**Carnitas: A Succulent Mexican Dish Made Easy with Slow Cooker Recipes**
Carnitas, a traditional Mexican dish, is a delectable and versatile pork dish that has captured the hearts of food enthusiasts worldwide. This flavorful dish is typically made with pork shoulder, slow-cooked until it becomes fall-apart tender and infused with a symphony of spices. Whether you prefer crispy carnitas or tender and juicy ones, this article presents a collection of slow-cooker carnitas recipes that cater to diverse preferences and skill levels. From classic Mexican carnitas to unique fusion recipes, these recipes offer a culinary journey that will tantalize your taste buds. So, prepare your slow cooker and embark on a flavorful adventure with our curated selection of carnitas recipes.
THE BEST EVER SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
What makes these carnitas different? They are crisped and browned on the stove after low and slow cooking in the crock pot. These are incredibly easy to make and have replaced traditional taco filling at our house. These carnitas or "little meats" are great in Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas, Tamales or Nachos. When served with corn tortillas, they are also gluten free!
Provided by sellingsavannah
Categories Mexican
Time 7h40m
Yield 8-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
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.
SLOW COOKER MEXICAN PORK CARNITAS
This is a shredded spin on carnitas. In Spanish, carnitas means "little meats." The traditional Mexican dish is typically made from pork, but can also be made from beef. This is a slow-cooked version of the otherwise braised or slow-roasted techniques. Once shredded, the meat is often served with cilantro, onion, salsa, guacamole, refried beans, and tortillas. Serve over cabbage slaw in a soft tortilla.
Provided by clifford
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Mexican
Time 6h25m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 15
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 266.2 calories, Carbohydrate 12.1 g, Cholesterol 82.2 mg, Fat 11 g, Fiber 4.5 g, Protein 31 g, SaturatedFat 3.8 g, Sodium 607.9 mg, Sugar 1.6 g
SLOW COOKER CARNITAS RECIPE BY TASTY
Have you ever gone out for Mexican food, eaten carnitas, and thought "gosh, I wish I could make this myself"? Well, you can with the help of your slow cooker. Just add pork butt or shoulder to a slow cooker with citrus juice, garlic, onion, and some spices, then let it cook for about eight hours until it's tender and easy to shred with a fork. Then, you can enjoy your home-cooked carnitas in tacos, burritos, or on top of your favourite grains.
Provided by Scott Loitsch
Categories Dinner
Time 8h10m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Cut pork into 6 equal pieces. Add it to the slow cooker.
- Add salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic, onion, bay leaves, lime juice and juice the orange. Add orange to the cooker as well. Mix together until the meat is well-coated.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the meat pulls apart easily.
- Remove the pork and transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Shred the pork and spread across the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Pour about 1 cup (235 ml) of the liquid remaining in the slow cooker over the shredded pork. Broil for 5-10 minutes until the meat browns and crisps along the edges.
- Serve immediately. Great as a filling in tacos, burritos, salads, or nachos!
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 810 calories, Carbohydrate 23 grams, Fat 48 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 72 grams, Sugar 5 grams
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CARNITAS
Chicken variation on the classic pork carnitas. Serve in tortillas with whatever toppings you want. Enjoy.
Provided by Chef Dan J
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Mexican
Time 4h40m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Dissolve chicken bouillon in boiling water.
- Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent and browned, about 5 minutes. Add jalapenos and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add green chiles; cook for 3 minutes more.
- Mix salt, cilantro, Mexican seasoning, cumin, basil, oregano, garlic powder, seasoning blend, chile powder, paprika, mustard powder, and black pepper together in a bowl.
- Trim chicken as needed. Coat all sides with the seasoning blend.
- Place onion mixture in a slow cooker. Add chicken broth, juice and zest from the limes and orange, and garlic cloves. Place chicken on top. Cover and cook on Low until chicken is no longer pink inside and very tender, 4 to 6 hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 177.9 calories, Carbohydrate 8.1 g, Cholesterol 66.1 mg, Fat 4.6 g, Fiber 1.7 g, Protein 25.9 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 824.7 mg, Sugar 3.7 g
SLOW-COOKER CHIPOTLE BEEF CARNITAS
I came up with this recipe while trying to figure out what I could do with a pot roast that had been in the freezer. Now I keep the rub in a plastic bag, ready and waiting in my cupboard, and I can get the roast in the slow cooker in less than 15 minutes. -Ann Piscitelli, Nokomis, Florida
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 8h40m
Yield 16 servings plus 1/4 cup leftover spice mixture.
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Mix the first nine ingredients. Cut roast in half; rub with 1/4 cup spice mixture. Cover and store remaining mixture in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year., Place onions and peppers in a 4-qt. slow cooker. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown roast on all sides. Transfer meat and drippings to slow cooker. Top with salsa. Cook, covered, on low until meat is tender, 8-10 hours., Remove roast; shred with two forks. Skim fat from cooking juices. Return meat to slow cooker; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/2 cup meat mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Add toppings of your choice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 415 calories, Fat 18g fat (6g saturated fat), Cholesterol 70mg cholesterol, Sodium 830mg sodium, Carbohydrate 35g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 27g protein.
