Description
A flavorful and tender pork carnitas recipe made in a slow cooker, perfect for busy weekends and feeding friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3–4 lbs boneless pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder and cut it into large chunks.
- Sear the pork chunks in olive oil over medium-high heat until browned on all sides.
- Mix the spices together in a small bowl.
- Season the pork with the spice mixture.
- Place the seasoned pork in the crockpot with onion, garlic, bay leaves, orange juice, and lime juice.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours, until the pork is tender.
- Shred the pork using two forks.
- Crisp the shredded meat in the oven if desired.
- Serve the pork with its juices and remove bay leaves before serving.
Notes
This dish can be served in tacos or as a main plate. Leftovers can be frozen and used for lunches.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 480 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 45g
- Cholesterol: 150mg