Slow Cooker Carnitas

I don’t know how or why, but I don’t think I’d ever made or eaten carnitas until I tried the Whole 30 earlier this year. I don’t eat a lot of meat or cook a lot of meat at home and I guess somehow carnitas just slipped under my radar.

Fast forward to that first bite and oh my heavens, fireworks ensued. I was using this recipe for Stovetop Pork Carnitas from The Clothes Make the Girl and I was astounded by just how delicious a chunk of pork could be. The lemon and lime flavors! The spicy, crunchy crust! The tender, juicy meat! It was love at first bite.

That original Carnitas recipe is still my favorite, but it’s also one that requires a big time commitment. Honestly, 6 nights out of 7 I need to keep it really simple. That’s where this Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe comes in handy. I can still enjoy all those yummy citrus flavors and juicy tender meat and I even figured out a way to cook it in the slow cooker without sacrificing that crunchy layer that the Carnitas are famous for.

We use the Carnitas for taco night and pile it onto tostadas or lettuce wraps. It’s really delicious with chunks of pineapple, bell pepper, and avocado. Truthfully, it’s good all by itself too and I’ve been known to sneak a forkful here and there during dinner prep.

As always, the joy of the Slow Cooker is that dinner pretty much cooks itself. It’s kind of like having a robot maid. Kind of. Slow Cookers don’t wash the dishes.