Slow-Cooked Carnitas

Name: Slow-Cooked Carnitas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 500 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 lbs pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 2-inch chunks; 2 orange, juiced and rind reserved; 2 lime, juiced; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 1 white onion, quartered; 2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped; 2 tsp dried oregano; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 bay leaves; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 tbsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 16 corn tortillas, warmed; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped; 1/2 cup white onion, finely diced; 1 cup salsa verde; 2 ripe avocado, sliced; 2 limes lime wedges, for serving; 6 radishes, thinly sliced

Tender, citrus-infused pork slowly braised until falling apart, then crisped to perfection. These authentic Mexican carnitas are served with warm tortillas, fresh toppings, and homemade salsa for a memorable dinner.

500 minEasyServes 8390 cal/serving

MexicanDinnerSlow CookerStandardHigh FiberDairy-FreeGluten-FreeLow-SodiumAlcohol-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

4 lbs pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 2-inch chunks
2 orange, juiced and rind reserved
2 lime, juiced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 white onion, quartered
2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
16 corn tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup white onion, finely diced
1 cup salsa verde
2 ripe avocado, sliced
2 limes lime wedges, for serving
6 radishes, thinly sliced

Instructions

1

Season 4 lbs cut into 2-inch chunks pork shoulder (Boston butt) generously with 2 tbsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.
2

Place the pork in a slow cooker along with 6 minced garlic cloves, 1 quartered white onion, 2 seeded and chopped jalapeño pepper, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, and 1 cinnamon stick.
3

Add the juice of 2 juiced and rind reserved orange and 2 juiced lime, and toss the squeezed orange rinds into the slow cooker as well.
4

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours, until the pork is very tender and falls apart easily with a fork.
5

Once done, remove the pork pieces to a large bowl, leaving behind the cooking liquid. Discard the orange rinds, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick.
6

Shred the pork with two forks, removing any large pieces of fat.
7

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
8

Ladle about 1 cup of the cooking liquid over the shredded pork to moisten it.
9

Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large oven-safe skillet over high heat until it begins to shimmer.
10

Working in batches, add some of the shredded pork to the hot oil and cook undisturbed for about 2-3 minutes until the bottom starts to crisp up. Transfer each batch to a baking sheet.
11

Once all the pork has been seared, place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes to further crisp up the edges.
12

To serve, place the crispy carnitas on warm 16 warmed corn tortillas. Top with 1/2 cup finely diced white onion, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, 1 cup salsa verde, 2 sliced ripe avocado slices, and 6 thinly sliced radishes.
13

Serve with 2 limes for serving lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the top.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Mexican Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

How much time should I plan for Slow-Cooked Carnitas?

As written, 500 minutes: 20 of prep and 480 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 4 (10 hours): "Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours, until the pork is very tender and falls apart easily with a fork." That wait sits outside the stated prep and cook times, so plan around it.

What oven temperature does Slow-Cooked Carnitas need?

For Slow-Cooked Carnitas, the oven is set to 425 F (about 220 C) in step 7. The longest stretch at that heat is 10 minutes, in step 11.

What should Slow-Cooked Carnitas look like when it is ready?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 10: cook until the bottom starts to crisp up.

Is Slow-Cooked Carnitas spicy?

Moderately. The heat in Slow-Cooked Carnitas comes from 2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped. For a milder plate, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño, or use half; nothing else in the method changes. For more, add it at the table rather than in the pot, so everyone sets their own level.

How many calories are in Slow-Cooked Carnitas?

One serving (the recipe makes 8) is about 390 calories, with 13 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate and 26 g fat, plus 8 g fiber and 236 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.