This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ortega. The opinions and text are all mine.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos: These mouthwatering pork carnitas tacos are a big hit any night of the week, and only take 10 minutes prep followed by 8 hours in the crockpot!
Let the slow cooker do all the work for these amazing pork carnitas, then use Ortega Products to elevate them even further into the perfect tacos, complete with crunchy Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shells, fresh avocado or perfectly seasoned guacamole, delicious Ortega Refried Beans, and just enough kick from Ortega Taco Sauce, to keep your taste buds celebrating Cinco de Mayo all year long.
What is carnitas?
Carnitas are braised or roasted pork served shredded in small pieces. The pork is usually crisped up on the edges for extra flavor and caramelization, and then served as a filling for tacos, burritos, etc.
When cooked in the crock pot, the pork shoulder is braised in it’s own fat, and the results are richly tender meat, that is ideal for tacos. Of course, I take that one step further, and instead of just braising it in the fat from the cut, I added a cup of bacon fat. Absolutely delicious.
Slow cooker pork carnitas are tender, flavorful, and offer complex flavors perfect as taco filling. They are my favorite thing to make for any Mexican themed party. When layered in crunchy Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shells, with Ortega Refried Beans, fresh tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro, then topped with any of the 5 varieties of Ortega Taco Sauce: Taco Sauce – Mild, Taco Sauce – Medium, Green Taco Sauce – Mild, Taco Sauce – Smoky Chipotle, Taco Sauce – Hot, they make the perfect easy meal!
With only a few minutes of prep work, you can set it and forget it, and create a meal your family, friends, and guests will rave about for years to come. These slow cooker pork carnitas are the perfect solution for Cinco de Mayo entertaining.
How to make carnitas
Pork carnitas are a traditional Mexican dish, typically cooked first at a high temperature to brown the exterior, then turned low to allow to simmer low and slow until richly tender. However, because we like things to be Eazy Peazy, and we don’t want to sacrifice flavor, but also do not have time to babysit the pork carnitas, we are going to use the crock pot, and do things in reverse.
Instead of browning first then low and slow, we do the opposite. We slow cook the pork shoulder in its own fat, as well as some bacon grease, spices, orange and lime juice, Ortega Whole Green Chiles, garlic, and onions. Then after the pork carnitas have been in the slow cooker for several hours, getting super tender, and fall apart delicious, the way only a crock pot can do, we will shred them and brown everything up in the broiler right before it’s time to serve in our tacos.
The result is fall apart tender pork carnitas recipe with a delicious rich flavor profile that can’t be beat. Best of all, this carnitas recipe is insanely easy to make in your slow cooker, and by using Ortega products you get unique, unexpected Mexican flavor. You’ll want to use the low setting on your crockpot and give the pork plenty of time to cook. We don’t want to rush perfection.
Note: You can skip the bacon fat if you don’t want to use it, but it does add flavor, and braising in fat is a great way to get tender, flavorful taco filling.
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Once your carnitas are done slow cooking, and you have browned them in the oven on broil, it is time to make them into tacos. The pork carnitas are going to give your tacos a lot of flavor, but great tacos need texture and the right toppers.
- Texture – The meat is tender with crispy bits, and I always like to serve it with Ortega Refried Beans, fresh avocados, tomatoes, and cilantro. All of these are fairly soft in nature, which means these tacos need something to add variety, so crispy Yellow Corn Taco Shells are the perfect carrier. Ortega Taco Shells are made the traditional way, with 100% whole kernel corn, which gives them their distinctive and authentic flavor, aroma and texture.
- Toppers– The flavors are delicious, and bold, but fairly mild, so a drizzle of Ortega Green Taco Sauce- Mild is a must! It is America’s #1 Taco Sauce! Ortega’s range of innovative products from shells to premier taco sauces, seasonings, peppers, etc. enhance any Mexican meal occasion. And with 5 Taco Sauce options, you are sure to have something to please everyone.
Related Recipes
When creating a Cinco de Mayo taco bar, it is always a good idea to serve your tacos with great sides, and plenty of topping options, here are a few of our favorites:
Rachael Yerkes
Yields 20
MY LATEST RECIPESServes 20
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
Deliciously easy to make slow cooker pork carnitas tacos. The pork carnitas are prepped and then slow cooked in a crock pot, then shredded, browned, and served with all of the fixings to make delicious tacos!
10 minPrep Time
8 hrCook Time
8 hr, 10 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3 lbs pork shoulder
- 1 Tbs chili powder
- 1 Tbs ground cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsps dried oregano
- 2 tsps salt, or more, to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup bacon grease
- 2 Tbs minced garlic
- 1 Tbs Ortega Green Taco Sauce – Mild
- 1 large yellow onions, quartered
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 (4-ounce) can Ortega Whole Green Chiles
- Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shells
- Ortega Refried Beans
- Ortega Taco Sauce of choice
- Fresh Avocado, diced
- Fresh Tomatoes, diced
- Cilantro, chopped fine
Seasoning
Braising Liquid
Taco Fixings
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, chipotle, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well
- Season pork shoulder with the spice mixture, rub it over entire thing, on all sides.
- Place garlic, Ortega Green Taco Sauce – Mild, onions, orange juice, lime juice, bacon grease, Ortega Whole Green Chiles, and seasoned pork shoulder into a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.
- Once done, remove meat from slow cooker, and shred, then rough chop to bite sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to broil.
- Place shredded carnitas meat onto a baking sheet in an even layer and broil until crisp and crusted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and pour ¼ cup of the reserved juices from the slow cooker onto the crispy pork and toss.
- Assemble tacos in an Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shell by layering Ortega Refried Beans, slow cooked Pork Carnitas, avocado, tomato, cilantro, and a drizzle of the Ortega Taco Sauce of your choice.
- Serve immediately.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ortega. The opinions and text are all mine.
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