Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas
Slow cooker beef carnitas made with chuck roast, orange, lime, cumin and oregano, shredded and broiled until the edges crisp. Serve in lettuce cups or low carb tortillas.
Carnitas are all about crispy edges on tender, shredded meat. This beef version uses a well-marbled chuck roast, cooked slowly with orange, lime, garlic, cumin and oregano until it falls apart.
The finishing step is what makes it carnitas: the shredded beef goes under the broiler with some of its juices until the edges crisp. The orange juice is the main carb source, at about 4g net carbs per serving.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas
- Juicy, citrusy beef with crispy edges.
- The slow cooker does almost all the work.
- Great for tacos, bowls and salads all week.
- Freezes well for quick dinners.
What You’ll Need
- Beef chuck roast
- Cut into chunks so it cooks evenly and shreds easily.
- Orange and lime juice
- Brighten the beef. The orange adds a little sweetness.
- Cumin, oregano and chili powder
- The classic carnitas spices.
- Garlic and onion
- Build flavour in the cooking liquid.
- Olive oil
- Drizzled over before broiling to help it crisp.
How This Recipe Comes Together
The beef is rubbed with spices and cooked on low for eight hours with onion, garlic, citrus juice and broth. Then it is shredded, spread on a sheet pan with some of the cooking juices and a little oil, and broiled until the edges catch and crisp.
Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas
- Prep
- 15 MIN
- Cook
- 8 HRS 10 MIN
- Total
- 8 HRS 25 MIN
- Serves
- 8
01Ingredients
02Method
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0 OF 5 DONE03Recipe notes
- 01Per serving: 4g net carbs, 34g protein, 32g fat, 450 calories. Calculated from the ingredient list using USDA data.
04Nutrition
Per serving- Calories
- 450
- Protein
- 34G
- Net carbs
- 4G
- Fat
- 32G
- Fiber
- 1G
Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber. Numbers are estimates from the ingredients listed.
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What to Serve With It
Pile into butter lettuce cups or low carb tortillas with cilantro, onion, avocado and lime. It is also great over cauliflower rice with salsa.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze in portions with some juices for up to 3 months. Re-crisp in a hot skillet before serving.
FAQs
Can I leave out the orange juice?
Yes. It lowers the carbs slightly, but the flavour is flatter.
Can I use brisket?
Yes, though chuck gives the juiciest result.
Are these keto?
At about 4g net carbs a serving, yes, when served in lettuce cups or over cauliflower rice.
Crockpot & Slow Cooker
Crockpot & Slow Cooker
Crockpot & Slow Cooker
