Crock Pot Pork Carnitas
These Crock Pot Pork Carnitas only require a handful of ingredients and are full of flavor. Perfectly seasoned pork and a trick to help the meat stay tender with crispy edges!
A SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS CARNITAS RECIPE
With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, I thought we needed to add a little flair to our usual Pulled Pork. Mexican-inspired spices flavor the pork and a little twist at the end of cooking to give us some crispy pork pieces. Absolutely mouth watering!
TIPS FOR MAKING CARNITAS:
- I really recommend letting the pork roast sit in the seasonings overnight. It really does make a HUGE difference in taste.
- If you prefer, you can purchase store-bought packet seasonings for this – fajita seasoning is probably the closest to these flavors. I do recommend giving this easy homemade seasoning a try. The oregano really adds a kick of flavor here.
- You want to look for a pork roast that has a good fat cap on it. This will really help keep the pork moist and flavorful as it cooks. The fatty bits will be removed when the pork is fully cooked.
- I think a bone-in pork shoulder works best here since it adds more flavor but if all you can find is boneless, then you can certainly go with that. Just look for one that has a good bit of fat on top.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- Boston butt (pork shoulder roast)
- olive or vegetable oil
- creole seasoning
- kosher salt
- cumin
- oregano
- onion powder
- lime
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT PORK CARNITAS:
Unwrap the roast and gently dry with paper towel.
Combine salt and spices in a small bowl and mix well.
Rub the roast with oil (this will help the spices stick better.)
Then coat the roast with spice mixture. Get it all over the roast and rub it in well.
Wrap well with plastic wrap. Pop the roast into the refrigerator and refrigerate overnight (if possible.)
The next morning, unwrap the roast and put it into to crock pot (fat side up) on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours. No additional liquids are needed for cooking. The pork will cook in its’ own juices.
When finished cooking, remove roast from crock pot and set aside onto an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Then pour 1/2 cup of the rendered cooking liquid from the crock pot into a glass measuring cup to use in a bit. Shred roast into chunks and remove the shoulder bone and fatty pieces and toss those. The meat will be very tender so this part will be a breeze.
Cut lime into wedges and squeeze juice all over pork. Toss the squeezed lime wedges into the pan with the pork for extra flavor. At this point, go ahead and turn the broiler onto ‘High” on your oven.
Drizzle 1/2 cup of the rendered cooking liquid over the pork.
Place baking sheet on the middle oven rack and broil on high until pork pieces begin to sizzle and crisp up (about 5 minutes.)
Remove from oven and serve with warm tortillas and desired toppings.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
Crock Pot Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 8 pound Boston butt or pork shoulder roast
- 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1-2 limes
- flour or corn tortillas, for serving
- shredded cheese, sliced avocados, sliced radishes, chopped onions, sour cream, chopped cilantro, pico de gallo or salsa, for serving
Instructions
- Unwrap the roast and gently dry with paper towel.
- Combine salt and spices in a small bowl and mix well.
- Rub the roast with oil (this will help the spices stick better.)
- Then coat the roast with spice mixture.
- Get it all over the roast and rub it in well.
- Wrap the roast well with plastic wrap.
- Pop the roast into the refrigerator and refrigerate overnight (if possible.)
- The next morning, unwrap the roast and put it into to crock pot (fat side up) on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- No additional liquids are needed for cooking. The pork will cook in its' own juices.
- When finished cooking, remove roast from crock pot and set aside onto an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
- Then pour 1/2 cup of the rendered cooking liquid from the crock pot into a measuring cup. Shred roast into chunks and remove the shoulder bone and fatty pieces and toss those.
- Cut lime into wedges and squeeze juice all over pork.
- Toss the squeezed lime wedges into the pan with the pork for extra flavor. (At this point, go ahead and turn the broiler onto ‘High” on your oven)
- Drizzle 1/2 cup of the rendered cooking liquid over the pork.
- Place baking sheet on the middle oven rack and broil on high until pork pieces begin to sizzle and crisp up (about 5 minutes.)
- Remove from oven and serve with flour or corn tortilas and desired toppings.
Notes
- I really recommend letting the pork roast sit in the seasonings overnight. It really does make a HUGE difference in taste.
- If you prefer, you can purchase store-bought packet seasonings for this – fajita seasoning is probably the closest to these flavors. I do recommend giving this easy homemade seasoning a try. The oregano really adds a kick of flavor here.
- You want to look for a pork roast that has a good fat cap on it. This will really help keep the pork moist and flavorful as it cooks. The fatty bits will be removed when the pork is fully cooked.
- I think a bone-in pork shoulder works best here since it adds more flavor but if all you can find is boneless, then you can certainly go with that. Just look for one that has a good bit of fat on top.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: May 2015
Updated & republished: April 2021
So full of flavor and super moist & juicy !!!
I will definitely be making this again ♥️♥️
I absolutely LOVE hearing that!! Thanks so very much Dianna!
Outstanding! I made my own creole seasoning – will definitely make this again and again….
Oh very nice!! Creole seasoning is one spice that I have not tried to make myself. You’ll have to share your recipe (if you don’t mind) – I would love to try it!
can emeril’s essence be used instead of tony’s creole seasoning?