The BEST Slow Cooker Carnitas, Great for Tacos!

Submitted by sellingsavannah

"These carnitas cook low and slow in the Slow Cooker or Crockpot and finish on the stove for a crispy and delicious filling for tacos, burritos or nachos. This is the new taco filling for Taco Tuesday at our house. My whole crew prefers this to traditional taco filling made with ground beef or ground turkey."

 

• Ready In: 6hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 10-12

ingredients

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 large onion, sliced into large peices
• 2 cups chicken broth or 2 cups water
• 1 (4 -6 lb) boneless pork shoulder or (4 -6 lb) boston butt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

directions

1. Mix the kosher salt, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano and black pepper together in a small bowl. Coat the pork shoulder roast with the dry rub.
2. Place the sliced onion and bay leaves in the bottom of your slow cooker, lay pork shoulder roast on top. Carefully pour water or chicken broth around the roast, making sure you don't disturb the dry rub.
3. Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 6 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 3 hours.
4. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, remove and discard excess fat and shred with two forks. Reserve cooking liquid.
5. Place shredded pork into a large skillet with 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Once liquid has cooked down completely, add canola or vegetable oil. Stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until the meat has reached desired crispiness.
6. Serve in warm flour or corn tortillas with your favorite taco toppings. We serve ours cilantro, pickled red onions, salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, sliced cabbage and lime wedges,.

Reviews

[ltemple99]

This recipe is seriously delicious and couldn't be easier. I currently have a batch going in the crock! I read a different recipe that mentioned throwing the pieces in the oven on broil for a few minutes after cooking, to brown them up. I'm going to try that this time around. (It takes quite a long time to boil down liquid and then brown pieces in the skillet.) Either way, this recipe is a real winner. Thanks for posting. :)

 

[andrea_elyse]

Seriously tho-- our family is Latina so we eat this sort of thing on the regular... But this is easy to throw in the slow cooker and go about your day, it's got crazy awesome flavor and I haven't met a person yet (children included) who doesn't love it. Try it!

 

[tdhsav]

This has turned Taco Tuesday into a delicious night. The kids gobble them up, one after another.

 

[Corey Y.]

I have had this made by the recipe creator and it was awesome. So happy to be able to now make it on my own!