Crock pot pork carnitas are a healthy Tex Mex food you can feel good about enjoying! This recipe and your trusty slow cooker put restaurant style carnitas within your grasp at home.
Need a way to beat the winter blues?
Say hello to these zesty, bright crock pot pork carnitas packed with so much flavor.
The amazing taste of these carnitas in particular is the result of slow cooking and the perfect blend of ingredients.
They were literally made to be sandwiched inside soft corn tortillas and topped with your favorite veggies.
And not only do I love them, but so do each and every one of my boys.
What are carnitas?
Carnitas are basically Mexican style shredded pork.
It’s pretty much the most flavor-packed taco filling in existence.
Ingredients
To make these you’ll need:
- Pork– Boneless pork loin
- Seasoning– Salt, pepper, dried oregano, and ground cumin
- Oil– Both olive oil and vegetable oil
- Aromatics– Diced onion and minced garlic
- Jalapeno– A seeded, chopped jalapeno with the ribs removed.
- Orange– For brightness
- For serving– Corn tortillas, pico de gallo and your favorite toppings
How to Make
These crock pot pork carnitas have such an easy prep!
Start by rinsing and drying the pork loin.
After you’ve patted it dry, liberally salt and pepper it.
Then, combine the oregano, cumin, and olive oil in a small bowl and generously rub the mixture all over the seasoned pork.
Put the pork in the crockpot and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno.
Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add in the two halves.
Put the cover on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
Once the meat is tender, take it out of the slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork.
In a large sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat.
Press the corn tortillas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side.
Serve the shredded pork over the carnitas with your favorite toppings.
Topping Ideas
Part of the fun of taco night, including when you serve pork carnitas, is building your tacos with all your favorite toppings.
These pair well with:
- cilantro
- a squeeze of fresh lime
- sour cream
- shredded cabbage
- avocado slices
- guacamole
Use whatever combination makes you happy.
Feel free to mix it up and use other options as well!
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes!
These carnitas make a perfect make ahead meal!
You can make it a day ahead of time or even make it as a freezer meal.
And if I am serving them for a party, I often start the slow cooker at night before I go to bed so I wake up to the meat being cooked through.
How to Freeze Pork Carnitas
To freeze this, cook the pork in the slow cooker as directed above.
Let it cool and shred the pork.
Transfer it to airtight ziplocking freezer bags and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Defrost in the fridge overnight before heating and serving.
Storing Leftovers
You can also store leftovers right in your slow cooker in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Tips and Tricks
- Not a fan of spicy food? Omit the jalapeno.
- If you like things extra hot, add an extra jalapeno.
- You could add the juice of two to three limes instead of the orange, but make sure you add the citrus for flavor.
- Need to get dinner on the table in a hurry? You can skip frying the corn tortillas and just serve them plain. Steam them quickly in the microwave to prevent breaking, or double up and use two instead of one.
Other Crock Pot Pork Recipes
Crock pot pork carnitas are a delicious way to savor taco night!
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other crock pot pork recipes?
Try these:
If you’ve tried these CROCKPOT PORK CARNITAS, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Crockpot Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless pork loin
- salt and pepper
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and ribs removed, chopped (optional)
- 1 orange cut in half
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- corn tortillas
- pico de gallo
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the pork loin. Salt and pepper it, liberally.
- In a small bowl combine the oregano, cumin, and olive oil. Generously rub the mixture all over the seasoned pork.
- Place the pork in the crockpot and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add in the two halves.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
- Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with two forks.
- In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Press the corn tortillas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side.
- Serve the shredded pork over the crispy corn tortillas and top with your desired toppings.
Notes
- Not a fan of spicy food? Omit the jalapeno.
- If you like things extra hot, add an extra jalapeno.
- You could add the juice of two to three limes instead of the orange, but make sure you add the citrus for flavor.
- Need to get dinner on the table in a hurry? You can skip frying the corn tortillas and just serve them plain. Steam them quickly in the microwave to prevent breaking, or double up and use two instead of one.
Nutrition
DesignsbyJeanneR says
Love pork carnets & these sound so good! I’m with ya, gotta have meat!
Selma's Table says
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing them with the Fiesta Friday crowd over at Angie’s “The Novice Gardener” blog. Today is Part 2 of the special anniversary edition and your carnitas are a lovely addition to the table.
Nancy says
Carnivores unite..hahhah. I do go “meatless” a few days a week…but I could never give it up completely – especially when there’s pork carnitas on the table! These sound delicious Meaghan…thanks for sharing them with all of us celebrating the Fiesta Friday anniversary@
Miz Helen says
Your Pork Carnitas look awesome! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Life Diet Health says
Well, I’m going to try this recipe not with pork but with… jackfruit! 😀 I love the addition of orange and we recently bought a slow cooker so this will be a great recipe to try out! Thanks for sharing it at Fiesta Friday again.