically served with a sweet and spicy sauce.
Pork Shoulder, also called pork butt or Boston butt is the cut of pork used to make carnitas.
Yes, you don’t need to cook or even sear it first.
Flavorful liquids like orange and tomato juices add complex flavor to pulled pork.
The acidity of orange juice helps to break down the meat so it’s meltingly tender and shreddable and adds flavor depth to the cooking liquid.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover pork carnitas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat leftover pork carnitas in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat in a little a thin layer of hot oil until the meat is heated through and the edges are crisp; add leftover cooking liquid as desired for flavor and moisture.
How to Serve
- Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Pulled Pork Salad
- Pulled Pork Quesadillas
- Pork Carnitas Tostadas
- Pulled Pork Nachos
- Pulled Pork Enchiladas
- Pulled Pork Chili
- You should also try my Beef Carnitas and, for a lightened up version with all the flavor, my Chicken Carnitas too!
How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Rub pork shoulder all over with spice mixture and place in a large slow cooker. Sprinkle pork with garlic cloves
Whisk together tomato juice, orange juice, and chipotle hot sauce. Pour over meat. Cook on low 8 hours or until fall apart tender.
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
Video
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
- 1/2 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Or save the fat and use to fry tortillas for decadent delicious pork carnitas tacos!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Americans can’t make the real carnitas, the carnitas that have a unique amazing taste because they do not know the secret ingredient and even chefs do not know it. I am Mexican and I have been living in US for over ten years and I live in Texas where I can eat carnitas in many places and just the local restaurant aside my house where Mexicans cook can really make them delicious as they should be and even they do not have the real red sauce that goes with them. Nothing can replace that sauce because it is specially made for carnitas. You can cook them good but nah! it won’t blow your mind away like the one I grew up eating.
This one is pretty darn good! But I’d love to try yours too, Sasha.
Silly questions… Do you dice up the peppers, or leave them whole and remove them after it’s cooked?
Hi Kate! Not silly at all…You can leave them whole as they’re just there to flavor the juices that the pork cooks and reheats in.
My mouth is watering – I loooove pulled pork! I’m going to try this…but I’m not crazy about cumin. Any suggestions for a replacement?
Hi Krista! I would go with Chili Powder or Garam Masala – they both contain cumin, but have a lot of other flavors going on as well. I’d love to hear how it goes! xo
I keep thinking about making my own version as well… but have yet to get around to it!! This recipe looks mouthwateringly good. I love The Kitchn… it’s been my go-to site for kitchen tips since I can remember!
Thanks, Natasha. They’re great aren’t they? Every time I make this, I’m blown away at how easy it is vs. how delicious it tastes! Total crowd pleaser.
That event sounded like a lot if fun (Especially its rain part hah), and I believe this recipe book would give you (or I should say has given, as the post seems to have appeared first time few years back), and subsequently us, many interesting ideas! I’ve never had a carnitas in my life. Well, I’ve never made slow-cooked pork either 🙂 But I can say, this looks so hearty and utterly delicious!
Thanks, Ben. Yes, fun event despite the frustration of getting there. 🙂 Never had carnitas? Oh man, promise you’ll try this!
These were delicious! I found this recipe for Cinco de Mayo potluck at work. They were a hit. The leftovers have been amazing, and all of my coworkers wanted the recipe too 🙂 Thank you!
That’s fantastic, Kristin! So sweet of you to come back to let me know, thank you! 🙂
Will definitely give this version a try. I have never made it with the addition of the chipotle peppers, but will check it out this weekend. I agree, some recipes “look” good and are “meh”. Sadly, I have gone through many a version to either find or re-create my own spiced up recipe. Glad I found your site. Have a great day!
Thanks, Kevin. I just found your blog today too (from Matt @realfoodbydad)! Those popovers you made look so amazing.
I would totally love to win this book!! Looks so good!
It’s a terrific cookbook!
I’m so glad you made it, but MAN does that sound like a stressful five miles!! These carnitas look awesome. Pull-apart perfect!
Oh my, SO stressful! Thanks so much, Joanne! xx
I love that she can take a “butt”, cook it and turn it into something appealing. Seriously, we’ve slow cooked chicken and it comes out amazing.
My wife’s been asking what to get me for Christmas. I’ll put this book down. Sounds like lots of information for “noobs” like me that tinker in the kitchen from time to time.
The ingredients from the recipe above contain lots of stuff that is in Mexican food which I love(but hard to get good stuff here in Eastern CT in restaurants.)
Looks good. Probably tastes better!
Thanks, Matt! I think you’ll really enjoy the book tons of great recipes and tips. If you try out the carnitas, I’d love to hear what you think or even see a photo if you’re feeling adventurous!
Sure.. Will put up a picture when I make it!
I haven’t eaten carnitas for ages and this looks ridiculously easy. Definitely giving this a try soon!
Thanks, Maureen!
Oh phew! I’m so glad that you made it in time. It would have been so frustrating though! How fortuitous to find the perfect slow cooker carnitas recipe too 😀
We were beginning to wonder if we’d make it, Lorraine. Really stressful – I hate being late. And, you’re right, very fortuitous!
I was searching for slow cooker carnitas recipes yesterday morning and eventually gave up and got takeout tacos. haha Definitely making this next time I’m craving it! I love the Kitchn’s recipes. I’ve made several and they always turn out perfect.
Me too, Amanda – they’re very reliable. What a crack up that you were just looking for a recipe yesterday.
I love slow cooker recipes Marissa – and I think I could probably eat Mexican food every day of the week! So having this recipes is right up my alley! And yes, I’m entering the contest, because who doesn’t need another cookbook? 🙂
I know what you mean, Kristi! You can’t have too many… 😉
Hiya – just a question about chipotle peppers. I live in rural victoria in Australia, so my access to ‘stuff’ is really REALLY limited. Do you think I could just use the jalapeno peppers that are available in jars? Occasionally I see the fresh ones, are they easy to dry?
Cheers. and thanks for your posts!!
Lorelle
Hi Lorelle – Do you have access to dried peppers at all? For this, dried chipotle peppers or dried chile de arbol peppers? Either of these work well as they’re smoky and spicy. In a pinch, though, the jalapeños should work just fine.
And if you must use jalapeños, add a little smoked paprika to make it a bit closer to chipotle and chile de arbol peppers. FYI: Most Spanish paprika has some smoke.