I've been obsessed with my slow cooker ever since I first purchased it last summer. I love that it's so easy to just throw everything in when I wake up and then come home to a warm, delicious-smelling dish perfect for the whole family.
But one thing I haven't tried in my slow cooker yet is pork carnitas tacos. And why not? This is definitely a favorite dish for almost everyone I know, so I decided to find some great slow cooker pork carnitas taco recipes to share.
There's a simple slow cooker pork carnitas tacos with green chile salsa recipe, a delectable slow cooker pork carnitas tacos with corn and avocado salsa (my favorite kind!) and even slow cooker pork carnitas tacos with tomatillo salsa (handmade!) recipe that I'm enjoying. Check these out and get ready for the perfect family weeknight dinner together.
Read more ¿Qué más? 3 Latin slow cooker recipes.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos with Green Chile Salsa (recipe courtesy of Recipe Girl)
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless country- style pork ribs or pork shoulder (Boston Butt), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 large onion, cut into 4 pieces
1 large avocado, halved, pitted & sliced
fresh cilantro & sliced red bell peppers
tortillas (corn or flour)
green chile salsa
Directions:
1. Toss pork in bowl of slow cooker with salt, pepper, and oregano to coat. Place onion pieces atop pork. Cover slow cooker and cook pork on low setting until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 6 hours.
2. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to cutting board. Discard onion pieces. Using fingers, shred pork; transfer carnitas to platter. Place avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, and sliced red bell peppers, if desired, alongside. Wrap corn or flour tortillas in damp kitchen towel; microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas and green salsa.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos with Corn and Avocado Salsa (recipe courtesy of Food52)
Ingredients:
4 pounds pork butt
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cola soda
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange (rind and juice)
2 bay leaves
4 crushes garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chicken base
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a separate bowl mix evaporated milk, cola, nutmeg, cumin, oregano, chili flakes, chicken base, orange zest and juice from 1 orange, crushed garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Put Pork Butt in the Slow Cooker. Add cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Pour marinade over the pork butt and put lid on slow cooker. Put slow cooker onto the lowest setting and let it cook for 8-10 hours.
3. When cooking is done, take out of slow cooker and shred with a fork and put a little bit of the cooking liquid on the shredded pork to stay moist. Serve immediately as a taco or burrito with either corn or flour tortillas. Top with salsa and queso fresca.
__Ingredients (corn and avocado salsa):
__1 packet frozen corn or 4 ears of fresh corn off the cob
1 jalapeño small dice with seeds and membrane discarded
1/2 red onion small dice
8 radishes cut in half and then sliced in half moons
handful of chopped cilantro
juice of two fresh limes
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, chopped
Directions (corn and avocado salsa):
1. In a small bowl mix the juice of two limes, vinegar, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper…set aside.
2. Put your diced jalapeño and red onion in a medium bowl. Add the sliced radishes and corn. Sprinkle in the chopped cilantro and lightly toss. Add the vinegar, lime, spice mixture to the medium bowl and mix. Take a small taste and readjust seasoning. Right before serving, stir in chopped avocado.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa (recipe courtesy of 100 Days of Real Food)
__Ingredients:
__2 to 2 ½ lbs pork shoulder or Boston butt roast, cut into 5 or 6 small pieces
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 onion, cut into 6 or 8 chunks
3 garlic cloves, whole
1 recipe tomatillo salsa (use recipe below or can be purchased at Trader Joe's)
1 ½ recipes whole-grain corn tortillas
2 avocados, sliced
Fresh cilantro
__Directions:
__1. Mix together oregano, pepper, salt, and cumin and rub on outside of pork pieces in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Throw onion and garlic on top of pork.
3. Slow cook on low for 6 – 8 hours or until meat is falling apart.
4. When finished discard the onion and garlic. Drain meat and shred with a fork.
5. Serve warm with tortillas, tomatillo salsa, avocados and cilantro.
__Ingredients (tomatillo salsa):
__1 ½ lbs tomatillos
½ cup white onion
¾ cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
__Directions (tomatillo salsa):
__1. Preheat broiler on high.
2. Peel and discard husks off tomatillos. Rinse and cut tomatillos in half. Place cut side down on foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Broil for 5 – 7 minutes until skin is lightly blackened.
3. Puree tomatillos and rest of ingredients together including onion, cilantro, lime, and pepper using a food processor, blender, or hand immersion blender until ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.
4. Cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Read more ¿Qué más? 3 Latin dishes you can cook and freeze.
Have you ever made pork carnitas in the slow cooker? Will you be trying one of these taco recipes out or do you already have your own?
Images via Recipe Girl, Food 52, 100 Days of Real Food
