Are you craving tender and flavorful carnitas without the hassle of constant stovetop monitoring? Look no further! In this ultimate guide, we'll embark on a culinary journey to discover the secrets behind the "best-ever slow cooker carnitas." Get ready to tantalize your taste buds with a symphony of flavors as we explore various recipes, cooking techniques, and tips to achieve fall-off-the-bone carnitas in the comfort of your own kitchen. Whether you're a seasoned slow cooker enthusiast or a novice cook looking to elevate your culinary skills, this article will guide you every step of the way towards creating a slow cooker carnitas masterpiece that will leave your family and friends clamoring for more.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
Carnitas means 'little meats' and is traditionally fried then braised. This recipe is made much easier using the slow cooker but the results are just as tasty. This makes a great filling for tamales, enchiladas, tacos and burritos. This filling is also great combined with your favorite barbecue sauce and served on buns.
Provided by Erin Parker
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Mexican
Time 10h10m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.
- Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 222.7 calories, Carbohydrate 0.7 g, Cholesterol 73.3 mg, Fat 13.8 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 22.2 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Sodium 474.3 mg, Sugar 0.3 g
THE BEST EVER SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
What makes these carnitas different? They are crisped and browned on the stove after low and slow cooking in the crock pot. These are incredibly easy to make and have replaced traditional taco filling at our house. These carnitas or "little meats" are great in Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas, Tamales or Nachos. When served with corn tortillas, they are also gluten free!
Provided by sellingsavannah
Categories Mexican
Time 7h40m
Yield 8-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Mix cumin, garlic powder, oregano, coriander, kosher salt and ground black pepper together in a small bowl to make a dry rub. Pat the pork shoulder roast or boston butt dry with paper towels, and then cover roast with dry rub.
- Place the pieces of onion and the bay leaf in the bottom of your slower cooker, lay the roast on top. Carefully pour the chicken stock or the water around the roast, taking care not to wash away the dry rub. Cook on low for 6 hours or until the pork easily falls apart.
- Once the pork is easily falling apart, remove from slow cooker to cool. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Remove and discard the excess fat, shred the remaining pork.
- Place the reserved cooking liquid in a large non-stick skillet with shredded pork. Cook over medium high heat until the liquid is absorbed, tossing the pork occasional to coat.
- Once the cooking liquid is absorbed, add the oil and crisp up the carnitas to your desired doneness. We like our extra crispy, usually about 14-18 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite taco fixings, like corn or flour tortillas, cilantro, lime, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, sour cream and cheese.
CARNITAS (MEXICAN SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK)
Recipe VIDEO above. Spiciness: Not at all. Scale recipe using Servings slider.These carnitas capture that elusive combination of flavourful, juicy AND crispiness. Pan frying to get the golden bits is not optional! Broiling/grilling will not produce the same results. Stuff them in tacos for an authentic Carnitas Tacos experience, see notes for other uses! FAQ below recipe.
Provided by Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Categories Slow cooking
Time 6h15m
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
- Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
- Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
- Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 7 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods)
- Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
- Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard.
- If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 205 g, Calories 578 kcal, Carbohydrate 1.7 g, Protein 45 g, Fat 42 g, SaturatedFat 15 g, Cholesterol 173 mg, Sodium 616 mg, Sugar 0.5 g, UnsaturatedFat 23.1 g
SLOW-COOKED CARNITAS
Simmer up succulent pork the slow-cooker way. Sometimes, instead of using tortillas, I put the seasoned meat on top of shredded lettuce for a tasty salad. -Lisa Glogow, Aliso Viejo, California
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 6h20m
Yield 12 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Cut roast in half; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with the garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Add the onions, cilantro, salsa, broth, tequila and chiles. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. , Remove meat; cool slightly. Shred with 2 forks and return to the slow cooker; heat through. Spoon about 2/3 cup meat mixture onto each tortilla; serve with toppings of your choice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 363 calories, Fat 15g fat (5g saturated fat), Cholesterol 67mg cholesterol, Sodium 615mg sodium, Carbohydrate 28g carbohydrate (1g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 24g protein.