SLOW-COOKER CARNITAS
We shared these flavor-packed tacos with friends from church who came over to help us move. They're so good, I put them on my blog, manilaspoon.com! The slow cooker makes this recipe extra easy, and I love that whenever I make it, I'm reminded of the wonderful people back in Michigan. -Abigail Raines, Hamden, Connecticut
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 8h25m
Yield 12 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a small bowl, mix first 9 ingredients. Place onions in a 6-qt. slow cooker. Place roast over onions; pour salsa mixture over roast. Cook, covered, on low until pork is tender, 8-10 hours., Remove roast; remove and discard bone. Shred pork with 2 forks. Serve in tortillas with toppings as desired. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pork mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Microwave, covered, on high in a microwave-safe dish until heated through, stirring occasionally; add water or broth if necessary.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 393 calories, Fat 18g fat (6g saturated fat), Cholesterol 100mg cholesterol, Sodium 757mg sodium, Carbohydrate 25g carbohydrate (2g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 32g protein.
BEST EVER SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
A mouth-watering Mexican carnitas recipe with a special sweet addition, slow cooked for hours in a crock-pot and served with warm tortillas. After numerous attempts at perfecting the art of carnitas from scratch, this is my best recipe yet. A taste of Mexico in your very own kitchen!
Provided by SocialWorkChef
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 6h15m
Yield 8 meat-filled tortillas, 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Cut the 2 lbs of pork into roughly 2 inch squares and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Pour the stick of melted butter in the slow cooker coating the meat. Do the same with the 2 Tbs of oil.
- Break the one cinnamon stick in half and place to the sides of the meat.
- Peel 5-6 garlic cloves, cutting the tips off, and break 3-4 bay leaves in half. Place the leaves and the garlic in the slow cooker, evenly distributed among the meat.
- Add the 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp (or more depending on taste) red pepper flakes, sprinkling evenly across the meat.
- Pour the 1/3 cup whole milk in the cooker, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat.
- Add the Coca Cola, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat. Add enough to just cover the top of the meat.
- Turn the slow cooker to the "Low" heat setting. Cook for 6 hours, stirring every few hours.
- Once cooked, remove meat from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place in a separate large bowl. Shred the meat using two forks, and add spoonfuls of liquid from the cooker to ensure meat is moist.
- Serve on warm tortillas, with pico de gallo, sour cream, and chopped jalapenos.
THE BEST SLOW COOKER CARNITAS, GREAT FOR TACOS!
These carnitas cook low and slow in the Slow Cooker or Crockpot and finish on the stove for a crispy and delicious filling for tacos, burritos or nachos. This is the new taco filling for Taco Tuesday at our house. My whole crew prefers this to traditional taco filling made with ground beef or ground turkey.
Provided by sellingsavannah
Categories Mexican
Time 6h30m
Yield 10-12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Mix the kosher salt, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano and black pepper together in a small bowl. Coat the pork shoulder roast with the dry rub.
- Place the sliced onion and bay leaves in the bottom of your slow cooker, lay pork shoulder roast on top. Carefully pour water or chicken broth around the roast, making sure you don't disturb the dry rub.
- Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 6 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 3 hours.
- When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, remove and discard excess fat and shred with two forks. Reserve cooking liquid.
- Place shredded pork into a large skillet with 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Once liquid has cooked down completely, add canola or vegetable oil. Stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until the meat has reached desired crispiness.
- Serve in warm flour or corn tortillas with your favorite taco toppings. We serve ours cilantro, pickled red onions, salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, sliced cabbage and lime wedges,.
SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
Carnitas means 'little meats' and is traditionally fried then braised. This recipe is made much easier using the slow cooker but the results are just as tasty. This makes a great filling for tamales, enchiladas, tacos and burritos. This filling is also great combined with your favorite barbecue sauce and served on buns.
Provided by Erin Parker
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Mexican
Time 10h10m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 9
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 222.7 calories, Carbohydrate 0.7 g, Cholesterol 73.3 mg, Fat 13.8 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 22.2 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Sodium 474.3 mg, Sugar 0.3 g
Tips:
- Choose the right cut of pork: Pork shoulder is the best cut for carnitas because it has a good amount of fat, which helps to keep the meat moist and flavorful during the long cooking process.
- Use a good quality slow cooker: A slow cooker with a heavy bottom and a tight-fitting lid will help to ensure that the carnitas cook evenly and stay moist.
- Sear the pork before cooking: Searing the pork before cooking helps to develop flavor and create a crispy outer layer.
- Add plenty of liquid to the slow cooker: The liquid helps to keep the pork moist and flavorful. You can use water, broth, or a combination of the two.
- Cook the pork on low heat for 8-10 hours: This allows the pork to cook slowly and develop a tender, fall-apart texture.
- Shred the pork before serving: Once the pork is cooked, use two forks to shred it into small pieces.
Conclusion:
These are a few tips for making slow cooker carnitas. With a little planning and preparation, you can easily make this delicious and versatile dish at home. Whether you're serving it up for a party or a weeknight dinner, slow cooker carnitas are sure to be a hit. So what are you waiting for? Give this recipe a try today!
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