Switch up the normal beef taco nights with these Pork Carnitas Tacos! They go perfect topped with tomatillo sauce and wrapped in homemade corn tortillas. I've adapted this recipe from Marcela Valladolid and it's a big hit every time we share it.
Want to Save this Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
If you don’t have a slow cooker I think this recipe alone is worth the $25 or $30 investment (we use this basic, inexpensive slow cooker).
We have tested these pork tacos on quite a lot of people (including our dinner club guests), and it gets rave reviews every time!
I’ve also already shared another slow cooker favorite of ours “The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot,” which can easily be turned into overnight homemade chicken stock. There is no better way than a slow cooker to make inexpensive cuts of meat delish.
Try these Instant Pot Carnitas for a quick and easy recipe too!
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Switch up the normal beef taco nights with these Pork Carnitas Tacos! They go perfect topped with tomatillo sauce and wrapped in homemade corn tortillas. I've adapted this recipe from Marcela Valladolid and it's a big hit every time we share it.
Print Recipe
Servings: 8 tacos
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder ((or Boston butt roast) cut into 5 or 6 small pieces (in Charlotte we use pork from Grateful Growers Farm, which is sold at the Matthews Farmers’ Market and Hillbilly Produce))
- 3 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 onion (cut into 6 or 8 chunks)
- 3 cloves garlic (whole)
- 1 recipe salsa (Tomatillo (Link in notes. Use this recipe or can be purchased at Trader Joe’s, though theirs is a bit salty))
- 1 ½ recipe corn tortillas (See recipe link in notes)
- 2 avocados (sliced)
- cilantro
Instructions
- Mix together oregano, pepper, salt, and cumin and rub on outside of pork pieces in bottom of slow cooker.
- Throw onion and garlic on top of pork.
- Slow cook on low for 6 – 8 hours or until meat is falling apart.
- When finished discard the onion and garlic. Drain meat and shred with a fork.
- Serve warm with tortillas, tomatillo salsa, avocados and cilantro.
Notes
Recipe – Tomatillo Salsa
Recipe – Whole-Grain Corn Tortillas
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Amount Per Serving
Calories 194
Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 46mg15%
Sodium 349mg15%
Potassium 520mg15%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 85IU2%
Vitamin C 6.9mg8%
Calcium 35mg4%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out
Hi! I have never cooked pork shoulder before. Do you trim fat off of pork shoulder or leave for moisture? Thank you. I
Hi Sarah. Lisa does not trim the fat.
Yummy! I make a Mexican Soup very similar to this. BUT, I recently took a food safety certification course, and you should never put frozen meat into a crock pot. With the low heat, the bacteria can build up during the slow thawing to cooking time. Just thought I’d share that info!
Is it necessary to discard the onion?
Hi Jessica. You can leave the onion in if you like. :)
I squeezed 1 small Valencia orange in with the meat. It turned out a amazing and the Orange adds the sweetness found in the authentic recipes (which includes brown sugar and oranges) huge hit. Portions may appear too small but only feels that way because you are left wanting more of a good thing.
I shop at thrift stores. If your thrift store has kitchen things, sooner or later there will be cheap slow cookers. Mine comes from a thrift store and has been doing yeoman service for eight years.
Just saying.
This is my favorite recipe to use when we invite people over for dinner. They love the pork carnitas and always ask for the recipe. This makes enough to feed 3-4 families. I also make cilantro-lime rice and spelt flour tortillas. Thank you so much for the recipe 100 days of real food!!!
Made these last night, and we could not wait for the leftovers at lunch today! Spoiler alert: they were just as tasty-maybe even better-after one day. Such a great recipe!
These turned out great.
I made this carnitas recipe today for a family get-together and I don’t think I’ve ever received so many compliments. The best part is that the pork took all of 5 minutes to put together and then I could walk away and hit the pool with the rest of the family. Thanks for all that you do to make clean eating easy and delicious!
