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I have a confession.
I really don’t like my slow cooker.
Maybe it is just my very cheap, one setting crockpot or maybe I just hate cleaning out the huge bowl. Yeah, that’s probably it. I dread cleaning out that bowl.
Seriously though, the slow cooker is kind of a pain. At least for me anyway.
See, I have to take pictures in natural light. In order for me to properly cook food in a slowcooker I have two options for having it done during daylight hours.
One: Start the slowcooker before bed. This would seem like a good option, but somehow I ALWAYS forget to actually start the slowcooker. Seriously, I’ll make mental notes and I still can’t remember to take the thing out of the fridge (I normally prep it earlier) and flip the switch.
I know. It’s really not that hard.
Option two: Cook the food one day, shoot the food the next.
This option seems to work for me, but it takes more time and effort than I would like. I mean the idea of the crockpot it that it is supposed to be easy breezy. But I am impatient and I want to see my end product, not wait a day and half for it.
Also, everything I seem to cook in the crockpot know one likes (these carnitas are obviously not included), but that could just be because my family is super picky and really not fired up on anything other than steak, burritos and anything with buffalo sauce.
Seeing as everyone else out there seems to LOVE the slow cooker though, I gave it another try. Plus, Carnitas are the perfect crockpot meal. Ten hours of cooking time screams CROCKPOT!
I still think it’s kind of a pain, but these Carnitas were so good! Mexican food at its best! I slow cooked them in Mexican beer and spicy taco like seasonings. It. Is. Good.
I switched things up a bit and did a burrito bowl instead of the traditional taco. Really no one needs to see yet another carnitas taco recipe. And carnitas over rice, loaded with Pico de Gallo, cheddar cheese, guacamole and then stuffed into a spicy, crunchy tortilla bowl are just, well … one awesome fiesta!
Making the tortilla bowls are really simple. You just need a medium size oven safe bowl. All you do you is season the tortillas, drape them over the bowl and use your hand to mold them around the bowl and them bake for about ten minutes. Done.
Once the carnitas are cooked, just filled the bowls with some rice, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, carnitas, cheddar and a whole lot of guac. The more guac the better, obviously. Then just break into that sucker and enjoy.
Oh and one last thing. Leftover carnitas are awesome to have around. Awesome! I have been serving up leftovers on pizza (oh yes, loaded with cheese and more avocado), sandwiches and just over rice. Depending on how many people you are feeding, you could have your lunch set for the week. Score!
Crockpot Carnitas Tortilla Burrito Bowl
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 2025 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
Carnitas
- 5-6 pounds pork shoulder roast or butt
- 1 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (12 ounce) mexican beer
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 in large or 2 small chipotle chiles adobo minced
Rice
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime juiced
Tortilla Bowls
- 4 inch whole wheat tortillas 6-8
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pico De Gallo
- 2 cups tom tom or cherry tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 avocado halved, pitted, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 lime juiced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- pinch of sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Begin with the Carnitas. Combine seasonings (salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, chipotle chili powder, oregano, cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder) together in a bowl and mix until combined. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Rub the pork all over with a about 1/3 of the seasonings. Once hot, add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side).
- Add pork to the crockpot and sprinkle with remaining seasonings all over. Pour in beer, orange juice, lime juice and chipotle chilies, then cook on low for 10-12 hours. Check once or twice if possible. Before serving, use forks or kitchen tongs to shred pork in the crock pot. Mix to combine with the remaining liquid in the crockpot. Keep warm until ready to use.
- Make the tortilla bowls. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds. Rub each tortilla with a little olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle each tortilla with a little bit of the seasonings. Gently press the tortilla (seasoned side down) around the outside of an oven safe bowl. Place the bowl on a baking sheet and place in the oven an bake for about 10 minutes or until browned and crisp. I only had 2 oven safe bowls, so I made two bowls and then made two more. If you are using only one bowl, repeat until your have four tortilla bowls. Set aside.
