Recipes and Cooking Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas 3.0 (3) 2 Reviews For a low-carb dinner, stuff this homemade pork carnitas recipe inside lettuce or cabbage leaves, or for a Mexican pork dinner, spoon it into tortillas. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on December 10, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Andy Lyons Prep Time: 25 mins Slow Cook Time: 9 hrs Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 6 Yield: 12 tacos Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed 2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into three pieces ½ cup water 1 small red onion, cut into very thin wedges 12 romaine lettuce leaves or savoy cabbage leaves 1 recipe Tomato-Avocado Salsa Lime wedges and/or snipped fresh cilantro (optional) Tomato-Avocado Salsa - Low-Carb/Atkins 1 lime 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro ¼ teaspoon sea salt ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper Directions In a bowl combine the first eight ingredients (through cayenne pepper). Sprinkle half of the spice mixture all over the pork pieces; rub in with your fingers. Place roast pieces in a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Add water to cooker. Cover and cook on low 9 to 10 hours or on high 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat from slow cooker. Using two forks, coarsely shred meat; discard any fat. In a bowl toss together meat, remaining spice mixture, and the onion. Spoon meat mixture evenly onto lettuce leaves. Top with salsa. Roll leaves up around filling. If desired, serve with lime wedges and/or cilantro. Tomato-Avocado Salsa - Low-Carb/Atkins Remove 1/2 teaspoons zest and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from lime. In a bowl combine zest, juice, and remaining ingredients. Finishing Option For crisp carnitas, in a large skillet heat 1/3 cup canola oil over medium heat 2 minutes. Add half of the pork and half of the red onion. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until meat is browned and crisp on edges and onion is just tender, using a large spatula to turn meat and onion mixture once halfway through cooking. (Avoid stirring the mixture constantly or meat will not brown well.) Using a slotted spoon, remove meat and onion from oil; keep warm. Repeat with remaining meat and onion. If necessary, add additional oil for the second batch. Continue as directed in Step 3. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 261 Calories 12g Fat 8g Carbs 30g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 261 % Daily Value * Total Fat 12g 15% Saturated Fat 3g 15% Cholesterol 90mg 30% Sodium 593mg 26% Total Carbohydrate 8g 3% Total Sugars 2g Protein 30g Vitamin C 12.1mg 60% Calcium 58mg 4% Iron 3mg 17% Potassium 838mg 18% Folate, total 48.7mcg Vitamin B-12 1mcg Vitamin B-6 0.7mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.