Easy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Three Ways

I love an easy dinner and my slow cooker always helps make that happen! I'm always looking for ways to use a pork sirloin since it's always a great price and each sirloin roast usually gives us enough for two meals. And it's so easy — the roast shreds up so nicely after slow cooking all day. 

Here is how I make pork carnitas, along with three simple ideas — nachos, burritos and tacos — on how to serve them to your family:

Robert Patrick Briggs via Canva

Pork Carnitas

Ingredients:

• Pork sirloin or a pork shoulder
• 1 cup chicken stock or water
• 1 medium white onion, chopped (I use 2 to 3 TBSP onion flakes)
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Optional: 1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped

Directions:

1. Add everything except for the pork into the slow cooker and mix.
2. Add the pork to the slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours until the pork is tender and shreds easily with a fork.

Optional: My husband likes the carnitas crisped up a little. If you'd like them this way, preheat the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with foil. Place a layer of the cooked pork onto the baking sheet, straining out the juices (don't discard juices!). Broil for about 5 minutes or until the edges brown and appear to be crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven and pour about 1/4 cup of the juices from the slow cooker over the pork. Broil for 5 more minutes. Remove and cover with another 1/4 cup of the juices. Repeat with the remaining pork and serve immediately.

Follow the recipes below to prepare your pork carnitas as nachos, burritos, or tacos!

Jennifer Hill

Pork Carnitas Nachos

My family loves pork carnitas nachos. We often make them for lunch with the leftover carnitas from a previous meal. So yummy!

Ingredients:

• Pork carnitas
• Tortilla chips
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Beans of your choice (we love black refried beans)
• Optional: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and onions, sliced olives, jalapeños

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Spread tortilla chips in a baking dish. Top with carnitas (I heat them up first if not already hot), beans, and shredded cheese.
3. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
4. Serve immediately with your choice of optional ingredients.

Alternative, easy prep:

If the carnitas and beans are hot enough, simply layer chips, hot carnitas, and hot beans and top with shredded cheese and your choice of optional ingredients. The cheese will melt some, which my kids are happy enough about when we're in a hurry.

Tina Power via Canva

Pork Carnitas Burritos

Simple and delicious way to serve up carnitas.

Ingredients:

• Pork carnitas
• Flour tortillas
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Beans of your choice (we love black refried beans)
• Optional: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, diced onions, sliced olives, jalapeños, cooked rice

Directions:

1. Heat carnitas and beans. 
2. Warm tortillas (we flip them over a few times on a griddle to warm them up). 
3. Fill tortillas with carnitas, cheese, and any optional ingredients, roll up, and enjoy.

MiguelMalo via Canva

Pork Carnitas Tacos

Another simple way to serve up carnitas – and a change up to the typical taco night!

Ingredients:

• Pork carnitas
• Corn tortillas or taco shells
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Beans of your choice (we love black refried beans)
• Optional: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, diced onions, sliced olives, jalapeños

Directions:

1. Heat carnitas and beans. 
2. Prepare taco shells as instructed on package or fry tortillas (we flip them over a few times in a skillet with a little oil and then on the third flip or so, hold the shell open, folded in half, as it cooks and hardens in a taco shape). 
3. Fill taco with carnitas, cheese, and any optional ingredients, and enjoy.

Jennifer Hill is the publisher of Macaroni KID Fremont-Newark-Union City, Calif.