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The BEST Chipotle Carnitas Copycat Recipe (5 Minutes To Prep)

Shredded carnitas in a white bowl atop a white plate, with white rice, lime wedges, and sliced peppers. A fork is on the plate.

5 from 3 reviews

This slow cooker copycat Chipotle carnitas recipe is absolutely loaded with flavor! It combines the perfect balance of herbs with pork that gets slow-cooked until it's incredibly tender, juicy, and savory. Plus, in addition to tasting delicious, these pork carnitas are also so, so easy to make. In fact, just 5 minutes of prep time and a handful of basic ingredients are all that you'll need to whip up 'em up!

Ingredients

Scale

2 lb. pork shoulder, fat trimmed (or pork butt)

Salt and pepper, to taste

¼ cup water

1-2 small bay leaves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp whole juniper berries

Instructions

  1. Season pork shoulder generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Transfer the pork to a slow cooker.
  3. Add water, bay leaves, thyme, and juniper berries. 
  4. Cover and cook the pork on HIGH for 4-6 hours, or on LOW for 8-10 hours. 
  5. Discard juniper berries and bay leaves. 
  6. Shred the pork with two forks.
  7. For crispy edges, cook the pork in a skillet with some oil. You can omit this step and serve pork as cooked from the slow cooker.
  8. Strain the cooking juices from the slow cooker and add the juices to a bowl with the pork. Toss gently. 
  9. Serve carnitas as desired.

Nutrition

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