Name: Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 h 20 min
Total time: 8 h 40 min
Ingredients: 4 pounds Boneless pork shoulder, thawed; 2 teaspoons Fine salt; 2 teaspoons Ground cumin; 1 teaspoon Dried oregano; 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper; 1 onion Yellow onion, sliced; 4 cloves Garlic cloves, smashed; 1/2 cup Orange juice; 2 tablespoons Lime juice; 2 leaves Bay leaves

Description

Citrus-braised pork shoulder shredded and broiled in batches for crisp edges.

Ingredients

Scale

4 pounds Boneless pork shoulder, thawed
2 teaspoons Fine salt
2 teaspoons Ground cumin
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
1 onion Yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves Garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup Orange juice
2 tablespoons Lime juice
2 leaves Bay leaves

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Instructions

Place 1 sliced yellow onion and 4 smashed garlic cloves in a 6-quart slow cooker. Rub 4 lb fully thawed pork shoulder chunks with 2 tsp fine salt, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Set over the onions; add 1/2 cup orange juice, 2 tbsp lime juice and 2 bay leaves. Do not start with frozen pork.
Cover and cook on low approximately 7–8 hours, until the pork is safely cooked and pulls apart easily. For whole pork cuts the USDA minimum is 145°F with a three-minute rest, but shoulder is held longer here for shreddability; confirm actual temperature and texture with a food thermometer and fork.
Discard bay leaves. Shred pork with tongs, removing large pieces of fat, and spoon a few tablespoons of skimmed cooking liquid over it. Spread in a thin layer over two rimmed baking sheets; broil one sheet at a time 3–5 minutes, watching continuously, until edges brown. Turn and broil briefly if more crispness is desired without drying all the meat.
Divide the cooked pork into eight portions. Serve hot with separately chosen tortillas or sides; cool and refrigerate leftovers promptly. Do not reheat leftovers in the slow cooker: reheat to 165°F on a stove, in a microwave or in an oven.

Notes

Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.

Untested estimate: slow cooker low up to 8 hours, then shredding and broiling up to 20 minutes; prep includes chopping and final shredding. Cook to safe temperature and fork-tender texture; oven preheat excluded.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 500 minutes

Nutrition

Serving Size: One eighth of the cooked pork, excluding tortillas and toppings