These juicy, shredded slow cooker carnitas are made easy with just 5 ingredients! Tender pork roast is slow cooked in tomatillo salsa and tangy mojo marinade, shredded and then crisped up to make the best carnitas tacos.
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Why I Love Crockpot Carnitas
These saucy carnitas are an easy Crockpot recipe that you can set and forget about all day until it’s time for dinner. And yes, they’re even better than the carnitas at Chipotle! There’s really no easier way to elevate your usual taco Tuesday. These carnitas are crazy flavorful and couldn’t be more tender from the low and slow cooking process. When we’re craving an easy dinner that tastes like you worked on it for hours, this is the recipe we turn to! Check out why we’re so obsessed:
- Easy: This crock pot carnitas recipe is super beginner-friendly as the slow cooker does all the hard work for you!
- So Flavorful: By using a combination of salsa verde, citrusy mojo marinade and a bunch of garlic, each bite of these carnitas are exploding with flavor.
- Crowd Favorite: Carnitas are a great idea for a potluck or feeding a crowd as they make a lot and no one can resist juicy, garlicky pork.
- Versatile: Serve them in tortillas, over a bowl of rice, in lettuce wraps or even in scrambled eggs, the options are limitless!
What Are Carnitas?
Carnitas are a traditional Mexican dish from the state of Michoacan. It’s tender, juicy, seasoned pork that’s slow-cooked in lard in large copper pots. It’s then chopped into little pieces and used for tacos or “tortas” (Mexican sandwiches).
The seasonings and sauces used range from smokey cumin and oregano to vinegar, orange juice, or salsa. They can be pan-fried for a bit of crispiness but it’s not necessary. Carnitas can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Key Ingredients
Mojo marinade will add hints of citrus and lots of garlic will create the perfect sauce for this juicy crockpot carnitas recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Boneless Pork Roast: You can also use bone-in, but you’ll need to remove it before shredding.
- Oil: Vegetable, canola or corn oil all work.
- Salsa Verde: Use a salsa verde that isn’t avocado-based.
- Mojo Marinade: I prefer to make my own fresh mojo marinade, but if using store-bought, I find the Badia mojo to have the best flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best, but garlic powder works in a pinch.
How to Make This Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe
The more cooking liquid you add, the more tangy, tomatillo goodness the carnitas will absorb as you crisp them up in the skillet. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Sear: Place the pork in a large skillet and sear it on all sides. Transfer it to the crockpot. Add all of the ingredients to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
- Cook: Add the lid and cook the pork on LOW for 8 hours. Low and slow is the best method to ensure your crock pot carnitas turn out extra juicy and tender.
- Shred: Use a fork to carefully shred the pork. Set it aside and reserve the cooking liquid.
- Season: Add garlic and oil to a large skillet and cook until fragrant. Add in the shredded pork and mix well. Add 1 cup of cooking liquid at a time and let it simmer until completely absorbed. Repeat until the pork is flavorful, to taste.
- Crispy: Spread out the pork in the skillet and cook it until sizzling and crispy. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Roughly chop: Grab a large, sharp knife and chop the pork into little pieces for a more traditional style of carnitas.
- Make it spicy: Finely chop up a couple of jalapeños or a couple of serrano peppers and add them to the slow cooker for some heat. You can also just use a spicy salsa.
- Add beer: Swap the mojo marinade completely for Lager beer. It’ll add subtle hints of barley and nuts.
- Low and slow is the way to go: While you may feel urged to try cooking these carnitas at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, I highly recommend sticking with 8 hours on low. This will create extra juicy and tender carnitas!
- Add onions: Slice an onion in thin strips and sauté garlic and onion until tender before adding the shredded pork to a skillet.
- Crisp in the oven: If you prefer to use the oven, spread your shredded carnitas onto a baking sheet and broil them for a few minutes, until crisp. Watch closely!
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Carnitas
These slow cooker carnitas are a great base for lots of Mexican dishes. Use them to make carnitas tacos, burritos or quesadillas with my homemade corn tortillas or flour tortillas. Here are a few more ideas:
- Rice and beans: You can serve these carnitas as a burrito bowl with Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice. For bean recipes, try our frijoles de la olla or refried beans.
- Toppings: Try guacamole, corn salsa, cilantro, pico de gallo, chopped onion, sour cream or Mexican crema!
- Dessert: Try our arroz con leche or this easy tres leches cake to stay on theme.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless pork roast
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 16 oz salsa verde
- 20 oz mojo marinade, for store bought, try Badia mojo
- 8 large cloves garlic, minced
Optional, For Serving
- flour tortillas, or corn tortillas
- corn salsa
- guacamole
- Mexican crema, or sour cream
- pico de gallo, or diced cilantro, tomato, and onion
- lime wedges
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Instructions
Slow Cooker:
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pot to medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sear pork on all sides.
- Add pork, salsa verde and mojo marinade to a 7+ quart crockpot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.
- Shred pork in a large bowl and reserve the liquid pork was cooked in.
Optional: Make The Carnitas Crispy
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add pork to pot and toss to coat in olive oil and garlic.
- Add 1.5 cups of liquid you saved that the pork cooked in. Cook, tossing often until liquid has cooked out. Repeat this step. (You can continue doing this as many times as you want until the meat has tons of flavor. I usually do this twice and taste to see.)
- Once your meat is flavored to your taste, spread the pork out into an even layer. Cook over high heat, turning once or twice, until sizzling and crispy in spots. (Check below for oven directions.)
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
More of the Best Pork Recipes
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Any suggestions for a substitute for mojo marinade?
Help!!! I want to make thus in the instant pot but I can’t find mojo marinade anywhere in town. What could I use as a substitute?
These look so colorful and delicious! I just love carnitas!
I absolutely LOVE carnitas. This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it out.
I have to get an instant pot…one hour versus 8 hours makes a huge difference! These carnitas look fantastic!!
These are absolutely gorgeous,
My family would eat this up right away — looks delicious!
I love that you have pressure cooker and slow cooker directions! This looks fabulous!!
I just love that you crisp the pork in the pan before it goes into the tortillas! This is definitely a recipe my entire family can get behind!
Everything about this is perfect. That salsa!