Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe, Its Ingredients, Instructions

You won’t be able to put your forks down once you take a bite of this flavor-packed Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork) Con Ancho Chiles | Poblano Peppers! I realize that I sound like an infomercial.

This is the most amazing carnitas recipe we’ve ever tried, and we’ve tried a lot! Literally, “carnitas” means “tiny or small meats.” It’s typically understood as a funny way to say “Carne,” which is meat in Spanish.

I suppose the translation is lovely little mini meats. Although that might sound strange to English speakers, to those of us who are native Spanish speakers, it makes perfect sense. Sounds great, too.

And there are TWO ways to prepare delicious pulled pork in the Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe! One is being cooked slowly in a slow cooker, and the other is in your oven!

We all speak the same language, even if I’m not Mexican (I’m half Colombian and half Uruguayan).

Aside from music and dancing, there is one thing that we Latinos have in common despite our varied dialects and word meanings. Food is that one thing. Comida. both languages well-versed.

I KNEW a Mexican-inspired recipe was on the way when I saw poblano peppers, often known as ancho chiles in Spanish (which translates as wide chilies).

My bones told me about it. It was time for me to try to make a lower-fat, but equally tasty, version of carnitas in my slow cooker because I had had true carnitas at several food festivals here in Melbourne over the years and in L.A.

when traveling to my original hometown, New York.

Because most carnitas is made with lard, I recommend a lesser-fat version. They are worth every calorie since they are crispy and tender.

BUT. Sometimes, you don’t care about fitting into your brand-new clothes from yesterday; you just want the best flavors.

When looking through recipes, I noticed that many of them call for orange juice and lime juice combined. We did test those recipes, though. I’m sorry, but I have to decline.

For us, no. Others might enjoy carnitas in orange juice, however. We only. Well, we were unable to succeed. While they were cooking, not even the aroma drew us in.

They simply tasted and smelled wrong. Do you know when a combination simply doesn’t seem to work?

Anyway, I ignored all of those recipes and settled for my creation, knowing that I would come up with something truly amazing as opposed to simply repeating what everyone else was doing.

Oh my God! My kitchen was filled with a wonderful aroma as these were cooking.

I kept looking through the glass while tapping my fingers on the kitchen bench to see what was there. And I wasn’t in the least bit let down!

These slow cooker recipes are just as simple to prepare as others. Simply sprinkle the pork with our favorite Mexican-inspired spices. Add the tomato paste.

Add fresh Jalapenos, minced garlic, and onion to the dish.

And then combine everything for the finest pork marinade you’ve ever tried.

Carefully remove the pork from the cooker pot after 4 hours on high or 7–8 hours on low (I say carefully because it melts through your spoons and falls apart so deliciously almost before hitting your skillet).

You can either shred it with a fork and fry the carnitas in a skillet, or you can put them on an oven tray and grill them under the broiler of your oven until they become the best-tasting carnitas you’ve ever had.

And if you haven’t tried them before? So this is your chance!

Pour a bit of your slow cooker over here…

These can be served in burritos or tacos, which is one of the most common ways to eat them. But! On Monday, I’ll publish a lower-carb version! Keep an eye out for it!

I’ll leave you with crispy, tender, crumbling pork in the interim that is so flavorful you won’t be able to put your forks down!

INGREDIENTS of Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas

• 4 pounds (2 kg) of boneless pork shoulder (pork butt), trimmed of any excess fat
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika (sweet or smokey)
• 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons sea salt flakes OR 1 tablespoon table salt (adjust to your tastes)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 large cloves of garlic, sliced in half
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded and ribs removed, chopped
• 1 x 14-ounce (410g) can of crushed tomatoes
• Juice from 2 limes (1/4 cup lime juice)
• 2 ancho chiles (poblano peppers), deseeded, ribs removed and sliced

INSTRUCTIONS for Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas

Slow-cooker Technique:

1. Rinse and use paper towels to dry the pork shoulder. Place the pork in the slow cooker bowl and season with salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika, oil, and brown sugar. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño on top after seasoning the pork all over.
2. Tomatoes should be added, and the pork should be given a lime juice coating. All of the ingredients should be thoroughly mixed.
3. Cook covered for 8 to 10 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
4. Remove the meat from the slow cooker once it is falling-apart tender and fork-tender, and then let it cool slightly before doing so.
5. Place the carnitas (shredded beef) on a baking sheet, spray with slow cooker sauce, stir in the ancho chiles (poblano peppers), and grill or broil until crisp and golden in a preheated oven on medium-high. As an alternative, add the chile slices to the skillet with the shredded pork and cook until crispy.

Oven Technique:

1. Set the oven to 120 C/250 F. In the lower middle of the oven, set an oven rack.
2. Apply the same spices and sauces to the pork. Place the pork in the pan and cover it well with foil. Bake for approximately 6 to 8 hours, or until crumbling, basting it in its juices every three to four hours. During the final hour of roasting, add the ancho pepper strips (if included).
3. As before, shred.