There is nothing quite like the aroma of slow-cooked pork filling your home on a quiet afternoon. This recipe for Pork Carnitas yields incredibly tender, savory meat infused with the smoky heat of chipotle and the earthy notes of cumin and garlic. It is the ideal hands-off meal for a large family gathering or for prepping a week's worth of delicious tacos, salads, and burrito bowls.
Recipe Details
- Yields: 10-11 servings
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 8 hr 30 min
- Total Time: 8 hr 45 min
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs. boneless pork shoulder
- 6 cloves of garlic, cut into slivers
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon sazon
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon dry adobo seasoning
- Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Begin by seasoning the pork shoulder generously with kosher salt and pepper.
- Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and sear the pork until it is well-browned on every side.
- Remove the meat from the pan and let it rest until it is cool enough to handle, which should take about 10 minutes.
- Using the tip of a sharp knife, poke small slits into the surface of the pork and tuck the garlic slivers as deep into the meat as possible.
- Pour the chicken broth into the basin of your slow cooker.
- Transfer the pork to the slow cooker and coat it with the cumin, adobo seasoning, sazon, and dried oregano.
- Nestle the bay leaves and the chipotle peppers into the pot around the meat.
- Secure the lid and cook on the low setting for 8 hours.
- Once the time is up, use two forks to shred the pork into bite-sized pieces, ensuring the meat stays in the pot to combine with the natural cooking juices.
- Continue to cook the shredded meat for another 15 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to fully meld.
Whether you serve these in warm corn tortillas with a squeeze of lime or over a bed of cilantro-lime rice, these carnitas are sure to be a new household favorite.
