Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Carnitas

posted by Lyubomira on August 28, 2015
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Easy to make slow cooker pulled pork carnitas – tender pull apart pork that tastes amazing. Minimal prep work, simple spices and great result. Use it for grain bowls, sandwiches, chili, or serve with mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.

Easy slow cooker pulled pork carnitas in a large white bowl.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Carnitas

I know this is not a typical recipe, you’ll see on my blog, but I do make pulled pork from time to time. I just never shared my favorite way of preparing it on my blog. And I also have a couple of recipes coming pretty soon, where I use this pulled pork.

When I make pulled pork, I use it in grain bowls, like these Pulled Pork Quinoa Bowls,  Pulled Pork Nachos  and Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

 

The great thing about this recipe- you can not get it wrong, it is so easy!

This recipe requires very minimal effort and if you have a slow cooker, you should definitely try it. Both my husband and I love pulled pork sandwiches and this is my go to recipe, when I decide to make some. You can add sauce to this pulled pork, but it also had a lot of flavor on its own. You can eat it as it is, or fry it until crispy in a skillet.

tender-easy-slow-cooker-pulled-pork-carnitas-recipe

Pulled Pork Carnitas

I like to use it for pulled pork rice/quinoa bowls, nachos, tacos or taco salads. I’ll be sharing a pulled pork quinoa bowl recipe with you pretty soon.

After cooking the pork, you will have a lot of juice left in the slow cooker. You can either use this as a base for a gravy or pour it over the pulled pork, in cake it gets too dry.

For the seasoning, I also like to use Adobo sauce and chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, which enhances the flavor of the meat.

tender-juicy-easy-slow-cooker-pulled-pork-carnitas

Mexican Pulled Pork

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Servings: 12

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Carnitas

Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
6 hrs
Total Time:
6 hrs 15 mins
Easy to make slow cooker pulled pork carnitas - tender pull apart pork that tastes amazing.
easy-slow-cooker-pulled-pork-carnitas
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Ingredients

  • 4 lb pork shoulder — , excess fat trimmed
  • 1 small onion — , quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp Adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce — , chopped
  • 1 bay leaf

To rub the meat:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, combine olive oil, ground cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper. Rub meat with this mixture.
  2. Place garlic, onions, Adobo sauce, chipotle pepper, orange juice, chicken stock (or water), bay leaf and lime juice in a slow cooker. Add meat and cover.
  3. Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for at least 8 hours. The meat should be falling apart. Take out of the slow cooker and shred using two forks. (You can freeze already cooked pulled pork in zip lock bags.) You can reserve some or the juices, left after cooking the meat and add them to it if it turns too dry.

To serve:

  1. Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and add pulled pork. Cook until golden and crispy. Serve.
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
All text and images © Lyubomira from CookingLSL.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 173, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 566mg, Potassium: 386mg, Carbohydrates: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Protein: 19g, Vitamin A: 30%, Vitamin C: 7.6%, Calcium: 26%, Iron: 1.6%
 slow-cooker-pulled-pork-carnitas
posted in Mains
originally posted on August 28, 2015 last updated on January 5, 2023
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