Easiest Ever Crockpot Carnitas Recipe
Cook once and eat two entirely different dinners this week with this juicy and delicious easiest ever crockpot carnitas recipe.
I am on a constant quest to simplify dinner, in both cooking and planning it. I want healthy meals that are easy to make, taste great, and don’t take a ton of time. My family isn’t a huge fan of leftovers, but I don’t want to cook every single night. We want to save money by eating out less and cooking at home more. In short, I want it all!
Enter the Easiest Ever Crockpot Carnitas recipe! Now, when I say “easiest ever,” I really mean it! All you need to do is unwrap the package of meat, open a bottle, pour it in, and put the lid on. There is absolutely nothing to cut up, no seasonings to measure, no need to pre-cook or prep anything in any way.
Another bonus? You can turn this pulled pork into two entirely different meals this week! There are actually many more than 2 ways to serve crockpot carnitas, and I’ll share more about that later. Today I’m sharing two ways I served this main meat in the same week. Let’s get cooking!
Easiest Ever Crockpot Carnitas Ingredients
What is the best cut of pork to use for carnitas?
A Boston Butt cut of pork is my choice for this meal. The pork butt and shoulder often get confused. Both are actually from the shoulder of the pig, but the butt is higher on the front leg. The pork butt contains more intramuscular fat and is more marbled throughout making it ideal for stewing, braising, and crockpot cooking. The Boston Butt is going to shred easier and give you that fall-apart tenderness perfect for pulled pork.
How to Make Crockpot Pulled Pork
Remove wrapping from the pork roast.
Pour the entire bottle of Mojo Marinade over the meat.
Place the lid on the crockpot. Set to low heat and cook 8-10 hours.
Use a slotted spoon or meat fork to carefully remove the roast from the crockpot and place it into a large bowl. It will be tender and falling apart as you move it.
Shred the pork using 2 forks.
Season with seasoned salt and black pepper, then mix together well.
The first dinner I served was the pulled pork along with some yellow rice and black beans. Delicious!
A few nights later, we heated up the leftover pork and made Carnitas Tacos. Here’s how we made them.
How to Make Carnitas Tacos
Reheat leftover pulled pork in the microwave.
While the pork is heating, dice some red onion, chop the cilantro, and cut the limes into wedges.
Lay your taco shell on a plate. Top with pork, red onion, and cilantro. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top. Fold it up and enjoy!
What kind of shell should I use for Carnitas Tacos?
There is no one right answer here. It’s more a matter of personal preference. Traditionally, soft corn taco shells are used for Carnitas tacos, but flour tortillas will also work. If you’re watching your carb intake, you can also choose a low carb wrap. One of my favorite low-carb choices are Cut Da Carb flatbreads. They are super thin, so I cut a sheet in half and doubled it to make my Carnitas Tacos. They were so good!
Other Ways to Serve Leftover Crockpot Carnitas
In addition to the two meals shown, here are some other ways you can serve leftover pulled pork:
- BBQ Pork Flatbread Pizza – Make it just like BBQ Chicken Flatbread but with pork instead of chicken.
- BBQ Pork Sandwiches or Sliders
- Pulled Pork Nachos – Place a layer of tortilla chips on a baking dish. Top with pulled pork, shredded cheese, pickled jalapeno slices, and bake at 350 until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and top with a drizzle of sour cream and barbecue sauce.
Crockpot Carnitas Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 lb Boston Butt Pork
- 1 Mojo Marinade
- 8 Flour tortillas
- 1/2 Red onion diced
- 1 bunch Cilantro chopped
- 1 Lime cut into wedges
Instructions
Dinner #1 – Pulled Pork Served with Yellow Rice and Black Beans
- Remove wrapping from the pork roast.
- Pour the entire bottle of Mojo Marinade over the meat.
- Place the lid on the crockpot. Set to low heat and cook 8-10 hours.
- Use a slotted spoon or meat fork to carefully remove the roast from the crockpot and place it into a large bowl. It will be tender and falling apart as you move it.
- Shred the pork using 2 forks.
- Season with seasoned salt and black pepper, then mix together well.
- Serve pulled pork with yellow rice and black beans.
Dinner #2 – Carnitas Tacos
- Reheat leftover pulled pork in the microwave.
- While the pork is heating, dice some red onion, chop the cilantro, and cut the limes into wedges.
- Lay your taco shell on a plate. Top with pork, red onion, and cilantro. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top. Fold it up and enjoy!
Notes
- BBQ Pork Flatbread Pizza – Make it just like BBQ Chicken Flatbread but with pork instead of chicken.
- BBQ Pork Sandwiches or Sliders
- Pulled Pork Nachos – Place a layer of tortilla chips on a baking dish. Top with pulled pork, shredded cheese, pickled jalapeno slices, and bake at 350 until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and top with a drizzle of sour cream and barbecue sauce.
Nutrition
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This cookbook contains 20 easy-to-cook family dinners. You’ll have enough dinner ideas for 4 weeks without repeating a meal. Every recipe has a picture of the dish. At the bottom of each recipe is a link to the recipe post on FindingTimeToFly.com. Simply click on the link, and you’ll be taken directly to the recipe post with step-by-step in process photos.
