Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas

Crispy and tender, with tons of flavor, these easy Slow Cooker Carnitas will knock your socks off.

Hey you, yes you. Have you ever made carnitas at home?

If yes, good job. Gold star for you. Never stop.

If no, you should definitely start today. Right now. Drop everything.

Why should you be making carnitas this very second?

• Because they are SO GOOD, and you deserve good things.
• Crispy AND tender, with tons of flavor, they’ll knock your socks off.
• Because maybe you’re having some friends over, and they’re the ultimate party food since they look and taste like a million bucks but are impossible to screw up. Everyone will be SO impressed.
• Best of all, carnitas are made with pork shoulder roast which is super inexpensive, so you get a ton of really excellent food CHEAP.

If you’re not convinced by all that, there’s no hope left for you. Go eat some dry toast and be sad. ❤️

Slow Cooker Carnitas

I actually already have an excellent, easy recipe on the site for carnitas , but they’re cooked on the stove and require a bit of a time commitment that I know not everyone is willing or able to make.

So I took that recipe and modified it to work in a slow cooker so you don’t have to babysit them for three hours, turning carnitas from a weekend project to an everyday sort of meal.

And truly, once you try this recipe, you’ll be wanting to make it every day.

Ingredient Notes

• Pork shoulder roast: The best cut of meat for carnitas is pork shoulder AKA pork butt AKA Boston butt because it is well-marbled with fat and cooks up incredibly tender with a long braise.
• Large onion: A yellow, white, or red onion all work here.
• Lime juice: Fresh or bottled lime juice works just fine.
• Chicken broth: You can use homemade chicken broth if you have it, but this will be just as good with the canned stuff.

How to Make Carnitas in a Slow Cooker

1. Prep the meat: Take a 4-to-6-pound pork shoulder roast, bone-in or boneless, debone if necessary, remove any huge chunks of fat and silver skin (the silvery blue membrane that sticks tightly to the meat) and cut it into large chunks, about the size of a fist.
2. Sear: Then you sear the meat on the stove. If you are in a hurry, you can skip this step, but it adds a lot of flavor to the meat, so if you have the time, do it.
3. Transfer to the Crockpot: Add browned pork and any juices from the pan to your slow cooker, and return the pan to the stove. Deglaze it with a bit of chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan clean, and pour that liquid into your slow cooker as well. (This makes sure you get all those super flavorful browned bits in with your meat AND makes your pan way easier to wash. Win win.)
4. Assemble and cook: Then just add the rest of your ingredients, set your slow cooker to low, and forget about it for 7 to 8 hours. The meat’s done when you can easily shred it with a fork.
5. Shred and crisp: Once the meat’s shredded, it’s time to make it crispy.

How to Make Crispy Pork

You have a couple of options for crisping up your pork. You can do it under the broiler or turn your oven temp way up and bake the shredded meat for about 30 minutes. Both ways have pros and cons, so the method you choose is really going to depend on how clean you want to keep your oven, how much of a hurry you’re in, and how crispy you want your meat.

Carnitas Broiler vs Oven

Broiler Pros: Broiling is way faster. Your carnitas will get crispy in less than 10 minutes, and it gets the edges and tops of the meat extra crispy with almost burnt bits that everyone will want to eat first. Cons: Broiling carnitas can be messy. Remaining fat in the meat pops quite a bit, and during one test batch, I opened the oven and had fat dripping from the oven ceiling. Also, under the broiler, only the tops and edges of the meat get crispy.

Oven Pros: Less messy (though I still don’t recommend cleaning your oven right before making these). Pork will get much crispier all over. Cons: Takes three times as long and you won’t get those really crispy burnt edges like you would from the broiler.

I use both methods depending what mood I’m in, sometimes I even combine them when I want extra crispy carnitas, so just experiment and see what works best for you.

What to Make with Carnitas

4 pounds of (deboned and trimmed of fat) meat will make a little less than 10 cups of cooked carnitas. That’s a lot of meat to make into a lot of good things.

My favorite way to eat carnitas is picked hot off the tray, but they are absolutely stellar used in:

• Burrito Bowls with Cilantro Lime Rice
• Carnitas Enchiladas
• Carnitas Tacos
• Carnitas Nacho Fries
• Burritos

Also, if you’re low-carb or keto, a bowl of carnitas, some Pico de Gallo , cheese, sour cream, and a little hot sauce is a real good time. 😉

What cut of meat is best for carnitas?

The best cut of meat for carnitas is pork shoulder. It’s well-marbled with fat and cooks up rich and tender after a long, slow cooking time. You’ll find bone-in and boneless pork shoulder roasts at the grocery store, and both will work great for carnitas, but if you have the option, go with a boneless roast.

The bone in the bone-in shoulder roast is Y-shaped and a little irritating to cut around, so if you can avoid it, all the better.

How long should you cook pork in a slow cooker?

Cook the pork for 3 to 4 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low. You’ll know the carnitas are ready when you can easily pull the meat apart with a couple of forks.

Can you freeze slow cooker carnitas?

Absolutely. Because the cut of meat you need for carnitas comes as a pretty large roast, even if you’re part of a small household, I still recommend making the full-size carnitas recipe rather than trying to cut it down because carnitas freeze really well.

To Freeze: Freeze meal-sized batches with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid in freezer-safe storage bags for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: When you’re ready for more carnitas, defrost in the refrigerator. Microwave until warm or spread on a baking sheet and bake, loosely covered with foil at 350°F until heated through (usually 10-15 minutes). Remove the foil and broil on high for just a minute or two until the edges are crisp.

You Might Also Enjoy

• Country-style Pork Ribs
• Slow Cooker Tri-tip Sandwiches
• Slow Cooker Beef Ribs
• Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Recipe Tips

• If you know your morning is going to be rushed, measure your spices and cut your meat the night before (especially if you have a bone-in roast as cutting can take a little while), so everything is ready to go in the morning.

Ingredients

For Slow Cooker Carnitas

• ▢ 4-6 pound pork shoulder roast boneless or bone-in, trimmed of fat cap and cut into fist-sized chunks
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 6-8 cups ( 3-4 ) 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth *
• ▢ 1 large onion diced
• ▢ 1 clove garlic crushed
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lime juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin

For Carnitas Tacos

• ▢ Tortillas flour or corn
• ▢ Cilantro chopped
• ▢ White onion finely diced
• ▢ Limes quartered

Instructions

Slow Cooker Carnitas

• Generously salt and pepper chunks of meat on all sides.
• In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add meat to the pan and brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches, and it will take 10 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer meat and any juices to your slow cooker and return pan to the stove. Add a splash of the chicken broth and deglaze the pan over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape all the crispy browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour everything over the top of the meat in the slow cooker.
• To the slow cooker, add onions, garlic, lime juice, spices, and enough chicken broth to just cover the top of the meat. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 7 to 8. The meat is ready when it can be easily shredded with a fork.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Transfer the meat, a few pieces at a time, to a plate and shred. Place shredded meat on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. If you had a large roast, you may need to split the meat between two baking sheets. Pour ¼ cup of the cooking liquid over the top of the meat. Bake until crispy, about 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes and adding more cooking liquid if meat seems to be drying out.
• Or broil meat on high for 5 to 10 minutes until crispy, checking on frequently. DO NOT leave broiling meat unattended as it can burn very quickly.

Carnitas Tacos

• After carnitas are done, pop tortillas into the still-hot oven (or cover with a damp paper towel and microwave) until warmed.
• Top each tortilla with carnitas, chopped cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

This homemade Chai Tea Latte is incredibly simple to make at home. It’s warming, the perfect level of sweet, and you probably have all the ingredients in your cupboard already.

Hey, friends. I’ve posted a lot of Starbucks-copycat/inspired recipes on Baking Mischief over the years, BUT until now they’ve mostly been coffee-based (like my Mocha , Caramel Macchiato , Caramel Latte , etc.). Well no more.

Tea lovers, get hyped, today’s recipe is for you: Chai Tea Latte.

Incredibly Easy Chai Tea Latte

This homemade chai latte is beyond simple to make at home. It’s warming, the perfect level of sweet, and if you’re a chai tea drinker, you probably have the ingredients in your cupboard already.

