Description
Juicy, crispy, and flavor-packed, The Ultimate Carnitas Crockpot is the slow cooker dinner that transforms simple ingredients into bold Mexican magic. Perfect for easy dinner ideas, family meal prep, and feeding a hungry crowd, this recipe brings effortless comfort with restaurant-quality flavor.
Ingredients
3.5 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (boneless or bone-in)
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
1. Pat pork shoulder dry and cut into 3-4 large chunks. Season all sides with salt and pepper.
2. Place pork in crockpot. Add orange juice, lime juice, garlic, onion, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and smoked paprika.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours or high for 5–6 hours until the pork is fork-tender.
4. Remove pork and bay leaves from the crockpot. Shred pork using two forks, discarding excess fat.
5. Preheat broiler. Transfer shredded pork to a baking sheet and spoon some cooking liquid on top.
6. Broil for 5–8 minutes until the edges are crispy. Toss, spoon more juice, and broil another 2–3 minutes.
7. Serve hot with tortillas, over rice, or however you like it best!
Notes
Use boneless pork shoulder for easier shredding.
To freeze, store in portions with a bit of cooking liquid.
Crisp the pork just before serving for best texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of total recipe
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 105mg
Keywords: carnitas, crockpot carnitas, pork tacos, easy dinner, shredded pork