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This recipe for Crockpot Carnitas delivers authentic flavor with minimal effort and easy to find ingredients! No searing, no sauteing, just dump and cook! Perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more.
No time to slow-cook carnitas? Try out my recipe for Instant Pot Carnitas.
Crowd-Pleasing Crockpot Carnitas
When I need to feed a crowd, I love turning to this recipe for Crockpot Pork Carnitas. Just like my recipes for Crockpot Salsa Chicken and Crockpot Pulled Pork, this dish is budget-friendly, full of flavor, and practically effortless to make!
The pork is slow-cooked with dried spices, tangy beer, and bright orange juice, soaking up all that bold flavor while becoming melt-in-your-mouth tender. A quick finish under the broiler gives you those irresistible crispy edges carnitas are famous for. Your family (and your guests!) will be raving!
It can just be our little secret how ridiculously easy these Slow Cooker Carnitas are to make. 😉
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Recipe Highlights
Notes on Ingredients
- Pork Roast: You can use pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork loin. Pork loin is leaner, while pork shoulder or pork butt yields more tender, flavorful carnitas.
- Beer: Use a mild lager-style beef like Corona or Coors Light. If you do not care to cook with alcohol or need this recipe to be gluten-free, use chicken stock in place of the beer.
- Orange Juice: Orange juice can not be substituted. It adds flavor, depth, and acidity that help to flavor and tenderize the pork.
- Spices: The meat is flavored with garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Feel free to omit the cayenne for less spice if desired.
- Slaw (optional): The Mexican-flavored slaw, made with cabbage, cilantro, and and a light lime dressing, is completely optional but adds amazing flavor and texture to the finish the carnitas.
How to Make Crockpot Carnitas
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Pork. Rather than cooking the pork roast whole, it is best to cut the pork into several large chunks. This will allow the pork to cook faster AND more importantly, absorb more flavor.
- Layer Ingredients in Slow Cooker. Combine, beer, orange juice, and seasonings in the base of a large slow cooker. Submerge the pork in the liquid in the slow cooker.
- Slow Cook. Cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-7 hours.
- Shred Pork. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, along with a bit of the cooking liquid, and place it into a large mixing bowl. Use two forks to shred the pork into bite-sized pieces. It should just fall apart.
- Broil. To achieve a crispy texture on the carnitas meat, place the slow-cooked shredded pork onto a rimmed sheet pan. Broil for 3-5 minutes and then remove the sheet pan, flip the pork, and broil for 2-3 more additional minutes until slightly charred.
Slaw for Carnitas
Nothing compliments the rich carnitas meat like a fresh and bright slaw. The tangy, crisp, fresh element of the slow is a perfect contrast to the richness of the carnitas, and it is super easy to make!
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, minced onions, minced cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, and salt.
- Fold in shredded cabbage until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving to allow the cabbage time to absorb the flavor of the dressing.
Serving Suggestions
Crockpot carnitas can be used to make shredded pork tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, rice bowls, and so much more! Use the following suggestions for inspiration
- Pork Tacos: Serve the crispy slow cooked carnitas in corn or flour tortillas topped with the prepared slaw, queso fresco, and sliced avocado or guacamole.
- Burrito Bowls: Top Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice or Instant Pot Spanish Rice with slow cooked carnitas and toppings of choice.
- Swap Out Taco Meat: Use slow cooked carnitas in place of taco meat to make taco pizza or taco salad.
- Enchiladas: Use carnitas to make salsa verde enchiladas or an easy enchilada casserole.
- Get Creative: Serve the shredded pork over a baked sweet potato or baked potato. Top with slaw and cheese as desired.
- Add a Side: Round out dinner with a side of Instant Pot refried beans, Mexican quinoa salad, or Mexican street corn salad.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Slow Cooker Carnitas
Video
Ingredients
Pork Tacos
- 2 ½ lb pork shoulder or pork butt roast, cut into 4-inch chunks
- ½ teaspoons kosher salt, *used in 2 steps
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 12 ounces pale beer, or chicken stock
- ½ cup pulp-free orange juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, *used in 2 steps
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
Slaw
- 2 medium limes, zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped *optional
- ¼ cup red onion, minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups purple or green cabbage, shredded
Instructions
For the Carnitas
- Cut a 2 ½ lb pork shoulder or pork butt roast into 4-inch chunks and season with ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.
- Combine the 12 ounces pale beer (or stock), ½ cup pulp-free orange juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne peppertogether in the base of a slow cooker, and then nestle the seasoned pork into the liquid.
- Set the crockpot to cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high 5-7 hours.
- Once cooked, remove the meat to a large mixing bowl and shred the meat with 2 forks. Once shredded, add ½ cup to 1 cup of the cooking liquid to the meat and stir to moisten.
- For crispy pork, place the shredded pork onto a rimmed sheet pan. Broil for 3-5 minutes, flip the meat, and continue to broil for another 2-3 minutes, or until crispy. Keep an eye on the meat, so it does not burn.
- Serve the crispy, shredded pork on tortillas or over rice and top with slaw and crumbled queso fresco or feta if desired.
Mexican Slaw (optional)
- While the meat is cooking, combine the zest and juice of 2 medium limes with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup cilantro (chopped) ¼ cup red onion, ½ teaspoon cumin, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 cups purple or green cabbage (shredded) and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally shared in 2016 and updated in 2025.
Could a beef chuck roast be used instead of pork?
Yes! The flavor won't be the same, but it would work well. The cooking time would be the same.
What kind of orange juice is best to use?
Hey Nicole--any 100% OJ works. I like to use pulp free, but that is a personal preference.
Made the Carnitas tonite and YUMM!! We didn't have the slaw ingredients, But it was delicious...everybody made their own tacos or salads with usual taco toppings. So good and tender, great flavor! Had to use a oneless pork loin instead of the pork loin roast and the High 5-7 hrs setting, and it was still DE-licious. And plenty leftover meat to send with the college boy for his freezer! Yay!
YAY!!!! Gotta love a meal that everyone loves AND gives you leftovers!
Sounds great trying it tomorrow for lunch/dinner tacos all day!