We keep frozen portions in our freezer so all we have to do is defrost, fry and serve with whatever ingredients we love in our tacos! Perfect for any night of the week. Fast, easy and did I mention delicious? You have to give this recipe a try!
Don’t they look absolutely fabulous? I think so! Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Mexican Tacos) are so good! I can’t get enough of them! The best part is I removed some of the meat from my freezer, fried it up and chopped some vegetables. Dinner is served!
I always love leaving little bowls, full of toppings to choose from all around my work station. I love it that they all take turns making their own dinner! Everyone gets exactly what they want and they always love it!
Easy Mexican Inspired Recipes
Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Cheesy Taco Beef Hash
Easy Slow Cooker Taco Chicken and Rice
Taco Zucchini Beef and Pork Skillet
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Mexican Tacos)
- boneless pork butt or shoulder roast
- onion
- orange zest
- orange juice
- lime zest
- lime juice
- garlic
- oregano
- cumin
- jalapeno
- bay leaves
- salt
- pepper
- oil
Option fr Tacos
- soft flour tortillas
- jalapenos
- avocado
- salsa
- tomatoes
- cheese
- sour cream
- lime
- onions
- cilantro
- refried beans
How to make Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Mexican Tacos)
Turn your large slow cooker up to high.
Add onion, lime zest and juice, orange zest and juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, jalapenos (if using), bay leaves, 3 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Stir to combine.
Rinse and dry the pork shoulder or butt with paper towel.
Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper.
Rub seasoning in to roast.
Add roast to slow cooker, fat side up.
Reduce temperature to low if you prefer.
Cover and cook until pork roast is tender, between 5 and 7 hours on high or from 8 to 10 hours on low. The pork should just fall apart easily when poked with a fork. Cooking time will depend on the size of your pork roast.
Once pork is cooked transfer pork to a large bowl.
Using two forks shred the pork so it is less chunky and shredded. It does not have to be perfect.
Do not discard the cooking liquid in your slow cooker.
You might want to skim any excess fat of the top off the juices in your slow cooker and discard. We do not always do this.
You also have the option now of straining the liquid through a strainer to remove the onions and little bits. We do not always do this.
We always remove the bay leaves, or try to. Sometimes one gets by us, or me anyways!
In a large skillet, over medium to medium high heat, place oil and heat until it shimmers or a drop of water flicked in it dances.
Add pork to your skillet.
Quickly whisk cooking liquids in your slow cooker and scoop out 1 cup and add it to your skillet.
Cook, only stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost evaporated and pork is brown and crispy in spots, somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes.
We press the pork on to the bottom of the skillet and leave it to brown for a minute or two and then repeat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer pork to an oven safe serving bowl and place in your oven to keep warm if you need to.
Remember to add about ½ cup of the remaining cooking liquid in your slow cooker to keep the pork moist while in your serving dish.
Now to prepare your taco station.
Warm tortillas, according to package instructions, if desired. We rarely do this. I find if the tortillas are fresh I can skip this step.
Place all of your favorite toppings surrounding a cutting board and let everyone make their own.
We usually smear some refried beans in the center third of the tortilla.
Place the cheese next, then the pork and sour cream.
Lastly all the vegetables, cilantro and salsa.
We finish it off with a squeeze from a wedge of lime.
We then fold up the bottom edge and roll from the side. We usually leave one end open. If you want you can fold up the bottom edge, fold down the top edge and roll as tightly as possible. We leave that up to you.
Sit down, eat dinner and enjoy!
We will deal with any leftovers after you are finished. This pork freezes beautifully.
Freezing, Reheating and Make Ahead
Now to deal with leftovers.
1. FREEZER If you have enough leftover for your entire family place pork into a container and add between ½ and 1 cup of cooking liquid. We always err on the side of too much juice is better then not enough!
You can make your portion size according to your needs and convenience.
Just remember to always add cooking juices to each portion prior to placing it into a freezer bag or container.
When you are ready to use the leftovers, and they are totally defrosted, all you will have to do is heat up some oil and dump the meat in to your skillet and brown it, the juices are already on it.
While the meat is browning and crisping up you can prepare all of your favorite taco ingredients and by the time the meat is crisp dinner is served.