“Oh My”, These haven’t even made it to the table yet and I can’t stop grabbing bites every time I walk by!! Started to double the recipe, Kicking myself now!! Hopefully there will be some left for the supper table tonight!! If not, Oh Well, I got to enjoy it!!
These were amazing!!! The whole family really enjoyed these and couldn’t get enough. Needless to say there were no leftovers. Will definitely be making these again very soon!!
This is the first 100 days of real food recipe I have made. It was fantastic. Even my picky 2 year old ate the pork. My 1 year old goobled it up and my husband fist bumped me. All in all a rounding success.
Yummy! Made them for a dinner party. huge success. The tomatillo salsa really adds a wonderful component. Because I am paleo, I used cabbage leaves instead of tortillas. It gave a real nice crunch, although lettuce leaves would be good too!
These are so delicious and super easy! The house smelled so good too!
I can’t even describe how amazing and easy this recipe is! And the smell…oh my goodness! I could smell the deliciousness when I pulled into the garage. We made some pickled red onions to go on top, which I highly suggest for an added touch. This will be a regular meal in my household! Thank you!!
I made these last night and used 3 pounds of meat (including the bone which was discarded after cooking) for 6 adults. I didn’t think our portions were too large but we could have used more. I definitely don’t think that 2-2.5 pounds of meat would feed 8-10 people as the recipe says. Just my experience!
I made this and it is so good. Very easy and fast to put together in the morning. Its not spicey so I might add a touch of cheyanne pepper to the rub next time. Thank you!
My husband loved this. He said it was the best pork tacos he’s ever had.
Making it right now, just wanted to make sure that there is no liquid added to the carnitas recipe????
Thank you!!!
Hello Ada. Nope, none added. :) ~Amy
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! I wasn’t sure about all the oregano but I’m glad I included it. We also used a pork tenderloin because we had one in the freezer already. I added 1/2 c of water as well, because I was worried it might be a tad dry since I was using the tenderloin. Will definitely be making this again!!!
I made these tonight for my family (husband, 12 yo, 9 yo and 7 yo). Super duper yummy! They all slurped it up! Trying to keep it real (foods)!
Great recipe. My guy was stationed in California and loves carnitas and said he hasn’t had good ones since he left there. I made it with pork roast with the tomatilla salsa as well and it was a hit. This will be a regular meal at our house.
Making this tonight in the Dutch oven in the oven ( don’t own a slow cooker).Browned the pork first though. Smells delish. Can’t wait to try it!
We love this recipe & I am trying to make it even easier by making multiple batches ahead of time & freezing so I can just dump it in the crockpot in the morning. Have you ever done this? What changes would you suggest with cooking? I was thinking 10 hours on low?
Hi Mary. We’ve not tried it with frozen ingredients. 10 hours sounds about right. Let us know how it turns out! :) ~Amy
Hi Lisa. I know you like “short cuts” in the kitchen – I make a recipe very similar to this but instead of preparing the tomatillo salsa separately and adding to the crock pot, you can just add quartered tomatillos directly into the crock pot with the meat, onions, etc. They cook down substantially and create a salsa right in the pot with the meat :)
Made this tonight & it was amazing!!! So easy & great for Taco Tuesday!
As the managing editor of a food and restaurant magazine here in Canada, I get inundated with recipes. But when I saw this on my Facebook feed, I knew I had to try it. All I can say is WOW! This recipe was so delicious and easy to make. A few minutes in the morning before work and my wife and I came home to the most amazing dinner. I served this with a homemade cabbage and celeriac coleslaw. Even though I am not a fan of avocado, this carnitas recipe could make me a believer. If you are used to having cheese on any kind of taco, the avocado eliminates that need. Keep these fantastic ideas coming!
