Slow-Cooker Mojo Carnitas are an easy "set-it-and-forget-it" weeknight meal. But they're flashy enough for a weekend dinner party!
After a long, hard winter and a final, mid-April slap-in-the-face snow dump, Wisconsin has finally decided that it can be Spring now.
May is suddenly just around the corner, and with it, Cinco de Mayo.
I enjoy posting Mexican cuisine-inspired recipes at this time of year to celebrate the occasion.
Cinco de Mayo celebrates General Zaragosa's inspirational victory at the Battle of Puebla. (Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th.)
The holiday has grown into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, marked by events showcasing Mexican art, music, dance, and, of course, food.
This Mexican abuelita-inspired slow-cooker carnitas recipe is easy enough for a weeknight. However, it's delicious and exotic enough to impress for a dinner party.
You start with a boneless pork shoulder roast, which marinates overnight in mojo.
Mojo is Cuban, I realize, but it produces the most fabulous results of any marinade I've tried.
I like to make deep incisions through the meat with a filet knife so that the marinade permeates the meat.
In the morning, you plop the roast into the crockpot along with the mojo, beef broth, and some onions, then low-and-slow it for 8 hours.
After that, it's a matter of removing the fat, chopping the meat, prepping the garnishes, and setting it all out buffet-style with tortillas, sides, and condiments. Well, almost...
Slow-cooker Mojo Carnitas and Mexican restaurant voodoo
When I think of the best carnitas that I have eaten in restaurants, I have been stumped on one point.
The meat nearly always has a flavorful, crunchy bark without being dried out at all.
I've tried to replicate that delicious caramelization with a short interval under the broiler and by throwing the meat onto the grill just before serving.
The secret to sublimely pork-y, caramelized carnitas
The grill method is just too much work, so I scrapped that.
The broiler method does work in achieving nice, crispy caramelization. But I found the result to be a bit dry—not to mention that it somehow missed the mark in duplicating the intense porkiness of restaurant carnitas.
I think I've finally nailed it, and I'm going to share my hack with you.
NOTE: Slow-Cooker Mojo Carnitas will be delicious even if you choose not to do the optional step I'm about to tell you.
I'm convinced that this—or something very close to it—is the bit of voodoo that Mexican restaurants do to make their carnitas taste so good.
They take their lovingly slow-cooked pork and reheat it in a hot skillet with lard.
To recreate this magic at home, go for a good-quality, rich-tasting lard. I typically will purchase it at a local Mexican grocery.
Or make it at home. I detail how to do this in my smoked pork butt recipe.
The resulting meat has caramelized, delectable, crunchy bark. Toss it with a little of the mojo juices and serve DIY taco bar style.
Buffets in the Frank house feature warm tortillas, charred green onions, guacamole, Fiery Mango-Habanero Salsa, Pico de Gallo, or Salsa Verde, sour cream or Mexican crema, cheeses, limes, and a side of rice and/or beans.
Leftovers are delicious in enchiladas and quesadillas.
Or, just have more tacos. If you want more Latin American-inspired recipe ideas, check out my Mexican-Inspired Recipes for Cinco de Mayo!
—xoxo Michelle
Slow-cooker Mojo Carnitas
Slow-Cooker Mojo Carnitas are an easy "set-it-and-forget-it" weeknight meal, but flashy enough for a weekend dinner party. I love to serve the carnitas buffet style, with a DIY taco bar featuring warm tortillas, salsa, garnishes, and condiments.
Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- ½ cup orange juice
- zest of 1 lime
- zest of one orange
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE MEAT
- 3 lb boneless pork butt roast
- 1 yellow or white onion, sliced into thick rings
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon rich-tasting lard, see Recipe Note #1
Instructions
- Carefully rinse the pork butt roast with cold water. Pat dry with paper toweling. Trim excess fat from the roast. Stab the meat with a filet knife all over the roast to create deep pockets for the marinade to penetrate.
- Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a zip-top bag. Add the roast. Marinate overnight.
- Add the roast and marinade to a slow-cooker along with the onion, bay leaves, and broth. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Remove pork roast and cut into bite-sized pieces (or pull the pork, if you prefer). Remove bay leaves and onions with a skimmer; discard.
- Heat the lard in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to the skillet and fry until a brown, caramelized bark develops on the edges of the meat (but don't burn!). Toss with a few tablespoons of the juice from the crockpot and serve (see Recipe Note #2).
Notes
- Frying the pork in lard is an optional step that creates a caramelized bark on the outside of the meat and intensifies the porky flavor. You can skip this step altogether, or set the meat under a broiler until it browns up. Then proceed with the remaining steps.
- I like to serve the pork as part of a taco bar, with warm tortillas, charred green onions, sliced jalapenos, rice, cheese, and condiments.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
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Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I absolutely love carnitas because I am addicted to pork. Yours sound great and love the tip for making them crisp, good old lard!
Michelle says
Thanks so much, Cat! I love pork too: it's delicious, and generally more budget-friendly than beef. And you can't beat lard for enhancing that rich, porky flavor! 🙂
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
Love everything about this dish! The fact that it pretty much makes itself, the fantastic Mexican flavours plus the way you serve it too! Pork shoulder is one of my favourite cuts as I find it more flavourful and juicy than some of the leaner cuts. I haven't used my slow-cooker for absolute ages but now it's the time to dig it out for sure! 🙂
Michelle says
Thank you, Jo! I am a big fan of pork shoulder as well—for exactly the same reason! I also find great deals on these roasts (and shoulder steaks) at the grocery. 😉
Corina Blum says
This sounds absolutely delicious! It would be a lovely dish to serve when having friends over. I am definitely now craving Mexican food! Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Michelle says
Thanks so much, Corina! It's a big hit at dinner parties—my crowd are used to bratwurst and pulled pork sandwiches, so this is positively exotic for them!
Monika Dabrowski says
This looks so gorgeous, full of flavour and melt-in-your-mouth consistency! Thank you for sharing your Mexican recipe inspiration with #CookBlogShare!
Michelle says
Thank you, Monika!