These Slow Cooker Chipotle Carnitas are smoky, juicy, tasty, and totally irresistible! They’re extremely easy to make and perfect for many purposes, such as family-style Taco-Bar, freezer meal, or meal prep. The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Easy Chipotle Carnitas Recipe Highlights
Oh my goodness…These Slow Cooker Chipotle Carnitas are to die for! Perfectly seasoned pork that is slow-cooked until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender, then pulled apart with forks and finally crisped up in the oven to golden perfection.
This Chipotle Carnitas recipe is extremely easy to make and perfect for many purposes, such as family-style Taco-Bar, freezer meal, or meal prep.
This chipotle carnitas recipe is a spin-off of traditional carnitas. It’s smoky, juicy, tasty, and totally irresistible. We cook it up with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to give it that distinctive smoky flavor that’ll have you scraping out the very last piece of pork out of your bowl.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Amounts are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down). You’ll need:
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
- Pork shoulder: Although boneless pork shoulder and pork butt pork roast are the best cut of pork for carnitas, a pork loin roast is also a good choice. Tenderloin is too lean and won’t shred as well.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: These canned peppers are usually found in the international aisle of most grocery stores. You can also order it online.
- Garlic cloves
- Limes: You can also use lemon if that is what you have handy.
- Orange: The juice adds a hint of sweetness. You can squish a fresh orange or use store-bought orange juice.
- Chicken broth: store-bought or homemade will work fine.
- Spices: You will need dried oregano, onion powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Bay leaves: I used dried bay leaves.
- Oil: Vegetable or canola oil.
- Fresh cilantro to garnish (optional)
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down).
1 – Prepare the Sauce
Place garlic, lime juice, oil, salt, black pepper, oregano, onion powder, cumin, peppers, and adobo sauce in a small food processor. Pulse until well combined, and a paste is formed.
2 – Prepare the Pork
Rub the pork shoulder with the chipotle paste, rubbing it thoroughly on all sides.
3 – Cook the Pork
Place orange juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and seasoned pork shoulder into a slow cooker. Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high until internal temperature reaches 145 °F on a food thermometer. The pork should be so tender that meat falls apart easily.
4 – Shred the Meat
Remove pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat using two forks, removing excess fat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
5 – Crisp Up the Carnitas
You can crisp up carnitas in the oven or on the stove:
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 450 ºF and position one of the oven racks in the center of the oven. Line a baking pan with foil for easy cleanup later, if desired. Spread pork into an even layer. Add ¼ – ½ cup of the cooking liquid to the shredded pork to moisten. Bake pork for 5 – 10 minutes, or until it reaches the desired crispiness level.
- Stove: Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add pork in batches and sear until just crisp. Add about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and continue cooking until the liquid reduces down and the meat is nice and crispy.
Extra Recipe Notes
Don’t have a slow cooker? Make this chipotle carnitas recipe in an Instant Pot. Simply add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 30 minutes on high pressure. Natural pressure release for 10 minutes before quick releasing and shredding the pork. Continue to crisp up the carnitas as instructed.
This recipe only calls for 2 to 3 chipotle peppers and 2 tablespoons of the sauce. If you do not have immediate plans to use the rest of the can, you can freeze the leftover peppers and adobo sauce for the next time you plan on making this carnitas recipe.
Be sure not to open your slow cooker while it is cooking. Opening the slow cooker will release the steam that your slow cooker worked long and hard to build up. With the steam released, you’ll have to increase the time spent cooking as it has to rebuild all that lost steam!
When crisping up the shredded pork in the oven, I suggest getting the meat in a single layer as evenly as possible, so each piece of pork can crisp up evenly. Crisp up the carnitas in two batches if necessary. When ready to crisp up the carnitas, do not forget to add the liquid; this helps prevent the carnitas from drying out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Carnitas is essentially the Mexican version of pulled pork, but you crisp up the meat afterward, unlike pulled pork. It is definitely worth doing the extra step and crisping up your pork because it is absolutely delicious!
Use a meat thermometer! Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause illness. These are meat minimum internal temperatures:
Beef, pork, veal, and lamb at 145 ºF with a three-minute “rest time” (roast, steaks, and chops) after removal from the heat source. Ground meats 160 ºF. Poultry (whole, parts, or ground) 165 ºF.
The best meat for carnitas is pork shoulder or pork butt. It is important to highlight that pork shoulder or butt are the same things, a cut of meat from the same section of the pig: the shoulder. These cuts of pork have a high-fat content, making for more delicious tasting carnitas. Other names you might see this cut of the pork labeled as Boston butt, Boston shoulder, Boston butt roast, or shoulder roast.