Ingredients

For your latte, all you will need are:

• Chai tea bag: Any brand will work, caffeinated or decaf.
• Sugar: I call for granulated sugar in the recipe, but you can also use brown sugar or your favorite artificial sweetener.
• Milk: By default, Starbucks uses 2% milk in their drinks, but you can use any milk you’d like including non-dairy milks. The higher fat your milk, the creamier your drink will be.

How to Make a Chai Tea Latte

1. To make a chai latte, you’ll make a quick chai concentrate, in this case, a very strongly brewed 1/4 cup of tea with sugar.
2. Next, foam milk on the stove, either by whisking vigorously or using a milk frother, and then just pour the steamed milk over the chai concentrate. Serve and enjoy!

That’s it. Super easy, super quick, super good.

What does a chai tea latte taste like?

I think Starbucks’ chai latte actually tastes a lot like their pumpkin spice latte minus the slight bitterness the espresso gives it (there is no coffee in a chai latte).

This homemade version is very much the same. You have the spicy, warming chai flavor, lightly sweetened, and mellowed out by the steamed milk. Starbucks uses 2% milk by default, but if you like a richer drink, you can use whole milk or even add a splash of half and half or heavy cream .

Is there caffeine in a chai latte?

Yes. Chai tea is naturally caffeinated so if you use regular chai, your latte will have caffeine. If you want a decaf version, use decaf chai tea bags.

Can I make this an iced chai tea latte?

Yes! Go check out my iced chai latte post for instructions on how to make this recipe iced.

More Starbucks Coffee Drinks

• White Chocolate Mocha
• Iced Mocha Recipe
• Iced White Chocolate Mocha
• Dulce de Leche Latte
• Salted Caramel Mocha
• London Fog Latte

Recipe Notes

• If you make a lot of lattes at home and enjoy really foamy milk, I recommend purchasing a handheld milk foamer. They are pretty inexpensive (typically $10-$20), work well, and are just fun to use. 😉 I own the PowerLix MilkPro Frother , and I’ve been really happy with it.
• This recipe makes a 1-cup (8-ounce) latte. If you want to fill an oversized cup, 1½ or double the recipe.

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup filtered water
• ▢ 1 chai tea bag
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ( 8g ) granulated sugar *
• ▢ ¾ cup milk any percentage
• ▢ Cinnamon optional for topping

Instructions

• In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Pour into an 8-ounce mug and steep tea bag for 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bag. Stir in sugar.
• While your tea steeps, pour milk into the pot and heat over medium heat until milk begins to steam (do not bring to a boil) whisk vigorously until foamy or use a handheld milk frother to froth milk.
• Pour most of the milk into the tea concentrate, stirring to combine before adding in the last of the milk and foam, sprinkle with cinnamon if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

This chicken bacon ranch pizza is a fun twist on traditional pizza night. Top your favorite pizza crust with ranch, chunks of juicy chicken, bacon, and lots of melty mozzarella for a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love.

Chicken bacon ranch pizza is one of my favorite clean-out-the fridge recipes. Have some leftover chicken? Perfect excuse to make a pizza! Bacon you need to use up? Put it on a pizza!! Half a bottle of ranch you’re tired of looking at? It’s pizza sauce now!

You can throw this pizza together with almost no effort, and because it’s pizza that involves bacon, ranch, and chicken, you know it’s going to be delicious.

What’s on a chicken bacon ranch pizza?

Chicken bacon ranch pizza toppings vary from restaurant to restaurant and household to household, but they always start with a ranch base instead of pizza sauce, chicken, and bacon. The most popular other toppings are onions, tomatoes, and peppers.

Ingredient Notes

• Cooked chicken: Leftover cooked chicken from a roasted chicken works great here or grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and chop up the breast meat for your pizza. If you have some raw chicken breasts in your fridge, I also included instructions for my favorite way to cook chicken to use in recipes in the recipe notes below.
• Ranch dressing: Use your favorite ranch as a base. Any brand will work, including homemade.
• Bacon: When making bacon for your pizza, cook it until it is just crispy, not too browned and crunchy. Since the cooked bacon will be going in the oven with the pizza, you don’t want it to become overcooked and hard.

