Slow Cooker Carnitas
These Slow Cooker Carnitas are juicy, tender, and packed with bold flavor after simmering all day! Crisped up until golden and caramelized, they're the ultimate filling for tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, and so much more!
Servings: 10 4-ounce servings
Calories: 315kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 4 to 5 pound boneless pork butt or pork shoulder can also use bone-in, see notes below
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika or regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion about 1 small onion
- 1/2 cup cola or Dr. Pepper**
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice + additional for serving
Instructions
Cook the Pork
- Remove the pork from the fridge and pat it dry with a paper towel; set aside.1 4 to 5 pound boneless pork butt or pork shoulder
- In a small bowl, combine the dry seasonings.1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 tablespoon cumin, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Rub all sides of the pork with the seasoning mixture and place the pork (fat-side up) in the slow cooker. If there's extra seasoning, sprinkle it on top.
- Top with the minced garlic and diced onion.2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- Pour the soda, orange juice, and lime juice down the sides of the slow cooker.1/2 cup cola or Dr. Pepper**, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice
- Place the lid on the Crock Pot and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours or until it easily shreds with a fork.
- Remove the meat from the juices and shred the pork. Add back to the juices back to keep it nice and moist!
Crisp Up the Meat! (Optional)
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- While the oven is preheating, use tongs to transfer some of the pork to a foil-lined sheet pan.
- Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until some of the pork has caramelized to make nice crisp pieces! (Photos in the blog post for more detail).
- Squeeze more fresh lime over the pork, if desired, and serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition calculated for one 4-ounce portion of the carnitas meat.
*A bone-in shoulder may take a bit longer to cook.
**Can replace with 1/2 cup water + 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
***This is assuming you start with a 4 pound boneless shoulder. Once it’s cooked and shredded, you’ll have about 2 – 2 1/2 pounds of pork.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 470mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg