Slow Cooker Carnitas (Crispy-Edged Pork)
Juicy pulled pork with crispy broiled edges — taco-night perfection.
Method · 9 steps
- 1
Trim pork shoulder of any thick skin, but leave the fat cap. Cut into 4 large hunks — this speeds cooking and boosts seasoning contact.
- 2
In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, paprika, and coriander. Rub all over the pork.
- 3
Place onion, garlic, jalapeno, and bay leaves in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle pork hunks on top.
- 4
Squeeze the orange halves over the pork, then drop the spent halves in. Do the same with the limes. Pour chicken broth around (not over) the pork.
- 5
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 hours. Pork is done when it pulls apart with almost no resistance.
- 6
Remove pork to a sheet pan. Discard fruit halves, bay leaves, and jalapeno. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid; strain off excess fat.
- 7
Shred pork on the sheet pan with two forks, breaking into bite-sized clumps. Pour reserved cooking liquid evenly over the pork.
- 8
Heat broiler to HIGH. Broil pork 5-7 minutes on the top rack until the edges are crackled, crispy, and the tops look burnished. Toss and broil 3 more minutes for extra crispness.
- 9
Serve with warm corn tortillas, diced white onion, cilantro, lime wedges, and salsa verde.
Chef's notes
- →The broiling step is the difference between pulled pork and real carnitas. Do not skip.
- →Don't over-shred — keep some meaty chunks so you get texture, not mush.
- →Save the strained pork fat (lard) — 2 tbsp tossed with the shredded meat before broiling is the old-school move.
Storage
Fridge 4 days. Freezer 3 months. Re-broil to crisp the edges before serving leftovers.
