Crockpot Carnitas [Best Carnitas/Favorite Cooking Method]

Our family LOVES Carnitas... My husband used to smoke the pork on his Weber kettle smoker and we thought it was amazing, but then one day when he was at work(unable to stand at a smoker for hours) so I decided to try a different method and completely fell in love with it! I found a couple of different crockpot Carnitas recipes and combined two of them, but over the years kept changing it up and adding things that made the flavor better each time, so I think I finally have a solid recipe and wanted to share! Feel free to share/change it up/make it your own! I just love sharing food and recipes, not looking for credit! (I blog like once a year or every 3 years, definitely not sharing for exposure 😆)

Crockpot Carnitas

Ingredients:

4 lb Boneless Pork Shoulder/Butt

1 1/2 TBSP Ground Cumin

2 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Garlic

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

*You can use any seasonings you prefer, we love to use Badia Sazon Tropical(green lid) with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, it's my go-to nowadays!*

1 Large Shallot, diced (2 if they are small)

4 cloves of garlic, minced (I just use the jarred minced garlic)

2 Jalapenos, de-seeded and finely diced

2 Oranges, juiced

1 Lemon, juiced

2 Limes, juiced 

Directions:

In a small bowl mix together cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and chili powder

Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder (some fat is good, so don't cut it all off!), pat dry, then rub the spice mixture generously on the entire pork shoulder and place in the slow cooker. *I love to sear my pork before placing it in the slow cooker, but this is totally optional*

Add the shallots, garlic, jalapeno and juice of your Oranges, lemon, and limes in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat. Keep the liquid as you will be using it later.

Crisp up the shredded pork in the oven before serving by setting the oven to Broil, place the shredded pork on a baking sheet. Pour 1 cup of the reserved liquid over the pork to keep it moist and tender(so it doesn't dry out). Broil 5-10 minutes or until the meat becomes golden brown and crispy on the edges

We love to make street tacos, "Chipotle" style burritos, or nachos with our carnitas

**Note**

Even though this is a more Mexican style flavor, the flavor is mild enough that leftover shredded pork can be used to turn into BBQ pulled pork!