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.
Made Carnitas over the weekend, using this recipe , minus the cloves. The meat was very tender and tasty. I placed it in a colander to drain the excess oil. My family loved them!
We layered with refried beans (doctored up canned with butter, Adobo seasoning, and cumin), cheddar jack cheese, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and Newman’s peach salsa.
They were excellent and very easy. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I almost overlooked the Newman’s Peach Salsa…that sounds awesome!
love carnitas thank you for the recipe
The recipe sounds great. It’s basically what I’m doing for Christmas dinner this year. But I’m moving the goalposts a little more and using lard instead of vegetable oil. Lard is the authentic way to cook carnitas.
I’ve lived my entire life in Los Angeles, so maybe I’m just a Mexican food snob, but I felt there were two things this recipe was missing.
This was good, but as I expected, the lack of an acid/citrus flavor made the meat taste less well-rounded. Adding a squeeze of lime afterward made it better. But next time I will add some orange or lime juice to the slow cooker and cut back on so much oil.
The other thing: true carnitas should be somewhat crispy. The best way to get that crunchiness at home is to put some oil in a skillet and put the shredded meat on the skillet and warm it up a bit on the stove. Flip it and cook on both sides until the meat becomes somewhat crispy/crunchy in a few spots. Serve immediately after removing from the stove. Gives it a delicious texture/taste that you find in the authentic Mexican cuisine spots all around Los Angeles. That carnitas crunchiness/crispiness is what makes the meat’s texture so appealing. I liked this recipe, but thought it could be better with a few tweaks. I feel like that carnitas crispiness is absolutely essential to anything that calls itself “carnitas”.
What do you do with the meat when it’s done cooking? Just tak it out of the oil?
Yes, and shred it.
1/4 inch thick? That’s really small. Do you mean slices or cubes Is that correct?
Slices.
Using the crock pot you dont need to add water at all im assuming just the 2 cups of oil?
Correct. There is no water in this recipe.
Can I substitute olive oil instead of vegetable oil??
I don’t recommend it.
Hi. Could you tell me how spicy/hot this is? My husband doesn’t like spicy food.. Could I use less Cayenne Pepper?
Thank you!
It is a medium spice level as written. Adding less cayenne pepper will make it less spicy.
How necessary are the cloves in this recipe? Is there another spice I could substitute? I’m allergic to cloves, so just curious how it would change the flavor. Thanks!
My brother doesn’t like cloves so he leaves them out when making this recipe. Works out fine.
Oh great! Thank you so much!