- For the pico de gallo, in a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon salt with the pinch of sugar. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes gently with the salt mixture. Add onion and jalapeno and combine. Place the avocado on top of the tomato mixture and squeeze with lime juice to coat the avocado. Sprinkle on the cilantro, and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon salt with the pinch of sugar. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes gently with the salt mixture. Add onion and jalapeno and combine. Place the avocado on top of the tomato mixture and squeeze with lime juice to coat the avocado. Sprinkle on the cilantro, and stir to combine.
- Toss the rice, the cilantro and lime juice. Keep warm.
- To assemble divide the rice evenly among 4 individual tortilla bowls. Top with some of the pico de gallo and shredded lettuce and then add the warm carnitas. Sprinkle on the cheese, and spoon a dollop of the guacamole on top. Finish with the chopped cilantro.
Ok, now go break our your crock pot!
Sooo if 10-12 hours is cutting it a little late in the day (I am starting late whoops!) How long would it cook on high?
Thank you!
Hey there,
I would do 5-6 hours on high. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Could I use chicken instead?
Hey Joanna,
Yes, chicken will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
so good! Made this for dinner tonight!
Amazing! Thank you so much! xTieghan
1 ounce mexican beer 12 (what does this mean? How many oz please?
HI! You need ONE (12-ounce) beer. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this a few times with slight alterations (used chicken broth instead of beer. Also added more broth and used chicken to make an awesome tortilla soup.
Try using Reynolds Slow Cooker bags. Total game changes cause they make clean up so easy!!
Thank you Christina! xTieghan
Typically I like most of Tieghan’s recipes but this one was disappointing. As I was prepping the carnitas, I thought that it needed something else but decided to follow the recipe anyway. Unfortunately, it came out very bland – we loved the burrito bowl but the carnitas we’re lacking so much flavor. My husband was unimpressed and suggested that we turn our leftovers into pulled pork sandwiches and add BBQ sauce.
Sorry this was not for you.
I made the pork over the weekend and served the tortilla bowls Monday. After removing and shredding the pork, I let the juice sit so the fat congealed on the top and was easy to remove. These did not taste greasy at all. I only had a bottle of porter (hardly Mexican) so the pork probably had a darker taste and look. Next time I will use a lighter beer. The rub was good, the meat delicious (done in 7 hours in my slow cooker), the juice robust and the tortilla bowls totally delicious. I did not have any oven safe bowls so I put foil over a bowl, formed the tortilla around it and baked it over the foil shape as directed. It worked perfectly! We enjoyed these immensely and are looking to another round with the leftovers in the freezer. Delicious and thanks!
Ah sounds delish!! So happy you liked it! Good to know the tin foil worked worked!
Thank you for making them!!
Hi Tieghan, Carnitas look amazing, I am making this for sure, I have two growing man ( kids) who are always… I mean always looking for food, so I am always looking to make something quick, easy & delicious, this looks like it.
Can I use a different beer??? we are not beer drinkers, but we do have some Coors leftover from someone, or do I need to get “The Mexican Beer” ? I will be checking out all your recipes
Yes, this is a perfect easy recipe for everyone! Having brothers I can understand how much growing boys eat!! Anyway, coors will work great. No need to go buy anything else. I hope you and your family love these! Let me know if you’ve any other questions, thanks!
Love my crockpot. I highly you look into purchasing crockpot liners. Absoutely no mess. Pop in the liner and than toss it when you are done. All you need to do is clean the bowl out with soap and water. I refuse to use my crockpot without them. Reynolds Wrap makes them.
Thanks so much!! I will look for those!
I know what you mean with the crockpot, I use it a lot for soups & casseroles but a lot of recipes I see for the crockpot I would rather cook the old fashioned way, after all the end result is what counts & I find some things like chicken end up stringy. I will be trying this recipe though, looks perfect for the crockpot, we call it a slow cooker in Australia.
Thank you so much, Gayle! I hope you love it!
Hi Tieghan thanks for sharing at Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party you can link back to us at http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com thanks!
Thanks so much Cindy! I love linking up every week!
Crockpot liners totally solved the clean up problem for me — but doesn’t solve the problem of turning the thing on if it is not programmable. Or the photo shoot timing. Unfortunately! However your photos are once again amazing and so is the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing on Busy Monday!
LOL! Thank you Charlene!