Carnitas, literally “little meats,” is a braised or roasted pork dish that is typically something you’d find on the menu at your local Mexican restaurant. But did you know that you can easily make Carnitas at home in the crock pot? Well, you can! [Duh. Otherwise this post would be a lie. HA! :)] They miiiight not be quite authentic, but they are tasty. Ben even prefers them to the carnitas available at our favorite Mexican restaurant in town.
I’ve been making this recipe for about three years now, and it’s pretty much your easiest crockpot recipe: add ingredients to crockpot, cook, shred, and serve. There aren’t many seasonings [just pepper, oregano, and onion], so it might not sound impressive, but the simplicity allows the natural goodness of the meat to shine through. You know that my meat loving husband adores that!
Every single time I have made this, the results have been a perfect juicy and tender pork. It makes a ton, so after eating our fill of several meals of soft Carnitas tacos, we usually freeze some, enjoy some with rice a la burrito-bowl-style, and experiment with different leftover techniques. Later in the week I’ll be sharing the stirfry of our dreams, but first you need to make this awesome pork so that leftovers are possible. 🙂
For your first go-round, I highly suggest making a good guac and investing in some fresh soft tortillas for the ultimate Carnitas experience. Then you can go hog wild with toppings if you want, but I think that sometimes simple is best so try it that way first. Enjoy!
Carnitas
from Good Cheap Eats
Ingredients:
- 3-4 pound pork shoulder roast
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup water
Directions:
Place pork roast in crockpot and season with pepper. Cover with onion and oregano, then pour water on top of everything. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 [though I haven’t tried that].
Meat should be falling apart, so shred with a fork and serve with soft tortillas and guacamole.
Notes: Freezes well.
The Pajama Chef 
Your meat looks so tender and pull-apart perfect!
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thanks joanne!
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Looks great! Love mexican food, I could eat it anytime. My hubs is a meat kinda guy too 🙂
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i’ve been known to eat mexican leftovers for breakfast so i totally know what you mean 🙂
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I was going to say that I could eat it for breakfast too, but I didn’t know if that was to weird…lol! 😉
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haha not too weird for me! 🙂 my husband on the other hand….
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Hmmm, love carnitas. I made some a few weeks ago in the crock pot and then broiled them to get a little crispy. You are right, keeping it simple is best, you don’t need much!
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broiling them after is a great idea!!
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We love carnitas so I know we’d love this meal. It looks delicious!
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Thanks Amy!
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I’ve actually never had carnitas! I’m missing out! Nothing could be easier than this recipe so I have no excuse. OK, I have one excuse, Pinterest is down right now. I hope it comes up before I go to bed so I remember to pin this!
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Yay it’s working now, got it pinned. 🙂
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yay! so sad when pinterest breaks. 🙂
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