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Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds boneless pork butt roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into large chunks
  • 1 white or yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 3 2-inch strips orange zest (see note)
  • 1/3-1/2 cup orange juice
  • 3 2-inch strips lime zest (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions 

  • Place the pork in the bottom of a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker. Add the onion, orange zest, orange juice, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Turn the pork pieces a bit so the spices are evenly distributed.
  • Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or high for 5 to 7 hours).
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the slow cooker to a 9X13-inch or similar-sized oven-safe pan. Use two forks to shred the pork.
  • Pour everything (solids and liquid) from the slow cooker into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the liquid. Discard the solids and reserve the liquid.
  • To crisp the edges of the pork (this is optional but delicious), preheat the broiler to high and position an oven rack about 6-8 inches away from the heating element. Pour about 1 cup of the reserved liquid over the pork in the pan. Broil the pork (watching closely!) for a couple minutes until it is brown and crispy in spots. Give the pork a good stir/turn and broil again until some of the edges crisp up a bit. You still want the pork to be nice and tender so don't overcook it here - and keep an eye on it as a broiler can take food from beautifully browned to burned in seconds.
  • Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a serving plate or platter, if desired. Use additional liquid from the slow cooker to moisten the pork as needed. Serve with lime wedges, tortillas, fresh cilantro and other toppings of your choice.

Notes

Zest Strips: to get those long strips of zest from the orange and lime, use a sharp paring knife to cut away the top layer of peel from the fruit - trying not to get too much of the white, pithy skin underneath since it can be bitter. Just do your best - it doesn't have to be perfectly rectangular 2-inch strips. Mine usually come off more in squares and large ovals. The reason you don't want to just zest the orange and lime is because the pieces of zest are removed at the end of cooking before serving (otherwise the pork mixture can develop a bitter or overpowering citrus flavor).
Freezable: the leftover cooked and cooled pork freezes great for future meals.