Hi! I made this yesterday – the pork and the tomatillo sauce. We really liked the tomatillo sauce. The pork kind of came out dry. I realize this has nothing to do with your recipe, but I have this problem a lot when making pork in the crockpot. It seems like maybe my crockpot runs a little extra hot… Any suggestions??? Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Hi Bridget. Did you have it on the low setting? It is true, crockpots can run hot. If you try again, I would keep a close eye on it to make sure you turn it off as soon as the meat is falling apart. ~Amy
Made this for my family today. They LOVED it. I loved it was easy and delicious. Your recipes are great!
Do you add any water when cooking the pork in the crock pot? You just toss it in the crock pot with onions, garlic, and spices?
Hi Sorrell. You do not need to add water. It will create its own juices. ~Amy
I like to make carnitas on the stove, take the pork, cut it into 1 inch chunks, leave some of the fat on, cut any of the tough fat off, sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt, enough water to just cover. bring to a boil, turn it down to simmer, when the water evaporates, the pork will cook in its own fat, mmm the crispy bits are great.
I made this for dinner tonight (served with TJ’s Salsa Verde) and it was amazing!! This is going in heavy rotation at this house. I paired it with the slow cooker refried beans and I am stuffed!! So glad my slow cookers did all the work for me, too!
Is the salsa from Trader Joe’s spicy? Just trying to figure out if this is kid friendly. Sounds yummy!
The Trader Joe’s tomatillo salsa is pretty mild. My 5 year old loves it. You could easily sub any fresh or jarred salsa in the recipe, however, as it’s just a topping.
I added a half cup of chicken broth and the juice from half a lime to the bottom of my crockpot. Increased cumin to 2 tsp, and added a few dashes of chili pepper for a subtle kick. Came out perfectly!
What meat can we sub for pork?
What size crockpot does this require?
Hi there. Lisa’s is a 6 quart cooker. You can find it here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/my-kitchen-essentials/. ~Amy
I’m super new to the crock pot cooking. No liquid?? did I read that right?
Hi Lara. Yep, it will create its own liquid. ~Amy
do you think the pork could be substituted with venison or are they too different? We don’t eat much pork.
Hi Erica. Not sure. If you try, let us know. ~Amy
Venison can be used with excellent results! I’ve used lots of different cuts of venison too with this recipe all turn out great.
Good to know, Jessica! Thanks!
Thanks for this – my husband and 2-yr-old are both carnitas fiends. I used pork tenderloin and cooked on high in the slowcooker for 6 hours — came out kind of dry but tasty. I’m guessing I need to get the pork shoulder and cook it on low to get it juicier? And onions and garlic don’t agree with us — any ideas about substitutes?
Hi Kelly. Most ingredients you would substitute for onion or garlic such as shallots or leeks are in the same family and might affect you similarly. This might help: http://foodallergies.about.com/od/cooking/p/cookingwoonions.htm. ~Amy
If the flavor of onion and garlic bother you, then I don’t know of a substitution. My husband is aggravated by the oil/juice in onions, so onion powder is a good sub for us.
I love your recipes–easy to make and absolutely delicious! I want to double this recipe for a party I’m having, but I’m not sure how much cooking time I should add to the crock pot. Any idea?
Hi Jennifer. We’ve not doubled the recipe but typically with crock pot recipes you shouldn’t have to up the cooking time much if any. Maybe aim for the latter end of the 6-8 hours recommendation. Just keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly. ~Amy
I was worried about not adding any extra liquid, but I stuck to the directions. Which were correct in that the recipe works fine with no extra liquid in the crock pot, and as it cooks it makes plenty of liquid. When I make slow cooked meat in the crock pot, I usually take it out 60 to 90 minutes before we plan to eat, do the shredding at that point, and return the shredded meat to the pot and stir into the liquid. Gets even more tender and usually the interior of the meat that wasn’t in contact with the seasoning then gets a chance to absorb the seasoning. However, even with doing that, this dish was incredibly bland to me, although my 7 year old daughter and husband liked it. Any time I don’t have to make multiple meals to account for different tastes is worth it though and I’d make it again since they both like it.