Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas

Pork Carnitas made in the crock-pot are a time saving way to get all that awesome carnitas flavor with a minimum of effort! - get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen

4.89 from 18 votes

Crispy, juicy, Slow Cooker Carnitas are one of my family's favorite meals. That's where the crock-pot comes to the rescue with a recipe that delivers all the delicious juicy pork flavor with far less effort.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 hrs

Total Time10 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 284kcal

Ingredients

5-6 pound pork roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup orange juice

Instructions

Rinse and pat dry the pork roast. Stir together the olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork roast. Place the roast in the slow-cooker with the fat cap facing up. Place the onions and the garlic over the roast. Pour the orange juice over the roast.
Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 9-11 hours, until tender and falling apart. (If the fat cap is still intact over the roast, pull the biggest pieces of it off and discard.) Carefully pull apart the roast, leaving plenty of bite-size chunks of meat. (Try not to shred it to tiny pieces.) Use a slotted spoon, spatula, or tongs to lift the meat out of the slow-cooker.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Place about 2 cups worth of shredded pork into the hot pan and press down with a spatula. Cook until the bottom side of the pork is crispy and browned, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a platter or serving dish and drizzle with some of the juices from the slow-cooker. Repeat with the remaining pork. Enjoy!

Notes

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: If you are freezing extra pork or making the recipe in advance, skip the stove-top cooking step and simply place the shredded pork in a gallon size zip-close bag along with the crock-pot juices. When ready to use, thaw completely in the refrigerator and then use the above directions to crisp the pork in a pan on the stove.

Nutrition