These gluten-free slow cooker pork carnitas are tender with crispy crunchy edges and are perfect for tacos, rice bowls and weeknight dinners. The crockpot carnitas come out juicy and tender and shred effortlessly. Once shredded I transfer them to an oven and broil until crispy. The pork is flavoured with smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic, cumin and diced green chilies.
When I made this pork shoulder I started the crockpot at 10 pm for I wanted the meat finished cooking in the morning. Pork shoulder should be cooked 8-10 hours so it made sense to start it at night for me. Using the MyTime Slow Cooker I can adjust the cooking cycle based on when I want to eat and I really like that. In the morning I shredded the pork and cooked it in the oven on high to get crispy brown edges. The pork carnitas can be used in tacos, burritos, carnita bowls , salads and more.
My favourite way to use the shredded pork is to use it as a filling for grilled keto tortillas. I top them with shredded lettuce, homemade pico de Gallo and tons of cilantro. This slow cooker pork carnita recipe is an easy dinner your family will love. Using the crockpot makes meals so much easier, just throw a bunch of stuff in the pot, plug it in, schedule your meal and walk away. You come home to a house that smells divine!
Gluten-Free crockpot carnitas that are cooked low and slow for 8-10 hours. I suggest broiling them after for about 5 minutes to get them crispy on the outside. They are perfect for meal prep and can used throughout the week for tacos, quesadillas and burrito bowls. You can shred the pork and eat it right out of the slow cooker but I love to add an extra step and cook it in the oven. You remove the pork shoulder, shred it and place 1/2 of it on a cookie sheet. Ladle a bit of the cooking liquid over the meat and cook it on a high heat to get the brown edges.
That’s my favorite part.
WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE THE CARNITAS:
- Pork Shoulder Roast
- Smoked Paprika
- Chili Powder
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Crushed Peppercorns
- Can Diced Green Chilies
Slow cooker pork carnitas are tender and flavourful shredded pork. This carnita recipe is easy to make in the crockpot and is terrific served in a tortilla or burrito bowl. The flavour of this pork is amazing! It is so simple to put together and all you do is let it cook all day or overnight. We love it served in a grilled keto tortilla but it is also delicious topped on a salad or in a quesadilla.
Carnitas tacos is the menu item I always order in a Mexican restaurant. I love the crispy bits and the tender pork in them. Now I can make them at home and enjoy carnitas anytime. Make the pork carnitas in a slow cooker and have your taco fix at home. You can achieve the same favours and textures at home using a slow cooker like the MyTime Slow Cooker.
Get creative with the taco toppings and make homemade pico de gallo, chili verde or guacamole. Try a variety of cheese like queso fresco, cotija cheese or Mexican crema. Enjoy this juicy and tender carnitas on Taco Tuesday. Just throw the ingredients for these pork carnitas in the slow cooker and FORGET IT! Cook it on low for 8-10 hours, then a quick broil on a baking sheet and dinner is served.
HOW TO MAKE THE PORK CARNITAS:
- Brown the pork shoulder in a frying pan on all sides.
- Add pork shoulder to slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Cook the pork shoulder 8-10 hours on low.
- Once finished cooking remove the pork shoulder and shred it with a fork.
- Place 1/2 the shredded pork on a baking sheet.
- Ladle some of the reserved liquid and onions over the pork.
- Add it to a 450 degree oven and cook for 10 minutes.
- Toss and bake until pork is crispy. About 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the crispy pork and repeat with remaining pork.
Here are a couple more meal recipes to try:
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1.85 kg (4 lbs) Pork shoulder roast
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp chile powder
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns
- 1 small can diced green chilies
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Brown the pork shoulder in a frying pan on all sides.
- Browning brings out a lot of extra flavor in the pork.
- Add pork shoulder to slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Cook the pork shoulder 8-10 hours on low.
- I decided to cook the pork shoulder overnight.
- At 10 pm I set the MyTime slow cooker to meat, 2 lbs, half full and then adjusted the time to be done for 8 am.
- In the morning I removed the pork shoulder and shredded it with a fork.
- I added 1/2 the shredded pork to a cookie sheet.
- Ladle some of the reserved liquid and onions over the pulled pork.
- Add it to a 450 degree oven and cook for 10 minutes.
- Toss and bake until the pork has browned edges about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove crispy pork and repeat with remaining shredded pork.
- Enjoy!