Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Carnitas with Pork Loin or Tenderloin)

Name: Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Carnitas with Pork Loin or Tenderloin)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 255 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Dried Oregano (1 tablespoon dried oregano); 2 tsp Cumin Powder (2 teaspoons ground cumin); 1 tbsp Avocado Oil (1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil) + avocado oil); 2 lb Pork Tenderloin (2 pounds pork tenderloin (or boneless pork loin)); 1 cup Yellow Onion (half of one onion (chopped, approximately 1 cup)); 3 cloves Garlic (3 cloves garlic (minced)); 1 piece Jalapeño (1 medium jalapeño (stem removed, chopped)); 2 tsp Table Salt (2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)); 2 tbsp Lime Juice (2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice from 1 medium lime)); 4 tbsp Orange Juice (4-5 tablespoons fresh navel orange juice (juice from 1 medium navel orange) — up to 5)

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Carnitas with Pork Loin or Tenderloin) - Main Course (Mexican)

255 minMexican

Servings6

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Dairy Free
Egg Free

Steps

1To Make the Carnitas
2Add 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, and 1 tablespoon avocado oil to small bowl. Whisk or stir ingredients together until well combined. Set bowl aside.
3Place 2 pounds pork tenderloin or pork loin on cutting board. Pat pork completely dry with paper towels on all sides.
4Coat pork in carnitas rub, gently massaging spice rub into tenderloin until fully coated on all sides. Place seasoned tenderloin in slow cooker.
5Add half of one onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 medium jalapeño, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and 4-5 tablespoons fresh navel orange juice to slow cooker.
6Cover slow cooker with lid. Cook on HIGH 4 to 6 hours, or LOW 6 to 8 hours. Check pork occasionally - when fully cooked, internal temperature will read 195° Fahrenheit on meat thermometer and meat will be easy to separate with fork.
7When pork is ready, carefully shred tenderloin in slow cooker using 2 forks. Alternately, remove meat from slow cooker and shred on cutting board, but do not discard any juices.
8If serving carnitas immediately, continue to next section of instructions. If not serving immediately, transfer shredded pork and juices to airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve, then continue with next section of instructions.
9To Serve the Carnitas
10Heat medium skillet over medium heat. When skillet is warm, add drizzle of avocado oil and continue heating skillet until oil is hot and shimmering.
11When oil is hot, add just enough shredded pork to cover bottom of skillet without crowding. Ladle small amount of carnitas juice over meat in skillet and cook until liquid has evaporated and bottom of meat is browned and crispy.
12Flip meat over and briefly cook other side until lightly browned. Transfer seared carnitas to large bowl.
13Repeat process with any remaining carnitas. Once all carnitas has been seared and transferred to bowl, drizzle small amount of carnitas juice over meat and serve immediately as desired.