Cooked low and slow for hours and then broiled to give a delicious crispy effect, these slow cooker carnitas are the perfect filling for pork tacos, tortas, tamales and more.
These Crispy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas are one of the best recipes I’ve ever made! They are juicy and tender on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. They are the perfect addition to tacos, burritos, salads and quesadillas. 
The pork is cooked low and slow for 8 hours until it is fall apart tender. The pork is so flavorful thanks to the spices, diced green chili, fresh squeezed lime juice, garlic and onions.
This pork only take 10 minutes of prep time to throw together. I like to sear the pork before putting it in the slow cooker for extra flavor. Then I add the pork along with the other ingredients directly to the slow cooker. That’s it!
After the pork is done cooking it gets shredded then broiled until crispy. I reserve the juices and pour them on after I crisp them up and broil again.
These carnitas also freeze well. Just store in an airtight ziplock bag and reheat in a hot skillet or in the oven or broiler to crisp them up again.
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Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Description
Cooked low and slow for hours and then broiled to give a delicious crispy effect, these slow cooker carnitas are the perfect filling for pork tacos, tortas, tamales and more.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 4-5 pound pork shoulder/pork butt trimmed of excess fat
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a large slow cooker.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours or until the pork is tender. Remove the bay leaves.
- Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred. (Make sure to keep the liquid)
- Transfer the shredded pork to a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until crispy.
- Remove from the oven and pour ¼ cup of the reserved juices from the slow cooker onto the crispy pork and toss.
- Place the baking sheet back in the broiler for an additional 5 minutes or until the meat is crispy. Pour an additional ¼ cup liquid over the crispy pork and serve immediately.
- The pork can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Mexican
