Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Mexican Pork Carnitas cooked in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

If you’re looking for a crowd-pleaser or a new weekend family favourite, my Pork Carnitas recipe is the newest addition to my Summer Slow Cooker Series and it’s so so good!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 7

Under the grill: 10

Total Time 7 15

Servings

Calories 271kcal

Author Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

2 kg Pork shoulder As much fat removed as you easily can
1 Onion Peeled and chopped
2 Limes Cut in half
1 Orange Cut in half
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Ground cumin
2 tsp Dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Put the pork shoulder into the slow cooker and add the onion.
Squeeze over the limes and orange and put the squeezed fruits around the pork.
Sprinkle over the salt, cumin, oregano and a generous sprinkle of pepper.
Put the lid on and cook on HIGH for 7-8 hours or LOW for 11-12 hours, or until the meat breaks apart very easily with a fork.
When the meat is cooked, lift it out of the juices (don't throw them away!) and shred it into chunks. Put them onto a grill-proof baking sheet.
Put the meat under a hot grill for about 5-10 minutes, turning once or twice, until some of the 'prickly' bits are crispy and charred.
Discard the fruit from the cooking liquid and put the crunchy pork back in and stir through the liquid.

Notes

Leftovers:
This dish freezes well, so you can save some for another day if you have too much.

Grilling:
You don't have to do the grilling stage, however do if you can as it gives the meat the crunchy texture and makes it taste so good.

Fat:
You can skim the fat off the liquid at step 7 if you like, before adding the meat back.

Sauce:
If you have a lot of liquid at step 7, or if you want your pork dish to have a richer sauce, you can reduce it down on the hob before returning it to the meat. Just heat over a medium heat in a suitable pan until it is thicker and reduced down, then add the meat back in.

Nutrition