BEST EVER SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

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A mouth-watering Mexican carnitas recipe with a special sweet addition, slow cooked for hours in a crock-pot and served with warm tortillas. After numerous attempts at perfecting the art of carnitas from scratch, this is my best recipe yet. A taste of Mexico in your very own kitchen!

Provided by SocialWorkChef

Categories     One Dish Meal

Time 6h15m

Yield 8 meat-filled tortillas, 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 lbs pork loin (Boston butt and shoulder work great. Leaner meats seem to dry out.)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
5 -6 garlic cloves, peeled with the tips chopped off
3 -4 bay leaves, broken
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 (20 ounce) bottle Coca-Cola Classic

Steps:

  • Cut the 2 lbs of pork into roughly 2 inch squares and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Pour the stick of melted butter in the slow cooker coating the meat. Do the same with the 2 Tbs of oil.
  • Break the one cinnamon stick in half and place to the sides of the meat.
  • Peel 5-6 garlic cloves, cutting the tips off, and break 3-4 bay leaves in half. Place the leaves and the garlic in the slow cooker, evenly distributed among the meat.
  • Add the 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp (or more depending on taste) red pepper flakes, sprinkling evenly across the meat.
  • Pour the 1/3 cup whole milk in the cooker, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat.
  • Add the Coca Cola, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat. Add enough to just cover the top of the meat.
  • Turn the slow cooker to the "Low" heat setting. Cook for 6 hours, stirring every few hours.
  • Once cooked, remove meat from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place in a separate large bowl. Shred the meat using two forks, and add spoonfuls of liquid from the cooker to ensure meat is moist.
  • Serve on warm tortillas, with pico de gallo, sour cream, and chopped jalapenos.

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