Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

This Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe has been sponsored by MAGGI®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This tender, juicy and flavorful Carnitas recipe (Mexican pulled pork) can be made in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. It’s perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas—even to eat as is, paired with rice and vegetables. Made in the Crockpot, it’s a great no-fuss recipe!

Carnitas is an easy and versatile recipe that can be made into a great number of delicious dishes, bringing ease and variety to your summer cooking. You can make tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tostadas, salads, nachos, etc. The sky’s the limit with this one!

There really isn’t anything better than pork, slowly cooked until it’s super juicy and tender, and then crisped to golden perfection. It’s only made better when wrapped in a tortilla and topped with pickled onions, queso fresco, and fresh cilantro.

Traditionally, pork shoulder is slow-cooked in the oven, but by making it in the Crockpot, you don’t have to sit and watch it all day, you can set it to go in the morning and come back to the most delicious meal. This slow cooker pork carnita recipe has been a total game-changer for me!

Be sure to try my Slow Cooked and Roasted Pork Shoulder and Cuban Style Roasted Pork Shoulder too!

Ingredients

• Chicken Bouillon
• Pork Shoulder
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Chili Powder
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic Cloves
• Lime Juice

How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

This is a no-fail recipe that can be made in the oven, Crockpot, or pressure cooker, and the results will always be tender juicy pulled pork.

To make this recipe, I seasoned the pork with cumin, oregano, chili powder, and MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon before placing it in the slow cooker with garlic, onion, and lime juice to let it cook nice and slow on the high setting for 6 hours. If you want to make the cooking process faster, place the meat in a pressure cooker to cook on high for 90 minutes.

I enjoy cooking with Maggi. It’s a product I grew up with, seeing it being used at home from a very young age by both my mother and my grandmother.

This product is always in my pantry and part of my daily meals! It’s perfect to prepare delicious rubs for meats and other types of dishes, and it adds delicious flavor to enhance your dishes. I love that I can find the same seasoning my grandmother used in the Dominican Republic at my local Walmart in the Hispanic aisle.

After the meat has cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and place it on a baking sheet. Shred the meat using two forks and add to the broiler for about 5-7 minutes to crisp up the edges.

That is it! Now you have delicious tender meat to pair as you like. I love making carnitas tacos. Sometimes during summer days before a cookout, I prepare carnitas overnight in the slow cooker to bring to the cookout. We then grill vegetables and tortillas to pair with the meat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Pat the pork dry before seasoning and cooking. This means that it doesn’t steam when it cooks and stays nice and moist.
• Don’t skip the broiling step. This crisps up the pork for extra texture.
• If cooking in an electric pressure cooker, cook on high for 1 hour 30 minutes. Let pressure release naturally and proceed with Step 4 of the recipe.

For additional recipe inspiration and Maggi product information, check out Walmart.com.

More Slow Cooker Recipes

• Slow Cooker Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
• Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup with Yuca
• Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
• Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Author: Vanessa

This tender, juicy and flavorful Carnitas recipe (Mexican pulled pork) can be made in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. It’s perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas—even to eat as is, paired with rice and vegetables.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 12 portions

Calories 149 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons MAGGI® Granulated Chicken Bouillon
• ▢ 4 lb pork shoulder or pork butt skinless, boneless
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cumin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 large onion, yellow
• ▢ 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
• ▢ 1 cup water

For serving

• ▢ Corn tortillas
• ▢ Pickled onions
• ▢ Cilantro
• ▢ Cotija cheese
• ▢ Avocado
• ▢ Corn, grilled

Instructions

 

• Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Rub all over with cumin, oregano, bouillon, chili powder, salt and pepper.
• Place the pork in a slow cooker. Top with the minced garlic, onion, lime juice and water.
• Slow cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
• Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker (reserve liquids), place onto a baking sheet, and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks. Spread the meat evenly into one layer. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Broil for 3 minutes, flip the meat, and broil another 3 more minutes.
• Serve hot with grilled vegetables, corn tortillas, and toppings of your choice.

Notes

• Pat the pork dry before seasoning and cooking. This means that it doesn’t steam when it cooks and stays nice and moist.
• Don’t skip the broiling step. This crisps up the pork for extra texture.
• If cooking in an electric pressure cooker, cook on high for 1 hour 30 minutes. Let pressure release naturally and proceed with Step 4 of the recipe.
• Leftovers can be stored sealed in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 18gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 329mgPotassium: 362mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 73IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg

The nutritional information of this recipe and all recipes on mydominicankitchen.com is only an estimate. The accuracy of any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

KeywordCrockpot pork carnitas, slow cooker pork carnitas, slow cooker pulled pork

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