Juicy, crispy shredded pork tenderloin carnitas uses a leaner cut of meat than traditional recipes for healthy, delicious pork tacos made in a slow cooker.
Traditionally carnitas is made with a fatty cut of meat like pork butt or pork shoulder, and the extra fat is part of what gives it that enticing mix of juiciness and crisp concentrated flavor. The grease dripping out the backend of the taco is part of the whole experience… but it doesn’t have to be.
I think all of us pork eaters can agree that there is something inexplicably intoxicating about carnitas. It may be in part the mandatory Corona or Pacifico that goes with it, but there is something about the meat itself that is so overwhelmingly delicious that even those of us that normally are models of self control (not I obviously), can’t resist pigging out on these.
This pork tenderloin carnitas recipe reduces the guilt so you don’t have to feel like a total health-food failure as you load up taco number four.
Why make this recipe?
This pork tenderloin carnitas recipe successfully lightens things up with a healthier leaner meat. Using tenderloin helps maintain that salty pork flavor and texture that are critical elements of good pork carnitas, but this recipe has nearly half the calories as traditional carnitas.
Also, its easy with minimal prep work! Using a crock-pot makes this an easy weeknight meal since the prep can be done the night before and it can cook while you’re gone. Not to mention coming home to the smell of this will make all of your work woes quickly melt away. Trust me, carnitas therapy works.
How do you get the pork so crispy?
You may be wondering how you get the pork crispy if you use a slow cooker, and that’s where a sneaky little trick comes in. I used to avoid making crock pot meat dishes like this altogether because I’m never quite satisfied by mushy meat.
In the past, I would just make carnitas in the oven. To get the right texture, you basically have to slow roast it all day and but you can’t safely leave your oven on all day when you’re not home so this ruled out carnitas for a weeknight taco night.
Then I saw a post on Pinch of Yum that had the brilliant idea of cooking in a crock-pot and then transferring to the broiler at the end to get that crispiness. Simply brilliant! I love these kinds of tricks.
Does this meat look mushy? Definitely not! The broiler magically transforms it to be perfectly crisp without the whole slow roast process.
What ingredients do I need to make this recipe?
It is such an easy recipe to make. I’m not just saying that, it truly is. Half of the ingredients are just spices that can be quickly dumped into the crockpot.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- pork tenderloin
- salt
- pepper
- cumin
- oregano
- chli powder
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (or 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder)
- lime juice
- orange juice
- cilantro
What tools do I need to make this?
A crockpot is the main piece of equipment you need. I have this one, but any slow cooker should do. The recipe is relatively forgiving so you just might need to adjust the cooking time if yours cooks more quickly or slowly.
I got and used one of these baking sheets
, which are completely amazing. They bake evenly and clean up easily but any old baking sheet will do.
You can top these pork tenderloin carnitas tacos with whatever you want, but I highly recommend whipping up a batch of pickled red onion while you’re prepping the pork for the crock-pot the night before. They come together in 10 minutes and add a fresh zip to the tacos that you really just can’t replicate with anything else. Trust me – you won’t regret making them!
What can I use pork tenderloin carnitas for other than tacos?
Umm… anything! I use pork tenderloin carnitas on anything and everything. Plus it freezes and reheats fabulously so you can keep some leftovers on hand for quick meals further down the road
- Tacos
- Enchiladas
- Burritos
- Taco salads
- Toastadas
- Huevos rancheros
- Over polenta
- Quesadillas
- Nachos
- Casseroles
The options are so limitless I need to stop myself here before the list takes up the whole page. With only two and a half eaters in our house, there are always leftovers so I get the chance to morph the leftovers into all of these variations and each one has been delicious.
And since this recipe is a lean version of pork tenderloin carnitas, you can continue the guilt-free spree while you experiment using it in whatever you can dream up. It’s so versatile.
Can I skip broiling at the end?
Totally! It won’t have the crispy little burnt ends that we all love but it will still be absolutely delicious. The flavor is there whether it’s crispy or not. That being said, for the love of god – crisp it up! The texture and added flavor from the broiling is totally worth it.
You can line the pan with foil for easy clean up if you want but I normally just soak the pan right away and it comes right off without wasting any foil. The option is yours though.
Come back and let me know what you used your pork tenderloin carnitas in!
Pork Tenderloin Carnitas
Ingredients
- 2 lb. pork tenderloin (2-2.5 lbs. is best, may need two tenderloins for this)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 - 2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp., can use 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder instead)
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place pork tenderloins in crock-pot and sprinkle with spices. Add chilis, lime juice, and orange juice.
- Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high for about 4 hours. Pork should be easily shreddable when done.
- Use two forks to shred pork, adjust seasoning level if desired and simmer another half hour.
- Preheat broiler and transfer shredded pork to a baking sheet, spread out in a medium-thin layer, leaving any juices in the crock-pot.
- Broil on low for about 5 minutes until it starts to get crisp but is not burnt or dried out. Remove pork and toss with reserved cooking liquid to moisten.
