Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas - Casa De Suna

All, Meat, Recipes

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

By Casa de Suna

Published Apr 12

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Boneless pork butt is our go-to cut for carnitas.

It’s well-marbled, forgiving, and honestly hard to mess up. The slow cooker does most of the work here, braising the pork low and slow with orange, jalapeño, and aromatics until it’s fall-apart tender. The finishing move is the cast iron: a quick crisp in the cooking liquid gives you those golden, slightly caramelized edges that make carnitas worth making (no added oil needed, the fat in the meat handles it).

How to Make It

Difficulty: Easy

Overall Time: 4 hrs 30 min

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 4 hrs 10 min

Serves: 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

2.5 lbs (1.13 kg) boneless pork butt, roughly cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground coriander

1 small white onion, peeled and halved lengthwise with root still attached

3 garlic cloves, peeled

½ jalapeno, seeds removed

¼ navel orange, halved into wedges

2 ½ cups unsalted chicken broth

Warmed tortillas, lime wedges and Casa Picosa hot sauce for serving

Shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes, finely chopped red onion and cilantro sprigs for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

Add pork shoulder to the cooking pot of a 3.5 quart (14 cup) slow cooker. Sprinkle over salt, cumin, and coriander. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and orange, nestling into the pork. Pour over chicken broth. Cover with lid. Cook on high until meat is very tender, for 4 to 6 hours.

Discard onion, garlic, jalapeno, and orange from pot. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a plate. Reserve cooking liquid.

Heat a very large cast iron frying pan over medium-high. Add meat and ½ cup of cooking liquid. Cook, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon, until liquid has reduced and pork is shredded and crisped, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, then add a few more spoonfuls of cooking liquid to moisten, if desired.

Serve on warm tortillas alongside Casa Picosa hot sauce and lime wedges. Top with cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro.

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