We love having tacos in a weekly / bi-weekly rotation around here – especially slow cooker ones for busy nights! I enjoy having a variety of different types so it doesn’t always feel like the same meal. (You can find all of my taco recipes here). These pork carnitas are easy and soooo good and a great change of pace from our standard taco night! This recipe is adapted with a leaner piece of pork from an old Epicurious recipe a friend gave me that uses pork shoulder.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
This entire meal can come together with 10 ingredients!
Ingredients for the Meat:
- Pork Tenderloin
- Onion
- Broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dried oregano
Just rub the salt, pepper and dried oregano on the pork, pop it in the slow cooker with the broth and a roughly chopped onion, set to low and go about your day!
Here is how it will look when it is done then all you have to do is shred and serve with your favorite toppings/sides.
Suggested serving (choose as little or as many of these as you want!)
- Tortillas
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Feta or Cojita cheese or cheese of choice
- Side Salad (I use a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, oregano & garlic powder)
I love to make mine with smashed avocado on a tortilla, then the pork & onions and then top it with cilantro & feta.
My children prefer smashed avocado, just pork and regular shredded cheddar.
I serve this with a simple salad or raw veggies – hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ingredients
Pork Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin or pork loin you can also use pork shoulder and you will not need the broth
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 cup chicken broth
Suggested Serving Ingredients
- Tortillas
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Feta or Cojita cheese or cheese of choice
- Side Salad I use a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, oregano & garlic powder
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion into large chunks (6-8 pieces)
- Mix the spices together, place meat in slow cooker and rub the spice mixture over the pork.
- Pour the chicken broth around it and place the onion pieces on top
- Set slow cooker to low for 8 hours
- After 7 hours - move the onions aside (I take out because my kids do not like) and shred pork with 2 forks
- Let the pork soak in juices and cook for last hour. Serve with your favorite toppings or build it our favorite way: Mash 1/4 of avocado on a tortilla, place meat and onions on top, then cheese & cilantro. My kids eat the same way minus the onions and cilantro.
