Carnitas

Name: Carnitas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 15 min
Cuisine: Mexican, Latin American, American
Ingredients: 5 pounds pork shoulder, cut into large 4-inch pieces; 5 tsp kosher salt; 5 tsp ground cumin; 2.5 tsp chili powder; 2.5 tsp garlic powder; 2.5 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred); 2.5 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, about 15 twists (half a rotation); 4 tablespoons orange juice, about 1 orange; 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime); chopped cilantro; lime wedges; Radish, thinly sliced; red onion, diced

8 steps

Prep:15minCook:8h

Note that the spice mix amounts are easily convertible based on the actual weight of your pork shoulder. Great with Avocado Salsa Verde: https://whi.sk/OybKN

Updated at: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 22:56:06 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories399.1 kcal (20%)

Total Fat25.8 g (37%)

Carbs3.3 g (1%)

Sugars0.9 g (1%)

Protein36.5 g (73%)

Sodium1078.8 mg (54%)

Fiber0.8 g (3%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

10 servings

5 poundspork shoulder

cut into large 4-inch pieces

Spice Mix

5 tspkosher salt

5 tspground cumin

2 ½ tspchili powder

2 ½ tspgarlic powder

2 ½ tspdried oregano

Mexican oregano preferred

2 ½ tsponion powder

1 tspblack pepper

freshly ground, half a rotation

4 tablespoonsorange juice

about 1 orange

2 tablespoonslime juice

about 1 lime

Garnish

Instructions

Step 1

(OPTIONAL) Cut the pork shoulder into roughly 4–6" pieces/chunks. The chunk with the shoulder blade will naturally be quite a bit larger. Do not trim off the fat cap.

pork shoulder5 pounds

Step 2

Add the salt, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, onion powder, and black pepper to a small bowl and mix to combine.

kosher salt5 tsp

ground cumin5 tsp

chili powder2 ½ tsp

garlic powder2 ½ tsp

dried oregano2 ½ tsp

onion powder2 ½ tsp

black pepper1 tsp

Step 3

Season all sides of the pork shoulder pieces with the spice mix. If you didn't cut it into pieces, the total amount of seasoning will seem quite high, but don't worry about it.

Step 4

Pour the orange juice and lime juice into the slow cooker, and place the pork shoulder pieces on top.

orange juice4 tablespoons

lime juice2 tablespoons

Step 5

Cover and slow cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4–5 hours.

Step 6

Use tongs to remove the fat cap pieces (large sheets of fat), then shred the meat with tongs & forks. The meat should be fall-apart tender and shred easily. DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID.

Step 7

To crisp, preheat the broiler on high. Spread the shredded pork out on a foil-lined pan or baking sheet and pour about ½ to 1 cup of the carnitas cooking liquid over the shredded pork. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crispy.

Step 8