Slow Cooker Carnitas

By kayjayjohnson

There are many ways to cook pork, but carnitas are one of the best. Slow cooked shredded shoulder with chiles, salsa, and beer, then broiled crispy.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds pork shoulder
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce (optional)
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 12 ounces beer
• 1/2 cup salsa (I like to use a less chunky one)

Preparation

Step 1

Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Roughly chop the garlic and place in the slow cooker, rubbing it onto the meat, if desired, for extra flavor.

Sprinkle the meat with salt, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne. Rub seasonings onto the pork.

Add lime juice, orange juice, beer, and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Shred meat with two forks directly in the slow cooker (or take out, shred, and replace in sauce). It should fall apart easily.

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shredded meat on the cooking sheet and pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until you get browned edges on the pork.