- Stir in fresh cilantro and serve with taco fixings or over Mexican flavored rice. Taco fixing ideas: pickled red onions, queso fresco, salsa, cheese, lime, guacamole, tomato, lettuce, black olives or whatever else you prefer.
Nutrition
Do you have specifications for instant pot pressure cooking?
I haven’t tried it in the Instant Pot yet but will certainly add instructions for it when I do. Did you end up trying it? If you do, let me know how it works for you!
Great recipe! I cooked the tenderloin in the crick pot for 6 hrs. You must, must shred it and broiler. It comes out crispy but still moist.
Add fresh lime, onion and cilantro and perfection.
Thank you!
Great idea – I love your addition of lime and onion! 🙂
Have them seasoned in the pan , will put them on my pellet smker for 4-5 hours! Looking forward to this!
That sounds incredible! I hope the smoker didn’t dry them out though! Tenderloin is so lean, I’ve never tried it in the smoker. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I made my pork tenderloin in a crock pot, cut into 4 pieces, with bay leaves, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, onion, soy sauce and a small cup of water on high. We will definitely toast it in a cast-iron skillet to brown and toast.
Toasting in a cast iron skillet sounds next level delicious! Gonna have to try that soon!
Excellent, great flavors and so easy to make.
I love this recipe too! Mmm… might have to make it again next week. 🙂
Excellent !
I had one pork tenderloin so I cut the ingredients in half and rubbed on the pork. I added a little coconut oil in the bottom of my slow cooker, very small amount and put the pork tenderloin. Squeezed 1 tangerine (juice) on top. Put the lid on and cooked it on low for 5.5 hours. When I was ready I shredded it and through it in my cast iron pan to really brown it. It was perfect. My husband and I loved it. He took the rest this morning on his sandwich. I did not have any Cilantro so I used a couple tsp dried. This was perfect. Will definitely do again. Thank you !
Woohoo! You’ve inspired me to make it again this week! I love the idea of using a cast iron skillet too – definitely giving that a go. 🙂
This is my go-to carnitas recipe. Definitely better with beer rather than water 🙂 So good and I like that it uses a leaner cut of pork.
So happy to hear it! I love this one too! 🙂
Can I use a boneless pork loin instead of a tenderloin?!
I don’t think it would be the same but might work okay. A pork loin is a completely different cut of meat than a tenderloin and I’m honestly not sure how well it shreds. If you try it report back and let the rest of us know how it worked!
This was just amazing. I used the big crockpot, and somehow bought a package of 2 1lb tenderloins in it. I mixed all the dry ingredients and made a rub. I put both pieces in the bottom of the pot and they fit perfectly. I then added in the other wet ingredients, but I only used a half cup of beer. The meat was blocking all the goodness right in the middle so I moved the pork until all the OJ and beer was level at the bottom. It never covered more than 1/4 of the meat. After about 8 hours I checked with a fork and they fell apart. The meat soaked up all of it perfectly. To crisp it up a bit I do it like it’s stir fry right on the stove. This is the real deal, so good!
Love that stir fry idea for getting it crispier! Can’t wait to try it!
This was delicious! Everyone loved it! I didn’t have as much time so I cooked it on high for two hours and it turned out great! We ate it with rice, black beans, and salsa: Chipotle style 🙂
Glad to hear everyone loved it Natalie! Also, thanks for the tip on cooking for 2 hours. I love eating this pulled pork chipotle style too! Sooo good and easy to do as pre-made lunches for work. 🙂
FYI queso fresco and cotija are 2 different cheeses.
Yes, yes they are! Not sure why I put them as an either or in the recipe. This has been updated. 🙂
When do you use the cup of water or beer?
Hi Becca – Add the water (or beer) in at the same time as the rest of the ingredients as you’re starting the crockpot. Sorry for the typo there – just fixed it!
Leave it out. Any of the test kitchen-type places will tell you that very little liquid is needed when cooking meat in a slow cooker. And if you don’t believe them, believe me: I can put a half cup of liquid in with a 3lb roast, and when it’s done, the liquid covers the meat . Cooking in the slow cooker with the meat covered in liquid results, perhaps counter-intuitively, in dry, tasteless meat.
Thanks for the tip Gerry! I’ll definitely try that next time and see how it turns out.
Yep that is what happened to me! Now I have 6lbs of tasteless pork. Do you think I could add all if these ingredients and cook it again?
Aww, that’s too bad! Thank you so much for letting me know. It turned out great for me but its been awhile since I’ve made this recipe so I’ll try it again without the beer and edit the recipe if needed. I wouldn’t re-cook and would just add more seasoning to the cooked pork.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe for dinner this evening. However, with the leftovers (because we’re going out of town), what do you think about freezing the meat once it has been broiled? Do you think it will preserve well?
Yes, I have frozen it several times and it worked great. It will be less crispy after you reheat it, but still tasty!