Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

You won't believe how great these Crockpot Pork Carnitas taste! Give this easy and delicious crockpot pork recipe a try!

I love me some carnitas, and these Crock Pot Pork Carnitas did not disappoint. Every one of the Crock Pot Thursday families really liked it, with one reviewer saying it just might be her favorite one yet. One family would have added another jalapeno, and would have left the orange out of the slow cooker, but everyone else thought the spice was just right.

The best idea came from my sister-in-law, Kim, who after taking the meat out of the pot, blended the juices/veggies/orange pulp into a sauce she says was amazing. Look at how gorgeous Kim’s sauce looks in the image below!

Most of us served our carnitas with tortillas and a variety of toppings, including onions, cilantro, black beans, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, and cheese. I turned what we had left into BBQ pulled pork by adding some Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce to it for our Super Bowl get together. They made some bomb sandwiches.

I used my 6.5-Quart Crock-Pot Programmable Touchscreen Slow Cooker to make this Crock Pot Pork Carnitas recipe. (affiliate link)

Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

You won't believe how great these Crockpot Pork Carnitas taste! Give this easy and delicious crockpot pork recipe a try!

This is an easy and delicious way to make Crock Pot Pork Carnitas!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (or 2 1/2 pounds bone-in)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
  • 1 orange, cut in half
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, optional

Instructions

  1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Salt and pepper liberally.
  2. Mix the oregano and the cumin with olive oil and rub all over pork.
  3. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno.
  4. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add the two halves.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 hours.
  6. Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork.
  7. Once the meat is removed from the slow cooker, blend the juices/veggies/orange pulp into a sauce. Set aside for serving.
  8. If desired, In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Press the carnitas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side before serving.
  9. Serve on tortillas with blended sauce drizzled over the top, and add favorite toppings, which may included: cheese, onions, hot sauce, salsa, black beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, sour cream, or guacamole.

Pork Carnitas recipe modified from Melissa d’Arabian of the Food Network.

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7 thoughts on “Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

  1. This recipe looks so yummy! Curious how many people 2 lbs of pork shoulder cooked would feed…? I’m doing a potluck with friends in a few days and there will be about 5-7 of us!
    Thanks!!!

    1. You’ll have enough for your crowd, especially if you’re serving the pork in tortillas. We love this recipe, and I hope you do, too!

  2. Oooooh, definitely gonna save this recipe! I think I’ll leave out the oil & the frying steps, just to save on calories, but the rest of the recipe looks so tasty!

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