Slow Cooker Carnitas Tostadas

Make the best Slow Cooker Carnitas with this easy recipe! By slow cooking a pork shoulder in orange juice, peppers, herbs and spices, it makes the carnitas so incredibly flavorful. After the pork slow cooks, shred it and pan fry it for that delicious, traditional, crispy carnitas texture! Serve the carnitas on tostadas, or in tacos, for a seriously scrumptious meal.

Carnitas are traditionally made by slow braising, or deep frying, pork in oil or lard. I decided to give the traditional recipe a twist by slow cooking the pork in fresh squeezed orange juice and Mexican beer. After a few hours in the slow cooker, give it a quick pan fry for that delicious, crispy carnitas texture!

Carnitas are super popular around where I live in San Diego, and can be found in tacos and burritos at restaurants all over town. I decided to switch things up and serve the slow cooked pork carnitas on top of a tostada.

I love the crunch of the tostada, topped with creamy green chili queso, crispy carnitas and fresh guacamole. The combination of flavors and textures is unreal! Like seriously can’t put it down, must keep eating, deliciousness!

The great thing about this carnitas recipe is that it’s delicious served a number of different ways. Place it on top of tortilla chips, then smother it with nacho cheese sauce for seriously delicious pulled pork nachos. Stuff it in a burrito with cilantro lime rice for a filling meal. Or add it to a warm tortilla to make carnitas tacos. No matter how you serve it, you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients

• Spices – sea salt, black pepper, dried oregano, chili powder, ground cumin and ground cinnamon all combine to add so much flavor to this carnitas recipe.
• Boneless pork shoulder – you can also use a bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt, I simply prefer the ease of shredding the pork shoulder without the bone. The pork shoulder should be around 3 pounds in size, with the fat trimmed on the pork. Some fat is okay, and even good for adding flavor and texture to the carnitas, but you don’t want a thick layer of fat on the pork, as that will make the carnitas too fatty.
• Onion – I recommend a red onion for the flavor it adds to this dish, but a yellow onion will also work.
• Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
• Jalapeno – most of the spice from the pepper comes from the seeds and membranes inside. If you want more spice in the carnitas, leave the seeds and membranes, and simply dice the peppers as is. If you want less spice, remove the seeds and membranes from inside the pepper, before dicing it up to add to the slow cooker.
• Fresh squeezed orange juice – bottled orange juice will also work, but I always recommend fresh-squeezed when possible for the best flavor.
• Mexican beer – any light beer will work, but I prefer the taste of a Mexican beer, to pair with the other flavors in this recipe. If you don’t want to use beer at all, you can use chicken broth to replace the beer.
• Vegetable oil – this will be used to fry up the carnitas when it comes out of the slow cooker. This is optional, but will give you the traditional taste and texture of fried carnitas.

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Instructions

1. Spice rub the pork. Combine salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder, cumin and cinnamon in a small bowl. Rub this mixture on the pork shoulder.
2. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker. Add diced onion, garlic and jalapeno to a slow cooker. Place the pork shoulder on top of the veggies in the slow cooker. Pour the orange juice and beer around the pork in the slow cooker.
3. Slow cook the pork. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
4. Shred the pork. Once the pork is fork tender, remove the pork from the slow cooker, cut off any excess fat, then shred the meat using two forks, or meat claws. If serving the pork immediately, follow the step below to pan fry the pork. If serving later, place the shredded pork back into the slow cooker on warm, for up to 4 hours. When ready to serve, use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from the slow cooker, dripping off any excess liquid.
5. Fry the pork. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on the stove over high heat. Once the oil is hot and simmering, add 1 cup of the carnitas at a time, to the pan, and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until slightly crispy.

Another way to quickly fry all of the carnitas at one time, is by tossing the shredded pork in oil, then placing it in an even layer on a baking sheet under the broiler in the oven on high. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the pork starts to crisp up, then flip the pork and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes under the broiler.

This method is perfect for serving a large crowd.

How to serve it

Nachos, tacos, burritos, tostadas, the possibilities really are endless with the different ways you can serve this slow cooker carnitas recipe. Follow any of the ways to serve it below, or make up your own and leave a comment at the bottom of this post with how you served it at home!

• Tostadas – as seen pictured in this post, I topped tostada shells with green chili queso blanco, then the carnitas. I finished the dish with a scoop of guacamole, diced onions, crumbled cotija cheese and chopped fresh cilantro.
• Tacos – warm corn or flour tortillas, then fill them up with carnitas and your choice of toppings, like diced onion, chopped cilantro, pico de gallo, sliced jalapenos and queso fresco.
• Burritos – make a “Chipotle style” burrito and fill a large tortilla with cilantro lime rice, made by tossing 2 cups of cooked white rice with 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro. Add the carnitas and other fillings of your choice, like Corn Salsa, Restaurant-Style Salsa, black beans, guacamole, sour cream and cheese.
• Burrito bowl – another Chipotle copycat idea is to serve the carnitas in a bowl, with cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice, or for a low carb option, use cilantro lime cauliflower rice. Add your favorite burrito bowl toppings for a delicious meal!
• Nachos – spread an even layer of tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Add the carnitas on top of the chips. Pour nacho cheese sauce evenly over the carnitas. Add nacho-sliced pickled jalapenos, a scoop of guacamole and any of your other favorite nacho toppings like diced onions, hot sauce and chopped cilantro.
• Eggs – a carnitas scramble is one of my favorite ways to use leftover carnitas. Simply heat up the carnitas in a skillet, then remove the carnitas from the skillet and pour in whisked eggs. Scramble the eggs, then add the carnitas back in and mix it up with the eggs. Top with crumbled cotija cheese and diced avocado. You can also add carnitas to breakfast burritos, migas or chilaquiles for a Mexican-style breakfast.

Dietary variations

• To make this recipe gluten free, use chicken broth instead of beer, or use a gluten-free beer. Serve the carnitas on corn tortillas, gluten free tostada shells, or in a bowl with rice.
• This carnitas recipe is dairy free. Serve the carnitas without cheese to make the entire recipe dairy-free.

How to store and reheat

• To store: place leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
• To reheat: if the pork has been slow cooked and shredded, but not pan fried, you can heat it up by pan frying it in the skillet for 5-6 minutes. If you prefer not to fry the pork, you can heat it up in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes. You can also microwave the pork for 2-3 minutes.
• To freeze: if you plan to freeze the carnitas, I recommend freezing it shredded, but not pan fried. The pork should be sealed in a freezer-safe container before freezing. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To defrost, place the pork in the refrigerator overnight. Either reheat the pork on the stove, or place it back in a slow cooker on low to reheat for 1-2 hours.

More slow cooker recipes

If you love Mexican-style recipes and a great Crock Pot meal, then you have to check out these other popular recipes!

• Slow Cooker Taco Soup
• Crock Pot Chicken Nachos
• Slow Cooked Beef Barbacoa
• Chipotle Honey Pulled Pork Tacos
• Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

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