Easy 5 Ingredient Recipe for Tasty Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos (2024)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChooseNexium24HR #CollectiveBias When life gets busy, I strive to keep things simple by planning easy meals for weeknights. This Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos recipe requires only a few ingredients and is very easy to make. Simple solutions – yes please!

Crock Pot Cooking for Easy Meals

I am always looking for new ways to make our lives easier. Taking care of a family keeps you busy and sometimes I can forget to do things, even important things – like having a meal ready.One way I try to keep our family on track is by planning meals at least a day in advance. By setting aside ingredients the night before, I can have a crock pot meal ready to go in the morning and set it and forget it until suppertime. Dinner is a special time for us and spending that time together as a family helps keep us allgrounded.

Many of our family favorites are from a crock pot. For me that’s great news becauseI’m able to wake up in the morning, know exactly what we will be eating for dinner that night, throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker, and not think about it for the rest of the day. I’ve included links to some of our crock pot family favorites at the end of this post. Keep reading to learn more.

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Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos

This dish is from the family archive of favorites. It’s so simple and easy and involves only a handful of ingredients. This dish resonates with our kids because it can be enjoyed without a single utensil. Maybe it’s the same in all families with children, but it seems like any food that can be eaten with your hands is a huge hit in our home. One of ourfavoritecrock pot dinners:Carnitas Tacos.

Just a few ingredients simmering together in a crock pot all day creates a savory, full of flavor dinner that everyone loves. Pork roast perfectly seasoned and slow cooked until it falls apart served in warm tortillas and topped with our family’sfavorite fixings. It’s a simple recipe with big flavors. If you like crock pot cooking, I’ve included recipes for some of our other family favorites at the end of this post.

Heartburn Relief

My kids tend to resist new foods and new flavors so planning our meals a day or two in advancehelps me keep the kid-approved meals on a regular rotation. Knowing ahead-of-time helps me plan, but there used to be a time that I resisted certain foods (even family favorites) because of frequent heartburn.

Being able to sit down with my family and enjoy the same foods together is wonderful. Nexium 24HR is one of my favorite simple solutions, I take one pill and I have protection from frequent heartburn all-day and all-night. Now, just as easily as I throw a meal into a crockpot in the morning and forget about it; I can take one Nexium 24HRin the morning and forget about heartburn. We can all eat together and mommy doesn’t have to make blander meals for the heartburn sufferers at home.

Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos Ingredients

  • 1 pork loin roast 2-3 pounds
  • ½ yellow onion cut in half
  • 2 cloves of garlic smashed
  • 2 tblsp seasoning salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup water

Directions forCrock Pot Carnitas Tacos

Step 1: Combine all the ingredients in your crock pot. Pork roast first, then onions and garlic, water poured over and season salt and pepper last.

Step 2: Cover the crock pot and cook the roast on low for 6-8 hours.

Step 3: Once the roast is done cooking, fork shred the meat while inside the crock pot to allow it to soak in the juices.

Step 4:Warm your corn tortillas and prepare your toppings of choice. My favorite toppings are simple: cilantro and onions.

Step 5:Fill your warm corn tortillas and garnish your tacos. Enjoy!

Where can you findNexium 24HR?

Fortunately, Walgreens is right next to my supermarket, so after picking up my Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos ingredients I stopped byWalgreens. Nexium 24HR is in the heartburn/antacids aisle at your local Walgreens.

Easy 5 Ingredient Recipe for Tasty Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos (7)

What is your favorite simple meal planning solution?

I think you and your family will enjoy a crock pot full of these flavor-filled Carnitas Tacos. Do you have a favorite, simple meal that is a regular part of your meal planning? Please leave a comment or share a recipe below. I love hearing from my readers.

