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Pork Carnitas

Prep Time:

15 Minutes

Cook Time:

8 Hours and 30 Minutes

Serves:

11 Servings

About the Recipe

This pork carnitas recipe for the slow cooker is easy to make and comes out fork tender. Coming home and smelling this when you walk in the door is heavenly. The prep-time is fast, it only takes 15 minutes to prep which you can do the night before. Serve this as tacos, on a salad or rice bowls and use the leftovers for the week!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder blade roast (trimmed)

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • black pepper (to taste)

  • 6 cloves garlic (cut into thin slivers)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon sazon (homemade = 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon ground anatto seeds (achiote) or turmeric, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 tsp ground black pepper)

  • 1/4 teaspoon dry adobo seasoning (I used Goya)

  • 1/4 teaspoon dry oregano

  • 3/4 cup chicken bone broth

  • 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (to taste)

  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

Season and brown the pork

  1. Season the pork on both sides with salt and black pepper.

  2. Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers all the way in so you no longer see them.

  3. In a large skillet on high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 5 to 7 minutes.


Add pork to slow cooker

  1. Place pork in slow cooker, and season generously with cumin, adobo, sazon, oregano on all sides.

  2. Pour chicken broth in the slow cooker, add the bay leaves and chipotle peppers to the broth.

  3. Cover and cook low for 8 hours.

  4. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumulated at the bottom.

  5. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin to taste, as needed.

  6. Let it cook low for another 15-30 minutes to let the flavors meld.


Notes

  • If you want to crisp up your carnitas, you can spray a skillet and add the shredded pork and brown them a bit before eating.

  • Leftovers can be refrigerated 4 to 5 days, and reheated to be used in sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas, etc. Or freeze it up to 3 months.

Prepared via: Gina Homolka

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