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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

After one bite, you'll be craving these Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas every week! This has to be the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it recipe. Made from start to finish in 3 simple steps, you can toss the ingredients into your slow cooker in a matter of 5 minutes before heading to work.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: pork, pork carnitas, slow cooker, slow cooker pork carnitas
Servings: 6
Calories: 328kcal
Author: Nicole Beaulieu

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste, freshly cracked
  • 1 tbsp oregano dried
  • 2 tsp cumin ground
  • 2 tsp chipotle chili powder*
  • 4 lbs pork shoulder aka pork butt
  • 2 large oranges halved, or 3-4 small
  • 2 limes halved
  • 1 large onion white or yellow, cut into 4-6 wedges
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Mix the salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and chipotle chili powder in a small bowl. Cut any strings, if there are any, off the pork shoulder. Coat the pork completely in the spice mixture.
  • Add the pork shoulder to your slow cooker. Juice the oranges and limes into the slow cooker, and arrange the onion, garlic, and bay leaves over, and along the sides of the pork. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or 4-5 hours on high.
  • Remove the pork from the slow cooker and strain the juices through a mesh sieve. Shred the pork on a sheet pan and pour a few ladles of the juices over it. Broil in the oven on high for 2-5 minutes, until crisped to your preference.

Notes

*substitute 1 1/4 tsp regular chili powder with 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Pressure cooker instructions:
  1. Cut the pork into 2-3" cubes and coat the meat in the spice blend. Place the pork into the pressure cooker.
  2.  Juice the oranges and limes into the pressure cooker. You should get about 1/2 cup or more of juice from the oranges and limes. If not, supplement with some broth. Chicken, beef, or veggie will do.
  3. Arrange the remaining ingredients around the pork. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before quick releasing. Follow step 3 as described in the recipe and enjoy!
Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients you use.
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Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 919mg | Potassium: 836mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 187IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg