This recipe for Shredded Pork Tenderloin Carnitas is seasoned with warming spices and chipotle peppers. Slow-cooked in a crockpot and then finished under the oven broiler, this approach results in perfectly seasoned juicy and tender pulled meat with irresistibly crispy edges. It’s the perfect filling for tacos!
I’m sure we can agree that there is something inexplicably intoxicating about carnitas. 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. Pork tenderloin is leaner and, if done right, makes an equally good carnitas taco. Don’t worry, it’s still just as fall-apart tender as the original!
In the past, I would just make carnitas roasted in a dutch oven but this is now my favorite way. To get the right texture, you have to slow roast it. The problem is 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.
The crockpot broiler combo is the magic solution. The broiler makes it perfectly crisp without the slow roast process. The prep couldn’t be simpler too. Other recipes require searing the meat first, there’s no need when you use the broiler to crisp it up after. Add everything to the crockpot the night before and then just pull it from the fridge and turn the crockpot on before leaving for work for an easy weeknight meal.
Serve tacos with a good salad with cilantro lime dressing to round out the meal. Or you can make my simple cilantro lime red cabbage taco slaw which acts as both a veggie side dish and filler for your tacos!
If you’re looking for other crockpot taco recipes, my crockpot shredded chicken tacos and are phenomenal too!
Featured Review
First time on this website but I will be back because truly Love this recipe. So tasty exactly the way it is. I love the crock pot idea to. Just throw everything in and let it do it’s thing, which it did for 6 hours and the tenderloin was perfectly tender and ready to shred. I think the broiler was an excellent idea too and the pork crisped up just enough. I also made the marinated red onions with jalapeños and that plus a few slices of mini red and yellow peppers and sour cream were the toppings we used. Delicious! This recipe is a keeper.
– David Camorali
Ingredients
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 you can quickly dump in. The image below shows what you’ll need and spices are in the following picture. A full list of ingredients is in the recipe card.
How to make pork tenderloin carnitas tacos
Using a crock pot makes this shredded pork tenderloin a breeze to make.
- Add ingredients to a crockpot
- Set to cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Lower cook time works better in my opinion since the meat has more time to simmer in it’s own juices.
- Shred the pork roast with two forks, adjust seasonings to your preference and let it simmer another half hour.
- Use slotted spoon to lay the pork out on a large baking sheet and broil the shredded taco meat until it gets crisp.
- Stir in fresh cilantro and serve right away with your favorite taco fixings!
Alternative Cooking Methods
To make pork tenderloin carnitas in the oven, place ingredients into a dutch oven. Rub the pork loin with some olive oil before placing it in the center. Bake covered at 300° F for 2.5 – 3.5 hours and then, shred and crisp on a sheet pan and follow the rest of this recipe’s instructions. Don’t be tempted to bake uncovered! The cut is too lean for this and will dry out.
To make it in an Instant Pot carnitas recipe, add ingredients to pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Let pressure cooker natural release and then shred and crisp up in oven following the rest of the recipe instructions.
Can I skip broiling at the end?
Totally! It won’t have crispy little burnt ends but it will still be delicious. The flavor is there whether it’s crispy or not. That being said, do yourself a favor and crisp it up! It will taste much better.
The texture and added flavor from the broiling is totally worth the few minutes and pan it takes to get truly crispy carnitas. Line with aluminum foil or do what I do and just soak the pan right away for easy clean up.
Storage and Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, let cool completely and freeze in airtight freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight or on defrost setting in microwave making sure to stir often.
What to use carnitas for
I use pork tenderloin carnitas on anything and everything from traditional Mexican food to omelette filling. Leftovers reheat well and it freezes fabulously making it great for meal prep. Here are some ways to use the taco meat:
- enchiladas
- burritos
- tacos, taco salads or taco bowls
- toastadas
- burrito bowls
- huevos rancheros
- omelettes or scrambles
- quesadillas (check out my easy air fryer quesadillas!)
- nachos
Pork Tenderloin Carnitas Tacos (Crockpot)
Equipment
- 1 Crockpot or slow cooker
- 1 Baking sheet or rimmed pan
- 2 Forks
Ingredients
- 2 lb. pork tenderloin (2-2.5 lbs. is best, may need two tenderloins for this)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 – 2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp., can use 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder instead)
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup light beer (Optional – I use pacifico or corona)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro (Optional)
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.
Notes
- The recipe was revised in 2016 to remove beer since it wasn’t necessary. After testing the recipe again in 2022, I added this back in as optional since I like the addition and think it helps with moisture, but the recipe is still fine without it.
- To make in an Instant Pot, add ingredients to pressure cooker and cook on high for 35 minutes. Let pressure release naturally and then shred and crisp up in oven following the rest of the recipe instructions as if it had been cooked in a crockpot.
- To make in the oven, place ingredients into a dutch oven or dish covered in foil, rubbing the pork with olive oil before placing it in the center. Bake covered at 300° F for 2.5 – 3.5 hours and then crisp on a sheet pan and follow the rest of this recipe’s instructions.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze let cool completely and freeze in airtight freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight or on defrost setting in microwave making sure to stir often.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally published in 2014, revised in May 2019 to make the beer optional and add new pictures, then revised again in February 2023 for content.
Comments & Reviews
One of our favorite go-to recipes for feeding a group and by far my favorite crock pot recipe to make. We’ve tried it so many ways, usually in tortillas, but also as a bowl on top of air fried potatoes with Cole slaw on the very top. So simple and good!
I’m cooking this tonight. I had 1/2 of a tenderloin in freezer that I took out yesterday. It’s only 1 1/2 lbs, so I’ll have to adjust the cook time I think? (slow cooker). What do you suggest?
🙂
Hi Sandy! Yes, I’d adjust the cook time. It will probably be fully cooked in 4-6 hours on low. Come back and let us know how it turned out! 🙂
This was an excellent recipe to make a change from the traditional pork tenderloin!
All of the family loved it a couple weeks ago and I just threw it in the crockpot during my break for dinner tonight. It takes a couple minutes to put together and requires no supervision during cooking! Thank you