Slow Cooker Mexican Pork Carnitas Food

SLOW COOKER MEXICAN PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Turn a large slow cooker to High. Pour chicken stock into the cooker and place pork loin in the center. Season pork with adobo, cumin, pepper, and paprika. Place onion, chipotle paste, and bay leaves in the stock around the pork. Place tomatoes and garlic on top of the pork, and squeeze limes directly over top, allowing pulp to fall into the slow cooker. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cloves.
• Use a spoon to baste stock over the pork loin, then sprinkle entire surface evenly with cilantro.
• Cover and cook on High until pork is slightly pink in the center, about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Use a fork to shred pork.

SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

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.

THE BEST EVER SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

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)

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.

SLOW COOKER PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Season pork shoulder with spice mixture, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides. Place garlic, onions, orange juice, lime juice and seasoned pork shoulder into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Remove pork shoulder from the slow cooker and shred the meat before returning to the pot with the juices; season with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed. Cover and keep warm for an additional 30 minutes. Preheat oven to broil. Place carnitas onto a baking sheet and broil until crisp and crusted, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.

SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the dried oregano, cumin, salt and pepper
• Rub seasoning mixture onto pork shoulder on all sides
• Add onion, garlic, orange juice and peel, lime juice and chipotle pepper to slow cooker
• Place pork on top
• Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until internal temperature is 145 degrees F
• Remove pork from slow cooker onto cutting board, let cool slightly
• Shred pork with forks
• Heat oil in skillet on stove ** see notes
• Add pork and some of the juice from the slow cooker
• Turn often to brown the pork until juices have evaporated and pork is nicely browned
• Repeat with more pork if your skillet doesn't hold all of it
• Serve immediately with tortillas and toppings
• Store leftovers in refrigerator

PORK CARNITAS (MEXICAN CRISPY PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Heat the water and lard/butter together in a Dutch oven (or other heavy, bottomed pot). Once the fat has melted, add the pork chunks.
• Juice the orange halves and add the juice to the pot. Cut the remaining rinds in half and add them to the pot as well.
• Add the cinnamon stick pieces, oregano, and salt. Mix well.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and braise, uncovered for 1-2 hours, until most of the moisture has evaporated and only the fat remains.
• Add the onions and garlic to the meat.
• Continue to cook over medium low heat for an additional 45 minutes - 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes with a sturdy wooden spatula that will allow you to scrape the bottom (in a way that won't damage your pot). (Your meat will start to stick to the bottom and sides of the pot. This is good, we're creating nicely browned and crisped meat!)
• Once the meat is tender and crispy to your liking, it is ready to serve!
• To serve, shred or coarsely chop the meat. Serve alone with rice and beans or as a taco filling. Lime, chopped raw onion, and cilantro are great toppings.

INSTANT POT OR SLOW COOKER PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Slow cooker method:.
• Place pork in slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth, orange juice, and lime juice.
• Sprinkle in salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onions, and garlic.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
• Leave liquid in slow cooker, remove pork and shred with 2 forks.
• Spray a rimmed 18x13 inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (I use butter wrappers instead from my butter cubes).
• Place pork on baking sheet, pour over 1 cup reserved broth (try and strain out onions when lading broth), drizzle with oil and toss and spread into an even layer.
• Position oven rack near broiler and preheat broiler to high.
• Broil until pork is browned and crispy in places about 3 to 6 minutes.
• Serve warm with tortillas and desired toppings.
• Instant Pot method:.
• Cut pork into 4 chunks and place pork in Instant Pot, pour over chicken broth, orange juice, and lime juice.
• Sprinkle in salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onions, and garlic.
• Cover and seal lid (make sure valve is set to sealing position), press manual or high pressure, and select 60 minutes.
• Once cooking is done, let pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes then use quick release method to release any remaining cooking pressure.
• Once steaming has stopped, remove pork from pressure cooker while leaving broth in pressure cooker.
• Shred pork and proceed with broiling method above.
• Instant Pot method will take approximately 80 minutes plus 10 minutes prep.

PORK CARNITAS (MEXICAN SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry pork with a paper towel.
• In the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker, add pork, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, coke, and bay leaves.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).
• Remove pork and shred with two forks (DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID!)

CARNITAS (SLOW COOKER RECIPE)

Steps:

• Place pork butt/shoulder in slow cooker.
• In a small bowl, stir together the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Rub the spice mixture on all sides of the pork. Arrange the pork so that it is fat side up in the slow cooker.
• Pour the orange juice and lime juice around the sides of the pork in the slow cooker, so as not to rinse off the spice rub on top of the pork. Add the onion and garlic to the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours, until pork shreds easily.
• Remove the pork from the liquid in the slow cooker. Use two forks to shred the pork, discarding excess fat.
• You can serve the pork now, or (the best way!) crisp it under the broiler. To crisp the pork, spread it out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (if desired, you can line the baking sheet with foil for easy clean up). Add a little of the juices from the slow cooker to the pork, but not too much. Put pork under the broiler in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the edges start to crisp.
• Serve in tortillas with toppings as desired, or in a burrito bowl, on a salad, etc.

SLOW COOKER MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Mix together the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, oregano and red chili flakes, set aside.
• Add the chopped onion and garlic to the slow cooker with the tomato paste, lime juice, and just 1-2 teaspoons of the spice mixture. Stir everything together until fully mixed.
• Sprinkle the rest of the spices all over the chuck roast, patting to help it stick to the meat.
• Place the meat on top of the onion mixture and set cook on low for 8-9 hours. Total cooking time will vary for different roasts.
• After meat has cooked, use two forks to shred the meat, removing any large pieces of fat or gristle as you find them. (If the meat is still too tough to shred, it needs to be cooked a little longer. Cook for an additional 30-60 minutes and check it again.) Stir to mix well with the sauce. Cover and continue to cook on low for another 30-60 minutes.
• Before serving stir well again to mix the meat with the sauce. Taste meat and season with more salt to taste.
• Optional Step: To create crispy carnitas, heat a heavy skillet (cast iron is best) over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the carnitas in batches, careful not to crowd the pan. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid from the crock pot over the meat as it fries. Once bottom is crispy, turn the meat, until desired crispiness is reached.

CRISPY SLOW COOKER PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a large slow cooker.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours or until the pork is tender. Remove the bay leaves.
• Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred. (Make sure to keep the liquid)
• Transfer the shredded pork to a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until crispy.
• Remove from the oven and pour 1/4 cup of the reserved juices from the slow cooker onto the crispy pork and toss.
• Place the baking sheet back in the broiler for an additional 5 minutes or until the meat is crispy. Pour an additional 1/4 cup liquid over the crispy pork and serve immediately with cilantro for serving, if desired.
• The pork can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

SLOW-COOKER PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Add the chicken broth, orange juice, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, cloves, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt to a large slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaves and stir to combine. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves, onion, and garlic. Shred the pork into bite-size pieces with 2 forks, leaving some larger chunks, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the lard in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shredded pork and press down into an even layer with a spatula. Cook, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until crisped and browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons lard and shredded pork.
• Serve with tortillas, cilantro, jalapenos and pickled red onions.
• Put the sliced onions in a medium heatproof, nonreactive bowl. Put the vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, bay leaves, sugar, coriander and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the red onions and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or cover and refrigerate up to 4 days.