try this: slow cooker pork carnitas

I love carnitas. LOVE. I have an amazing recipe, but its a little complicated. These days I need easy, easy easy. So when I saw this recipe for carnitas in the slow cooker on A Year of Slow Cooking, I was immediately ready to try.

So not only was this yummy and super easy, but pork shoulder (also called pork butt for some strange reason) is really cheap and they’re generally gigantic. I picked up the smallest one and it was over 7 pounds. So this is a great recipe to make for a huge crowd or when you want to put half in your freezer for a quick meal later!

**Warning: Your husband may start singing Baby Got Back when you tell him that giant piece of meat is pork butt. Mine immediately broke out with “I like big butts and I can not lie….” and its been stuck in my head all day.**

Slow Cooker Carnitas

5 pounds pork shoulder
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 large limes)
14 cloves garlic (whole, peeled. But minced is okay if you got it)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cumin
1 cup beef broth
corn tortillas
sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce (whatever you like!)

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the salt and cumin. Rub mixture all over the pork, then plop into the slow cooker. Add whole garlic cloves. Squeeze on the citrus, and pour the beef broth evenly over the top.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the pork shreds quite easily with a fork. If your meat is still fully intact after 8 hours, remove and cut into chunks, then return to the crock and flip to high for about an hour or two. It should pretty much fall apart when you poke it with a fork.

Shred meat fully and serve on warmed corn tortillas with desired toppings.

I linked this recipe up at Jo-Lynne’s Gluten Free Recipe Roundup!