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Carnitas Sliders

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By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Dec 30, 2024
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When you think about Mexican cuisine, one of the standout dishes that likely comes to mind is carnitas. This deliciously seasoned, slow-cooked pork shoulder dates back centuries and has rich cultural significance.

Carnitas, meaning "little meats" in Spanish, uses a traditional French cooking technique that was brought to Mexico from Spain. Carnitas was traditionally cooked in large copper pots over an open flame, which allowed the meat to simmer in its own fat until it was fork-tender and crispy. This style of cooking is based on the French method known as “confit.” Over time, the technique evolved, but the essence of what makes carnitas special—a balance of tenderness and crispiness—remained unchanged. For our slow-cooker version of carnitas, we brown the pork in a skillet before adding to the slow-cooker to add plenty of seared flavor, while using a more simplified cooking technique.

Whether you're hosting a large gathering or simply doing meal prep to prepare for busy weeknight dinners at home, carnitas are an excellent choice. Because carnitas are typically prepared in large batches, they are an excellent choice for feeding a crowd, making them an ideal dish for parties, family celebrations, and casual get-togethers. Tucking them into sliders makes them a snackable treat just perfect for big groups.

How to Make Carnitas Sliders

Want to know how to make our carnitas sliders? Happy to oblige! We’ll cover the high points, but keep reading to find the full recipe below.

Brown the Pork Shoulder

Brown the pork shoulder on all sides in a nonstick skillet. It’s probably tempting to skip this step and just throw everything in the slow cooker, but it’s arguably the most important step. Searing the pork first adds tons of flavor and texture that you simply can’t achieve in the moist environment of the slow cooker alone.

Add the Liquids and Seasonings, and Cook

Pour the broth, orange juice and zest, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper over the seared pork in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook on Low until the pork is meltingly tender. The meat should easily pull apart with a fork.

Shred the Pork

Put the pork on a cutting board (preferably one with a handy “juice groove”) and shred. Get rid of any bigger pieces of fat and gristle. Toss with a cup of the strained cooking liquid and a couple tablespoons of lime juice to perk up the sauce.

Assemble the Sliders

Spoon some of the pork mixture evenly onto each slider bun and top with avocado slices, crumbled queso fresco, and chopped cilantro. Then serve with lime wedges, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

More Pulled Pork Recipes

These carnitas sliders will be the star of your party, but if you want more pulled pork recipes, look no further!

Pulled Pork Tomato Mole Enchiladas are a great way to use up the left over pulled pork you may have from making the carnitas sliders.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Chili uses chunks of pork shoulder braised with tomatoes, beans, chiles, and seasonings in the slow-cooker for an easy, flavorful chili that takes just 20 minutes of prep, then simmers away ‘til dinner while you’re at work.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Jerk Pork Sandwiches are full-sized sandwiches with a Jamaican vibe. With cola, barbecue sauce, and Jamaican jerk seasoning, they’re a fun, spicy change to your normal pulled pork sandos.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Stew with Corn is inspired by Mexican red pozole. This easy slow-cooker dish is filling and flavorful – and it makes a lot, so it’s great for entertaining. Or enjoy the leftovers for lunch for several days after you make it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Best Toppings for Carnitas?

Our carnitas sliders are inspired by carnitas-stuffed tacos. We topped our sliders with sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, and cilantro, but feel free to make these your own. Add other standard carnitas taco toppings, like shredded Monterey Jack cheese, thinly shredded green cabbage, finely chopped raw white onion, pico de gallo, and Mexican crema or sour cream.

What Cut of Meat is Best for Carnitas?

Pork shoulder works best for this recipe, since its tough, fatty structure makes it perfect for cooking slow and low. Other leaner cuts of pork would dry out too fast and wouldn’t shred easily into the desired shape and texture.

We used a 3- to 4-pound boneless pork butt for this recipe. The "butt" or "Boston butt" and the "picnic shoulder" both come from the pork shoulder, and either cut can be used for this recipe. We opted for the boneless version since it’s less of a hassle to shred after cooking. You can use a bone-in pork shoulder if you’d like. Bone-in cuts are more flavorful, but take up more space in the slow cooker and take longer to shred. If using a bone-in cut, buy a larger piece of meat to account for the weight of the bone.

What is the Difference Between Pulled Pork and Carnitas?

All carnitas are made of pulled pork, but just any pulled pork can’t stand in for carnitas. The traditional approach to making carnitas involves slowly cooking fatty pork shoulder (with some other oil or fat if desired) so that it gently fries in its own fat, resulting in meltingly tender shredded pork with some crispy bits where the pulled pork browns on the bottom of the pan. For our easy approach, we sear the pork shoulder in a skillet to get that crispy, browned exterior, then transfer the pork to a slow cooker for a hands-off slow and low braise to perfection. And while plenty of cultures make delicious pulled pork (think vinegary Carolina barbecue sandwiches or soy- and gochujang-laced bossam), the mix of flavors like cumin, oregano, garlic, onion, and fresh citrus, like orange and lime juice make carnitas feel like carnitas.

Carnitas Sliders

  • Prep Time 45 min
  • Total 7 hr 45 min
  • Servings 16
  • Ingredients 17
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Ingredients

Pork

  • 1 boneless pork shoulder (3 to 4 lb), trimmed
  • 1/2 cup from 1 carton (32 oz) Progresso™ Classic Chicken Broth
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, cut in thin strips
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

To serve

  • 16 slider buns, split and toasted if desired
  • 4 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • Lime wedges, if desired

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook pork shoulder over medium-high heat 8 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until seared on all sides. Place pork in slow cooker.
  • Step 
    2
    In small bowl, mix broth, orange juice and zest, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour over pork in slow cooker. Top with onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
  • Step 
    3
    Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker to cutting board with juice groove or to large bowl. Shred pork, discarding any large pieces of fat.
  • Step 
    4
    Strain cooking liquid; discard vegetables. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and the lime juice to 4 cups of the shredded pork; mix well. Cover and refrigerate any additional shredded pork for another use.
  • Step 
    5
    Spoon pork mixture evenly onto slider buns; top each with 1/4 avocado (3 to 4 slices), 1 tablespoon queso fresco, and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition

370 Calories
20g Total Fat
25g Protein
20g Total Carbohydrate
3g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Slider
Calories
370
Calories from Fat
180
Total Fat
20g
31%
Saturated Fat
6g
30%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
65mg
22%
Sodium
690mg
29%
Potassium
530mg
15%
Total Carbohydrate
20g
7%
Dietary Fiber
3g
13%
Sugars
3g
Protein
25g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
4%
4%
Vitamin C
10%
10%
Calcium
10%
10%
Iron
10%
10%
Exchanges:
1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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