Meat Minimum Internal Temperatures
Use a food thermometer! Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause illness.
- Beef, pork, veal, and lamb at 145 ºF with a three-minute “rest time” (roast, steaks, and chops) after removal from the heat source.
- Ground meats 160 ºF.
- Poultry (whole, parts, or ground) 165 ºF.
Best Cut of Pork to Make Carnitas
The best meat for carnitas is pork shoulder or pork butt. It is important to highlight that pork shoulder or butt are the same things, a cut of meat from the same section of the pig: the shoulder. These cuts of pork have a high-fat content, making for more delicious tasting carnitas. Other names you might see this cut of the pork labeled as Boston butt, Boston shoulder, Boston butt roast, or shoulder roast.
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Taco Bar Ingredients Suggestions
These carnitas are absolutely perfect for when we want to have a taco night. It’s not a secret that tacos are one of our favorite foods. They are not only delicious, but they are adaptable to the tastes of all family members, including my picky eaters. So, when it’s taco bar night, I make sure to have everyone’s fave. Here are my taco bar ingredients suggestions:
- Flour tortillas and/or corn tortillas
- Sliced avocado
- Finely sliced red onions
- Sliced jalapeño
- Diced pineapple
- Diced tomatoes
- Charred corn
- Crumbed queso fresco
- Sour cream
- Salsa verde
- Lime wedges
Storing & Freezing Instructions
I love making extra so we can have leftovers to enjoy for later. There’s no extra work to double the recipe, so it’s worth making extra. Here’s how to store the extra servings of crispy shredded pork.
Leftovers
This slow cooker carnitas recipe keeps great in the fridge for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container. Store the carnitas with the cooking liquid to keep them moist and juicy. When you’re ready to enjoy it, heat it in the microwave or over the stovetop until heated through.
Freeze
This chipotle carnitas recipe is freezer-friendly. Once the pork has cooled, transfer the crispy shredded pork to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag. I suggest freezing it in portions so you can pull out just the carnitas you need. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge the night before and reheat until heated through.
Slow Cooker Chipotle Carnitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 – 3 individual chipotle peppers from a can of Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
- 3 – 4 lbs ( 1.3 – 1.8 kg) skinless boneless pork shoulder (excess fat trimmed)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice (about 1 orange)
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh cilantro, chopped to garnish
Instructions
Chipotle Carnitas:
- Place garlic, lime juice, oil, salt, black pepper, oregano, onion powder, cumin, peppers, and adobo sauce in a small food processor. Pulse until well combined, and a paste is formed.
- Rub the pork shoulder with the chipotle paste, rubbing it thoroughly on all sides. If time allows, let the pork marinate for 30 minutes up to overnight. If not, go to the next step.
- Place orange juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and seasoned pork shoulder into a slow cooker. Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, until internal temperature reaches 145 °F on a food thermometer. The pork should be so tender that meat falls apart easily.
- Remove pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat using two forks, removing excess fat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Heat oven to broil. Line one baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking oil.
- Place carnitas onto a baking sheet with a cup or so of the juices and broil until most pork looks golden, crisp, and crusted about 4 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Garnish carnitas with chopped cilantro, if desired.
- Don’t have a slow cooker? Make this chipotle carnitas recipe in an Instant Pot. Simply add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 30 minutes on high pressure. Natural pressure release for 10 minutes before quick releasing and shredding the pork. Continue to crisp up the carnitas as instructed.
- This recipe only calls for 2 to 3 chipotle peppers and 2 tablespoons of the sauce. If you do not have immediate plans to use the rest of the can, it is freezer-friendly! Freeze the leftover peppers and adobo sauce for the next time you plan on making this carnitas recipe.
- Be sure not to open your slow cooker while it is cooking. Opening the slow cooker will release the steam that your slow cooker worked long and hard to build up. With the steam released, you’ll have to increase the time spent cooking as it has to rebuild all that lost steam!
- When crisping up the shredded pork in the oven, I suggest trying to get the meat in a single layer as evenly as possible, so each piece of pork can crisp up evenly. Crisp up the carnitas in two batches if necessary. When ready to crisp up the carnitas, do not forget to add the liquid; this helps prevent the carnitas from drying out.
Nutrition
This recipe was sponsored by Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE).
Originally posted in September 2019, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, with no change to the recipe in May 2022.