2. REHEAT If you are reheating the pork from the night before just put some oil in your skillet and heat the pork up that way. You can even use your microwave if you prefer.
3. MAKE AHEAD You can prepare the pork up to three days and two nights ahead.
The pork should be stored in your refrigerator, separate from the cooking juices.
Then when you are ready to cook simply shred pork and heat up some oil in your skillet and toss the pork in to brown and crisp up for serving.
I also have to mention that we found these tortilla bowls and thought they were a nice change from the rolled up tortilla.
It is almost like eating a delicious salad! You might want to check these bowls out! I have included a picture of one below!
Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas (Mexican Tacos)
Equipment
- large slow cooker
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound boneless pork butt or shoulder roast, cut into 2 to 3 inch chunks
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- 2 cups orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
- 1 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon oregano, ground or leaves
- 1 tablespoon cumin, ground
- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped optional
- 4 bay leaves
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or another vegetable oil of your choice
Options for Tacos
- 1-2 packages soft flour tortillas, large, any flavor
- Jalapenos, seeded and chopped
- ripe avocado, chopped
- salsa, your favorite variety
- tomatoes, chopped
- cheese, shredded
- sour cream
- lime, sliced
- onions, sliced or chopped
- cilantro, fresh, chopped
- refried beans
Instructions
- Turn slow cooker on high. Add onion, lime zest and juice, orange zest and its juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, Jalapenos (if using), bay leaves, 3 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Stir to combine. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder or butt with paper towel. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Rub seasoning into roast. Place roast in slow cooker, fat side up. Cover and cook until pork roast is tender; between 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Cooking time will depend on size of pork roast. The pork should fall apart easily when poked with a fork.
- Once the pork is cooked transfer to a large bowl. Using two forks, shred the pork. Do not discard the juices in the slow cooker. If you like, skim excess fat off the top of the juices and discard. You also have the option of straining the liquid through a strainer to remove the onions and little bits. I don't usually do any of this. It's your choice. Remove the bay leaves,
- Put oil in a large skillet, over medium to medium-high heat. Heat until it shimmers or a drop of water flicked in it dances. Add the pork. Whisk cooking liquids in slow cooker. Scoop out 1 cup and add it to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost evaporated and pork is brown and crispy in spots; about 10 to 15 minutes. Press the pork on to the bottom of the skillet and leave it to brown for a minute or two. Turn over and repeat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer pork to an oven-safe serving bowl and place in oven to keep warm. Add about ½ cup of the remaining cooking liquid in your slow cooker to the pork to keep it moist while in the serving dish.
- Warm tortillas, according to package instructions, if desired. Place all of the toppings in small bowls or on a large cutting board so everyone can make up their own. Smear some refried beans in the center third of the tortilla. Add the cheese, pork and sour cream. Then add the vegetables, cilantro and salsa. Finish it off with a squeeze from a wedge of lime. Fold up the bottom edge and roll from the side. Leave one end open.
- Now to deal with leftovers. Pork freezes beautifully. 1. FREEZER If you have enough leftover, place pork into a container and add between ½ and 1 cup of cooking liquid. Add a little more if you like. Too much juice is better then not enough! Make your portion size according to your needs and convenience. Remember to add cooking juices to each portion prior to placing it into a freezer bag or container. When ready to use the leftovers, totally defrost. Heat oil in skillet and add meat mixture. While the meat is browning and crisping, prepare your favorite taco ingredients. 2. REHEAT If reheating the pork from the night before, put some oil in a skillet and heat the pork. If you prefer, use your microwave to reheat. 3. MAKE AHEAD You can prepare the pork up to three days ahead. Store pork in the refrigerator, separate from the cooking juices. When ready, shred pork and heat up some oil in a skillet. Toss until pork is brown and crisped up for serving.
- Instead of rolling up tortillas, serve pork mixture in tortilla bowls instead. It's almost like eating a delicious salad! You might want to check them out.
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Karly
Totally obsessing over this recipe. These look SO flavorful and like the perfect way to spice up Taco Tuesday. Gotta try this soon!
Karin and Ken
We absolutely love this recipe and hope you give it a try! Please let us know what you think when you do! Remember you can freeze family size portions with the leftovers to make Taco Tuesday even easier! Thanks for noticing! Have an awesome rest of your day! All the best. Karin