Name: Slow Cooker Carnitas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 20 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 5 pound pork butt or shoulder, excess fat trimmed; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons ground black pepper; 4 cloves garlic, peeled; 2 onions, quartered; 2 oranges, sliced and juiced; 2 limes, sliced and juiced

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My easy slow cooker carnitas are a family favorite. This easy dinner recipe is perfect for taco Tuesday…or any day of the week for that matter!

Pin showing the finished crockpot carnitas with the title in the middle.

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If you are looking for an easy meal prep recipe you have to try this recipe for Crockpot carnitas. This is an incredibly easy way to prep pork for tacos, burritos, wraps, rice bowls, and more.

Featured image showing the finished slow cooker carnitas.

This is a versatile recipe that you can use in a variety of ways. You can also make this delicious pork carnitas recipe and then freeze it for later use!

What are carnitas?

Carnitas actually translates to “little meats” and it’s a classic Mexican dish that is made by simmer pork until tender and falling apart.

here we see the finished crockpot carnitas on a plate ready to be served.

The slow cooker is made for a job just like this. It breaks down the fat and connective tissue in the pork to make it perfectly shreddable and easy to break down.

Carnitas refers to the meat itself. Most commonly it’s used for things like tacos, burritos, to top salads, rice bowls and to top nachos!

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe for slow cooker carnitas:

We’ll be taking a pork butt roast or shoulder roast with the fat trimmed away and adding a variety of seasonings to make this delicious carnitas recipe.

Finished slow cooker carnitas ready to be served and enjoyed.

You’ll need chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt and black pepper, garlic, onions, oranges and limes! This is a pretty classic carnitas mix that makes a delicious and flavorful pork recipe.

How to make carnitas in the Crockpot:

In a small bowl, combine spices. Rub spice mixture onto pork but or shoulder, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides.

Place garlic, onions, orange juice, lime juice and seasoned pork shoulder into a slow cooker.

A plate of carnitas ready to be devoured.

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.

Cover with the juices. Cover and keep warm for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to broil. Place carnitas onto a baking sheet and broil until crisp and crusted, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.

A pin showing the title in the middle and the finished carnitas on top and bottom.

Looking for other delicious dinner recipes you can prep in advance?

If you like hassle free recipes that you can prep in advance try out some of our favorites.

The slow cooker is great for making dinner recipes that you can keep in the refrigerator during the week or freeze and reheat when you need them!

Thanks to the slow cooker things like pulled pork, beef ribs, and even roasted chicken stay nice and moist so that when you nee to reheat you aren’t eating dried out or boring meals!

A view of the finished pork carnitas ready to be enjoyed.

My favorite vegetable soup is perfect for the freezer. I also don’t mind making sausage potato soup and freezing a batch to heat up when things are extra busy!