Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Taco night is one of the best nights at my house, and so are nights we eat Mexican inspired dinners. These slow cooker pork carnitas never disappoint, since it’s one meal that is easy to “set-it-and-forget-it.”

These slow cooker pork carnitas is one of those diners that when you come home at the end of the day, stop, and take a deep breath -you take another and smile. The entire house fills with comforting aromas that don’t disappoint the taste buds.

What I also love about this recipe is that it can be served in several different ways. Over rice, topping a salad, in lettuce cups, over tostadas, or in my husband’s favorite way: a taco. What can I say, we love handheld food at our house!

If you’ve wondered about the difference between pork tacos and pork carnitas, you are not alone. What I had to ask a friend of mine to answer this very question.

The main difference is the crunch you get from the crispy edges with carnitas. If you don’t take a minute to pan-fry the pork, they become pork tacos. The extra step adds another dimension to the pork, and it seals in the flavor of the meat.

My family loves it when I make this slow cooker pork carnitas recipe instead of regular beef tacos. Recipes like this one allows me to cook one meal but everyone has the opportunity to customize their toppings.

I also like making these as lettuce cups! You can see in my video how to make this one simple recipe three ways:

If you look at our dinner plates, it might look like we each have a different meal, but it’s not. Instead, we have added different things from the table, and our plates look a little different. Same ingredients, various combinations.

Some days, G just wants the pork, no taco or tostada, but maybe a few tortilla chips and cheese on the side. Alex likes his as a pork taco with a few toppings. Sofia is a girl after my own heart and loves the crispy edges of the carnitas and eats them as tacos. My husband and I on the other hand… the more toppings, the merrier. Except lettuce, my husband isn’t big on crunchy things.

Leftovers get turned into an office lunch for lunch the next day. It can also be reinvented into a quick vegetable hash or even a sandwich.

How do you like to serve carnitas?

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

This easy recipe for slow cooker carnitas brings the restaurant favorite home. The pork carnitas can be used in tacos, salads, lettuce cups, burritos, rice bowls, and more.

• Author: Laura Fuentes
• Cook Time: 8 hours
• Total Time: 8 hours

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
• 1 orange, cut in half
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Fresh corn tortillas
• Shredded cheddar cheese, taco sauce, salsa, guacamole or avocado slices and sour cream for serving

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder roast with a paper towel. Salt and pepper liberally.
2. In a small dish, combine the oregano, cumin, chili powder, and olive oil and rub all over the shoulder roast. Place pork roast in the slow cooker. Toss in onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Squeeze orange halves into the slow cooker and add them in. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
3. Once the meat is tender, remove from the slow cooker onto a large cutting board and allow meat to cool down slightly prior to pulling apart with two forks.
4. Assemble tortillas and other toppings.
5. At this time, you can serve pulled pork roast onto tortillas or heat up vegetable oil in a large pan and sauté carnitas in the oil until some of the edges are crusty. Serve over tortillas and garnish with favorite toppings.