SLOW COOKER CARNITAS RECIPE BY TASTY
Have you ever gone out for Mexican food, eaten carnitas, and thought "gosh, I wish I could make this myself"? Well, you can with the help of your slow cooker. Just add pork butt or shoulder to a slow cooker with citrus juice, garlic, onion, and some spices, then let it cook for about eight hours until it's tender and easy to shred with a fork. Then, you can enjoy your home-cooked carnitas in tacos, burritos, or on top of your favourite grains.
Provided by Scott Loitsch
Categories Dinner
Time 8h10m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Cut pork into 6 equal pieces. Add it to the slow cooker.
- Add salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic, onion, bay leaves, lime juice and juice the orange. Add orange to the cooker as well. Mix together until the meat is well-coated.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the meat pulls apart easily.
- Remove the pork and transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Shred the pork and spread across the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Pour about 1 cup (235 ml) of the liquid remaining in the slow cooker over the shredded pork. Broil for 5-10 minutes until the meat browns and crisps along the edges.
- Serve immediately. Great as a filling in tacos, burritos, salads, or nachos!
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 810 calories, Carbohydrate 23 grams, Fat 48 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 72 grams, Sugar 5 grams
THE VERY BEST SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
Try this recipe for the best slow cooker carnitas! They're hands-free & so easy to make with just a few ingredients. Perfect for tacos, burritos, taco salad bowls and even leftovers!
Provided by Tiffany
Categories Main Meals
Time 10h5m
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Place the onion evenly on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Place the pork roast on top of the onion.
- Add 1/2 cup liquid to the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl or a mug, combine all the spices. Sprinkle liberally over the pork shoulder.
- Cook the pork on low for 10 hours.
- When the meat is done, shred the meat with two forks. Add the remaining 1/2 cup liquid if the pork has not released many juices. Stir to combine and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 787
BEST EVER SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
A mouth-watering Mexican carnitas recipe with a special sweet addition, slow cooked for hours in a crock-pot and served with warm tortillas. After numerous attempts at perfecting the art of carnitas from scratch, this is my best recipe yet. A taste of Mexico in your very own kitchen!
Provided by SocialWorkChef
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 6h15m
Yield 8 meat-filled tortillas, 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Cut the 2 lbs of pork into roughly 2 inch squares and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Pour the stick of melted butter in the slow cooker coating the meat. Do the same with the 2 Tbs of oil.
- Break the one cinnamon stick in half and place to the sides of the meat.
- Peel 5-6 garlic cloves, cutting the tips off, and break 3-4 bay leaves in half. Place the leaves and the garlic in the slow cooker, evenly distributed among the meat.
- Add the 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp (or more depending on taste) red pepper flakes, sprinkling evenly across the meat.
- Pour the 1/3 cup whole milk in the cooker, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat.
- Add the Coca Cola, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat. Add enough to just cover the top of the meat.
- Turn the slow cooker to the "Low" heat setting. Cook for 6 hours, stirring every few hours.
- Once cooked, remove meat from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place in a separate large bowl. Shred the meat using two forks, and add spoonfuls of liquid from the cooker to ensure meat is moist.
- Serve on warm tortillas, with pico de gallo, sour cream, and chopped jalapenos.
Tips:
- Choose the right cut of pork: Pork shoulder (also known as pork butt) is the best cut of pork for carnitas because it has a good amount of fat that will render down and make the meat tender and flavorful.
- Score the pork shoulder: Scoring the pork shoulder helps the seasoning to penetrate the meat and also helps the pork to cook more evenly.
- Use a good quality seasoning blend: The seasoning blend is what gives carnitas its signature flavor, so it's important to use a good quality blend. You can find pre-made carnitas seasoning blends at most grocery stores.
- Cook the pork shoulder on low heat: Cooking the pork shoulder on low heat allows the meat to cook slowly and evenly, resulting in tender and flavorful carnitas.
- Shred the pork shoulder with two forks: Once the pork shoulder is cooked, it can be easily shredded with two forks.
- Serve the carnitas with your favorite toppings: Carnitas can be served with a variety of toppings, such as salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and tortillas.
Conclusion:
Carnitas is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed in many different ways. Whether you're making tacos, burritos, or nachos, carnitas is sure to be a hit. With the help of a slow cooker, you can easily make carnitas at home. Just follow these tips and you'll be sure to end up with a delicious and flavorful dish that your family and friends will love.
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