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P.S. – I blog to encourage moms, offer free preschool tools, and share ideas for family fun.If you enjoy free recipes, printables, crafts and games for little ones, ideas for family fun and encouraging posts for moms, sign up and have Happy and Blessed Home delivered to your inbox. Simply enter your e-mail address here:

If you liked this recipe for mytasty Carnitas Tacos, you may also like:

Tequila Lime ChickenPulled Pork

Skinny Buffalo Chicken

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Easy 5 Ingredient Recipe for Tasty Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good carnitas? ›

These are the 3 steps to making the best pork carnitas every time.
  1. Use a fatty piece of meat. I get a lot of questions asking if this same recipe and technique can be used with a pork loin or chicken breasts. ...
  2. Cook the Mexican pork low and slow. ...
  3. Use a broiler to concentrate the flavor.
Feb 20, 2024

Why do you put orange juice in carnitas? ›

The orange juice in the cooking liquid provides acidity that helps break down the meat so it's extra tender and juicy.

Why do you add milk to carnitas? ›

In other regions of Mexico, people add their own special seasoning to this dish, such as condensed milk, garlic, chicken broth, co*ke, orange juice, and/or beer. Not only do these ingredients give the carnitas their distinctive golden-brownish color, but they also help tenderize the meat.

What is the best meat to use for carnitas? ›

Pork shoulder: Traditionally, carnitas is made with pork shoulder (also known as pork butt) because of its higher fat content. The fat helps to keep the meat extremely juicy and tender while cooking.

How do you keep pork carnitas from drying out? ›

Oven temps for perfect carnitas

For our carnitas, we want the temperature of the confit cooking fat to be about 200°F (93°C) or a little higher. At this temperature, we won't be drying out the surface of the meat cubes while we heat their centers.

How do you keep pork carnitas moist? ›

You'll see the pork slowly cooked in a big pot of lard in many authentic recipes (Woah and yum!). However, to make our carnitas recipe a little more home-friendly, we slow-cook our pork with a few aromatics and a few tablespoons of oil to keep it moist.

Why do they add co*ke to carnitas? ›

The sugar in the soda helps to caramelize the meat, and whatever else they put in the cola gives it that slight smokiness. Or maybe it's the smoked paprika that gives the smokiness.

What juice keeps pulled pork moist? ›

Storing pulled pork

If it is expected to be served within a few hours after smoking, it is better to store it in a crockpot set at the lowest possible temperature. Additionally, spray chicken broth or apple juice on the meat to prevent it from losing more moisture in the crockpot.

What does evaporated milk do to carnitas? ›

A surprising ingredient here, sweetened condensed milk, helps the pork caramelize during cooking. Source a well-marbled pork roast for this recipe; the extra fat doubles down on the rich pork flavor.

How do you spice up bland carnitas? ›

To spice up bland carnitas, try adding extra seasoning such as chili powder, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or diced jalapeños for a kick of heat. You can also experiment with different herbs and spices to tailor the flavor to your liking.

Should you sear carnitas before cooking? ›

Step One: The trick to getting the most flavorful carnitas, is to sear the pork before allowing it to braise for hours. First, season the pork with a liberal sprinkle of salt and then sear the pork pieces on both sides until golden brown in avocado oil. Browning the meat helps to develop a rich deep flavor.

What does carnitas seasoning taste like? ›

This seasoning usually includes a mix of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and other herbs and spices. The result is a savory and aromatic flavor that complements the natural richness of the pork.

What is the difference between carnitas and pork tacos? ›

Both carnitas and pulled pork are cooked slowly for several hours, and great to make in the slow cooker or instant pot. Unlike pulled pork, however, carnitas are finished by roasting the meat in the oven until browned and crisp.

What is the difference between pastor pork and carnitas? ›

Flavoring-wise, the critical difference is pineapple and onion. Al Pastor often uses pineapple and a spicier final product, which balances out well. Carnitas don't have the sweet, tangy element and often have a more focused pork fat/savory taste profile.

Why are my carnitas dry? ›

It's dried out because it's been over cooked. There's no moisture left in the meat. Contrary to the common idea, braising, cooking in liquid, does not make dry meat moist. The meat will remain dry.

Can I use lemon juice instead of orange juice in carnitas? ›

FAQs About Carnitas

You can also use lime juice, lemon juice, or a combination of any of these.

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