How to Make a Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza at Home

1. Spread ranch over your prepared pizza dough. Top the dough with half of the cheese.
2. Add the rest of the toppings and then remaining cheese.
3. Bake according to your pizza dough instructions. If your dough didn’t come with instructions, bake at 400°F until crust is browned and cheese is bubbly and melted.

What can I use instead of pizza crust?

Don’t have pizza crust? Try it with one of these crust alternatives:

Can I freeze this pizza?

Yes. You can freeze the pizza baked or unbaked. Store slices in a freezer bag or double wrap the entire pizza in plastic wrap and then foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat, unwrap and bake in a 400°F oven until heated through.

Can I assemble the pizza ahead of time and bake it later?

Maybe. If you’re using a yeasted dough, you’re going to want to bake the pizza right away unless your dough recipe says otherwise. If using a premade store-bought crust, it shouldn’t be a problem. Assemble your pizza up to 24 hours in advance, store covered, and bake according to the recipe instructions.

More Pizza Recipes

• The Best Pizza Sauce
• BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Naan Pizza

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 medium-to-large pizza crust unbaked
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ⅓ cup ranch
• ▢ 1½ cups (6oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 1½ cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken *
• ▢ ½ red onion onion cut in half root to tip, sliced, and layers separated
• ▢ 1 to 2 roma tomatoes diced, optional
• ▢ 6 slices cooked bacon chopped*

Instructions

• Preheat oven according to crust package or pizza crust recipe instructions or 400°F.
• Brush unbaked pizza crust with a light layer of olive oil and transfer crust to a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Spread ranch over the crust, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
• Top crust with half of the mozzarella cheese, followed by the cooked chicken, red onion slices, tomatoes, and bacon.
• Sprinkle remaining half of the mozzarella over the top and bake pizza according to crust package or pizza crust recipe instructions, until the cheese is melted and crust is browned.
• Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

1. Start with 12 ounces of raw chicken, about 1 large chicken breast. Generously salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breast.
2. Heat a medium skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Grease with cooking spray or a light drizzle of olive oil. Place chicken in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until well-browned. Flip chicken and repeat. Once both sides are browned, add about 1/2-inch of filtered water to the bottom of the pan. Cover the skillet and turn heat down to medium.
3. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breasts reads 165°F (170°F if you’re going to shred the chicken). Check occasionally to make sure the water hasn’t all evaporated, adding more if necessary. Larger breasts will take longer to cook, so be sure to check for doneness before removing from heat.
4. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing or shredding.

Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas

Ingredients

For Slow Cooker Carnitas

• 4-6 pound pork shoulder roast boneless or bone-in, trimmed of fat cap and cut into fist-sized chunks
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 6-8 cups ( 3-4 ) 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth *
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

For Carnitas Tacos

• Tortillas flour or corn
• Cilantro chopped
• White onion finely diced
• Limes quartered

Instructions

Slow Cooker Carnitas

• Generously salt and pepper chunks of meat on all sides.
• In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add meat to the pan and brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches, and it will take 10 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer meat and any juices to your slow cooker and return pan to the stove. Add a splash of the chicken broth and deglaze the pan over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape all the crispy browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour everything over the top of the meat in the slow cooker.
• To the slow cooker, add onions, garlic, lime juice, spices, and enough chicken broth to just cover the top of the meat. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 7 to 8. The meat is ready when it can be easily shredded with a fork.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Transfer the meat, a few pieces at a time, to a plate and shred. Place shredded meat on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. If you had a large roast, you may need to split the meat between two baking sheets. Pour ¼ cup of the cooking liquid over the top of the meat. Bake until crispy, about 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes and adding more cooking liquid if meat seems to be drying out.
• Or broil meat on high for 5 to 10 minutes until crispy, checking on frequently. DO NOT leave broiling meat unattended as it can burn very quickly.

Carnitas Tacos

• After carnitas are done, pop tortillas into the still-hot oven (or cover with a damp paper towel and microwave) until warmed.
• Top each tortilla with carnitas, chopped cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition