The best crockpot carnitas you’ll ever have! Killer Crockpot Pork Carnitas are made in your slow cooker, so it couldn’t be easier!
Do you remember the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives? They showed a Mexican restaurant that people lined up out the door for. Apparently they had killer carnitas which they then “showed you how to make.” If you’ve ever seen the show you know that means they just listed off the ingredients and showed it start to finish in about 10 seconds. They made theirs in huge batches, but after watching it over and over again, we figured out the proportions of ingredients. After a few experimental tries, and several years of making them, we consider these pork carnitas mastered! This meat is as good as it comes and makes one killer taco. If you are still making ground beef tacos, they will quickly become a thing of the past once you try this recipe. Bonus: they’re even made in the slow cooker! What’s not to love?! Get ready for taco cravings, everybody!
We think there’s a little bit of magic that happens when taking such an ordinary, cheap cut of meat and turning it into this culinary masterpiece. Especially considering how little effort is required to get this going! Once your meat is chopped, all you have to do is throw everything in the crockpot, mix ingredients by hand really quick, and then go about your day. It is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight! Carnitas belong in all Mexican food: burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, you can even eat it by itself! No matter how you choose to serve them, they are absolutely delicious!
Orange Juice Options:
In some regions of Mexico, carnitas contain orange juice or zest. You can add both to this recipe for a citrus zing. Simply add 1/2 cup of orange juice and up to 1 tablespoon of orange zest into this recipe with the oil and spices.
My pork is really fatty. Do I need to trim a bunch of fat off?
Trimming isn’t necessary, but it all depends on your personal tastes. Fat does not render in a slow cooker so you will end up with gristle and blobs of fat. If you’re not a fan of gristly meat, you’ll want to trim off some of the larger pieces of fat. Don’t worry about trimming it all though, just the larger pieces.
Why do you call for so much oil?
We are essentially slow frying the pork, which requires a lot of oil. The secret to the most amazing carnitas is a crisp exterior and tender interior, and you can’t do that without a good amount of oil. At the end, there will be a good amount of oil remaining to drain out, so you’re not actually eating all of that oil. Also keep in mind, this recipe makes a lot of meat. This is much more than just a couple of servings. While you could certainly replace the oil with broth, Coca Cola, or other liquids, we highly recommend using oil for the most amazing results.
Vegetable Oil Alternatives:
Don’t want to use vegetable oil? You can also use one of these vegetable oil substitutes in the same amount:
- Peanut Oil
- Corn Oil
- Lard
- Canola Oil
- Coconut Oil (though flavor may be impacted)
We do not recommend using olive oil or avocado oil for this recipe. While they could certainly work, they are expensive and better used for shallow pan frying.
Oven Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place roast into a 5 to 7 quart oven-safe pot with lid or use a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil later. Follow all instructions in the recipe, but instead of placing the meat into a slow cooker, place it in your pot or roasting pan.
Cover with lid or aluminum foil tightly cover the roast with foil. Roast at 350 degrees for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until pork shreds easily with a fork. Shred in the pot or pan.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious Mexican inspired recipes:
- Restaurant Style Mexican Black Beans
- Authentic Mexican Rice
- Authentic Mexican Street Corn
- The Best Mexican Beef Barbacoa
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I made this recipe the way I start all my carnitas,, by searing my pork cubes in a light coating of olive oil, and then put NO oil in the crockpot, instead putting in a half can of chopped tomatoes, some chopped tomatillo and extra spice, including two “cook but don’t eat) hot peppers I grow. It makes this more of a stew, with a lot less oil. Also used dried cilantro instead of oregano. I love the idea of the oranges (I used mandarins) and cinnamon sticks in this recipe, It was a winner.
Mac, That way sounds really good. That is a lot of oil to add. I want to try this recipe. I think I’ll do it that way.
The idea of this recipe, and traditional carnitas, is that the meat is slow cooked in fat, giving it incredible texture, and keeping the moisture in – similar to the results you’d get from oil-poaching, or a confit technique. Stewing/braising in another liquid will still give you tender meat but it won’t be the same. It is a lot of oil, but the oil is needed to submerge the meat and keep it poaching away in this moist-heat method and to, preventing it from steaming -which is a different cooking technique all together. When the meat is done cooking, you can crisp it up later under the broiler, or in a pan. Stewing the meat in liquid other than oil, will keep the meat “wet/soggy” and will also make it harder to crisp up afterwards.
I cut it into 1/4 inch pieces just like the recipe says, but it’s only been in the crock pot for 3 hours on low and it’s looks and feels really tough when I move it around with a fork. I followed the recipe exactly and I used a pork butt. Did I do something wrong?? I don’t understand why it would get tough
Nope, you are fine! You didn’t do anything wrong. It just takes the full 8 hours to get the pieces tender at all.
I made this on Sunday. I love it. I did not add the full amount of spices therefore it had less flavor. My fault. I thought that I did not have enough meat. This will definitely be on my Tacos and Tinga menu.
Can this be made the day ahead? My granddaughters birthday is around noon, Will it be just as good?
Food is always best fresh, but we’ve eaten the leftovers on this many times and re-heated.
I notices the written recipe calls for 2 bay leaves and the video skips them. What flavor do the bay leaves add or is it a subtle difference?
It’s very subtle.
Would the flavor of extra virgin olive oil be too potent?
Yes, I find that it is too potent.
Will this work with pork loin, do you think?
The marinade would go great with pork loin.
Can you just add the roast whole?
You “could” but the flavor doesn’t get to penetrate the meat as much that way. It also tends to take a bit longer to cook.
Did you really mean cut pork into 1/4” slices? That’s awfully thin…
Yup, I cut them all up nice and thin.
I I just added a 1/2 cup of bacon fat to my 11/2 c of peanut oil for my fats,and sliced up some oranges and placed on top in crockpot.