My kids are in school now, which means I have quiet, productive mornings and crazy busy evenings. Getting meals cooked and ready in the midst of all that craziness can be tricky. Enter my trusty crockpot. I can put all the ingredients in the pot in the morning, and be ready for family dinners in the evening. This is my newest experiment with crockpot dinners, and I think it was a huge success. These crockpot carnitas are a fun spin on taco Tuesday, and you won’t have to put in any extra effort cooking. The ingredients are affordable too, which is always a bonus in my book.

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blue plate of tortillas filled with carnitas

EASY CROCKPOT CARNITAS

LOCATING THE SMITHFIELD PORK TENDERLOINS AT THE STORE

smithfield-slow-roasted-golden-rotisserie-flavor

Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield® Marinated Pork. The opinions and text are all mine.

You can use any pork tenderloin for this recipe, but I like getting the Smithfield marinated tenderloins because they have additional flavor and spices built right in. That saves me time when I am prepping the pork to go into the crockpot. You can find the Smithfield pork products in the meat case with the other cuts of pork — they come in roasts, loin filets, and tenderloins. Check your areas for local stores, but you can find them at most Kroger stores.

SERVING THE CARNITAS

I served my carnitas in blackened tortillas that are so simple to make. If you have an electric stove, heat the tortillas, one at a time, in a non-stick pan. If you have a gas stove, hold them with tongs and place them over the fire from your burner. Place them in a tortilla warmer or on a plate covered with a pot lid until it is time to eat. If you have leftovers, the carnita meat is also good on top of nacho chips, mixed in soups, or served over rice.

I also made a quick fresh pico de gallo using onion, tomato, jalapeno, lime juice, garlic, and salt. You could add some cilantro into your pico, but I am one of those weirdos who think cilantro tastes like soap. The tacos don’t really need anything other than the pico, but you can add your favorite taco toppings if you would like.

My husband and daughter really loved this recipe, but it was a bit too spicy for my son. If you or your family are sensitive to spiciness, you can cut down on the amount of chipotle in adobo you add in. Just don’t eliminate it completely because it adds such delicious flavor to the pork.

HOW TO MAKE CARNITAS IN YOUR CROCKPOT

Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield® Marinated Pork. The opinions and text are all mine.

Watch this short video to see how I cooked up the delicious carnitas using Smithfield Slow Roasted Golden Rotisserie Marinated Fresh Pork Tenderloin. Don’t forget to pop over and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this! I have an entire playlist of delicious and easy recipes that I am sure you will love.

Crock Pot Carnitas

Ingredients

Smithfield Marinated Slow Roasted Golden Rotisserie Pork Tenderloin
1/2 large onion diced
1/2 cup chipotle in adobo chopped
2 T. garlic powder
1/2 T. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of one lime

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to the crockpot. Cook on low for 7 hours.
Shred the pork and return to the crockpot for another hour.
Spread the meat on a baking sheet, leaving the juices in the crockpot. Bake in a 500-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Return the crockpot to keep warm.Serve in tortillas, over chips, or over rice.

You might like these other crockpot recipes:

CROCK POT BREAKFAST BURRITOS

CROCK POT BEEF AND MUSHROOMS

CROCK POT CARNITAS

EASY CROCKPOT CARNITAS