These chipotle pulled pork carnitas are the perfect weeknight meal or fun addition to your next Taco Tuesday. Tender, boldly-seasoned pulled pork and your favorite toppings are wrapped up in crunchy tortillas to create a handheld feast everyone loves.
Quick Look: Chipotle Pulled Pork Carnitas
- ⏱ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍲 Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 315 calories per serving
- 🍂 Flavor Profile: a touch of sweet before you dive into deep spicy flavor
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy, the perfect way to spice up any taco Tuesday
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Taco dishes like these sheet pan chicken tacos are great meals when you need a quick weeknight meal. We love taco night in my house because the kids can get involved with cooking!
This is perfect family time because it makes room for talking to your children about their lives. They can feel comfortable and open up while at the dinner table, while enjoying a delicious meal.
Meals like this are even better when they're made in a Crock Pot. One of the best kitchen appliances ever created, if you ask me, they make it easy and convenient to create delicious, hearty meals like this or my gluten free pulled pork.
With these slow cooker chipotle pulled pork carnitas, I combined tons of classic Mexican flavors with the ease of slow cooking to make a taco recipe that's overflowing with delicious, complex flavor, not work. Easy, delicious, and simple. What's not to love?
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Super Tender: Slow cooking the pork makes it incredibly tender and juicy.
- Flavorful: This pork is seasoned with a blend of bold, authentic Mexican spices and canned chipotle sauce, so it explodes with flavor in every bite.
- Simple Ingredients: You can find everything you need to make this recipe in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- So Easy: It's a slow cooker recipe, so all you have to do is add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and let them go for a few hours.
- Versatile: This is a great shredded pork recipe for weeknight dinners or potlucks, and you can serve it in so many ways, such as over gluten-free mashed potatoes or as an alternate filling in this chicken puff pastry recipe.
- Great for Meal Prep: This pork is freezer-friendly, so you can make extra and freeze it for future meals.
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Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Variations
- Pork: Both pork loin and boneless pork shoulder work well in this recipe. If you choose a pork shoulder, be aware that you'll have to increase your cooking time to adjust for its size and the extra time needed to break down the connective tissues.
- Other Proteins: This recipe can be made with beef roast or chicken breasts, as well.
- Extra Spicy: Add 2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and two chopped jalapeno or serrano peppers for an extra spicy version.
- Pork Adobo: Add an adobo twist by using adobo sauce in place of chipotle sauce.
- Pineapple: You can use 15 oz of fresh pineapple in place of canned, if you prefer.
- Queso Fresco: Use your favorite shredded cheese with the pulled pork.
- Chipotle Bowl: Instead of serving this as a taco, make it a bowl by adding rice or beans.
How to Make Chipotle Pulled Pork
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to your crock pot. Then, cook on low or high until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
Step 2: Remove pork, shred, and add it to tortillas, along with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- For food safety, always check your roast with a meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Your cooking time will increase if you use a pork shoulder. It needs more time for its fat and connective tissues to break down in the slow cooker.
- It's easiest to shred your pork while it's still hot. Shred the meat as soon as you're safely able to handle it.
- Both bottled and fresh lime juice can be used in this recipe. Opt for fresh if possible, as it gives a brighter, less bitter flavor.
- If you plan to save the juice for later use, refrigerate it first. Then, you can easily remove the solidified fat on the top and avoid adding excess fat to your next meal.
Chipotle Pulled Pork Frequently Asked Questions
Pork shoulder is the gold standard for pulled pork. Its fat and connective tissues break down during the slow cooking process, creating tender, flavorful, moist pulled pork.
Smoking is a classic outdoor method. However, for something simpler, equally delicious, and more convenient, you can't beat the slow cooker. Slow cooking pulled pork yields the same tender, juicy meat with less effort than smoking, and you don't have to wait for a sunny day.
If your pulled pork won't easily shred, then it hasn't been cooked long enough. While it may not be raw, pork has to be cooked for an extended period of time to achieve that super-tender, shreddable texture.
📖 Recipe
Chipotle Pulled Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
Carnitas
- 2-3 lbs Pork tenderloin or shoulder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder all spices @badiaspices
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle purée
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup apple juice
- 1 small can pineapple chunks
Plating
- 1 pack tortilla tortilla
- Purple cabbage shredded
- Pork pulled
- Sour cream
- Queso fresco
Instructions
- Place your pork tenderloin in the crock pot.
- Add all dry ingredients to a small bowl and mix.
- Pour all wet ingredients over pork, then sift your dry ingredients over.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or in high for 4-5 hours. Pork will shred easily when done.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Defrost overnight if frozen, then microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals.
- For food safety, always check your roast with a meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Your cooking time will increase if you use a pork shoulder. It needs more time for its fat and connective tissues to break down in the slow cooker.
- It's easiest to shred your pork while it's still hot. Shred the meat as soon as you're safely able to handle it.
- Both bottled and fresh lime juice can be used in this recipe. Opt for fresh if possible, as it gives a brighter, less bitter flavor.
- If you plan to save the juice for later use, refrigerate it first. Then, you can easily remove the solidified fat on the top and avoid adding excess fat to your next meal.
Juyali says
Taco night felt a little more special with this recipe. So easy to make!
Swathi says
Pineapple Chipotle Carnitas looks delicious I have made it, my family enjoyed it.
Ieva says
I absolutely love pineapple with savoury meat dishes, so I knew I would like this recipe, but I didn't know just how much. These carnitas are so so delicious! Perfectly seasoned, melt in the mouth, and simply irresistible.
Liz says
Delicious!!! This was a huge hit for dinner....we all loved the addition of pineapple!