Finished Pork

Crockpot Pork Carnitas

I was looking for something else to make in the crockpot and I also wanted to buy a huge chunk of meat. This naturally lead to pork carnitas!  In this recipe we will simmer down a huge chunk of Boston Pork Butt into some nice, shredded meat.  Then we will fry it up to a crispy perfection!  This can be eaten plain, with cheese or lettuce tacos, or as an almond bun sandwich!

Finished Pork CarnitasHere is the finished pork carnitas with some cheese, sour cream and salsa!

Bacon Greased Crock PotStart by greasing down the crockpot with a thick layer of bacon grease.

Bacon GreaseYou do have a container full of bacon grease, right?  I have almost filled mine!  I’ll have to start using it at a faster pace!!

Sliced OnionsAfter greasing your crock pot, slice one onion really thin.

Onion slices in CrockpotMake a bed of onions for your meat on the bottom of the crockpot.

Add GarlicAdd the garlic.

Boston Pork ButtNow for the meat!  You want to get a fairly sizable chunk of Boston Pork Butt.  I got mine as an 8 lb chunk from BJ’s. My crockpot is pretty massive at 6.5 Qts, so if you have a smaller one, buy a smaller roast.  This one filled the entire thing.  The meat will come with a fairly large fat pack as shown here.  You want to remove a decent chunk of that so that the fat can render.  If you leave it all on, the meat will be more dry and the fat won’t render.

Criss Cross SlicingNext its time to get fancy!  Make a criss cross pattern cut lightly into the fat. I have no idea if this is necessary but it makes it look good!  Also in theory it allows the fat to render down more easily.

Spice MixtureCreate a spice mixture with equal parts of Thyme, Salt, Pepper, cumin and chili powder.  Make sure to rub this all over the meat.

Meat in CrockpotSlap that bad boy in the crockpot and let ‘er rip!  Add one cup of water to the pot to make sure it doesn’t burn.

High for 8 hoursSet the timer for 8 hours on high.  I really like this crockpot because it has really even temperature across the unit and you can program the length of time to cook on a given setting.  So after 8 hours of high it will automatically switch to warm so it doesn’t burn.  If you are using a smaller roast, go with about 1 hour per lb of meat.  It should fall apart at the end, if it isn’t fallen apart yet, cook it longer 🙂

Finished PorkHere is our finished pork.  Words can’t describe how tender and juicy this turned out. It literally fell apart as I tried to put it out with a fork.

Pulled Pork CarnitasTransfer the meat to a large container.  If you desire, pull it into smaller pieces.  Definitely make sure to get the bones and any remaining gristle out before you store it.  I pitched the onions since this is low carb but you can keep some if you want.

Bacon FatTo eat, heat up some bacon fat in a skillet.

Fried Pork CarnitasThrow some meat in the bacon grease and pan fry it.  You want it to caramelize, almost burning on the bottom and then mix it up.  The texture is awesome when its done!

Cheese TacoFor added awesomeness, serve it in a cheese taco!

Crockpot Pork Carnitas
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 16
  • Serving size: 1 (5 Oz)
  • Calories: 265
  • Fat: 9
  • Carbohydrates: 0
  • Fiber: 0
  • Protein: 8
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 8 Lb Boston Pork Butt
  • 2 Tbsp Bacon Grease (use butter if necessary)
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 2 Tbsp Cumin
  • 2 Tbsp Thyme
  • 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Pepper
  • 4 Tbsp Minced Garlic
  • 1 Cup Water
Instructions
  1. Rub the crockpot down with bacon grease
  2. Slice an onion thin and line the bottom of the crockpot
  3. Spread the garlic over the onions
  4. Cut majority of fat off of the fatty part of the meat
  5. Cut a crisscross pattern into the top of the fatpack
  6. Mix spices and rub into meat, be sure to get into the valleys of the crisscross
  7. If there is remaining spices, sprinkle over onions and garlic
  8. Place meat into crockpot and add 1 cup of water
  9. Cook on HIGH for 8 hours (or 1 hour per lb)
  10. At the end the meat should completely fall apart, if not, cook longer
As Configured as a Lunch (12 portions, including all ingredients):

  • Calories: 609
  • Carbs: 5
  • Fiber: 1
  • Net Carbs: 4
  • Fat: 45
  • Protein: 54
Cuisinart PSC-650 6-1/2-Quart Crockpot
Useful for set it and a forget it meals where you place all the items into the crockpot and let it rip! Most crockpots use a ceramic, dishwasher safe bowl that’s heated from the outside to a low temperature which allows the ingredients to simmer for hours.
Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet
The only pan you really need. Once properly seasoned, this pan can cook anything you can imagine! Lasts forever and never wears out.
RSVP Stoneware Grease Keeper
Never throw away bacon fat. Ever! This thing is the coolest invention. It’s a little ceramic container that has a built-in filter that stores your bacon grease. You simply pour the grease into it when you’re done frying some bacon and its ready to spoon back into the pan next time you’re frying some veggies!

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