Crockpot Carnitas + Baked Taquitos
My husband and I make Carnitas using a chuck roast or pork shoulder (whichever is available at the grocery store) to make taquitos at least once a week, and it is one of our favorite easy weeknight meals. We can also use it to make tacos, taco bowls, burritos, or quesadillas. Even sliders would be a great option! It takes less than five minutes to prep, and then I toss it in the slow cooker in the morning, and by dinnertime all I have to do is shred. It always turns out mouthwateringly tender and is basically falling apart when I take it out of the slow cooker. This doesn’t even need a recipe because it’s so simple, but here it is anyway.
Ingredients:
2.5-3 pounds chuck roast or pork shoulder
Kosher salt
1 cup chicken or beef broth
Directions:
Cut meat into four large equal pieces *This part is important. I’ve forgotten to do this before and the meat does not come out as tender but instead is tough and hard to shred, so don’t forget to do this!!
Season each piece with salt on all sides
Place in slow cooker along with the cup of chicken/beef broth
Cook on low for 8 hours
Remove meat from crockpot, and shred using a fork.
*I’ve also cooked this in my Instant Pot before and it turned out just as good! I followed the same directions but cooked on 45 minutes for 2.5 pounds and an hour for 3 pounds and did a natural release.
**You can add more spices like cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, etc if you want, but I like to keep it simple, because in my opinion, it doesn’t need it! Plus I like adding hot sauce, guac, and additional toppings at the end.
***2.5-3 pounds makes a LOT of shredded meat. Since it’s only the two of us, we usually end up having leftovers for days… which I love!
For Taquitos:
Spread a small portion of meat and a little bit of shredded cheese evenly onto a *corn or flour tortilla. Carefully wrap the tortillas, and place seam side down in a sprayed baking dish.
Spray the top of the taquitos with nonstick spray. (I also like to top them with a little bit of the juices leftover in the crockpot.) Broil in oven until taquitos are golden brown. For me, this takes about 5 minutes, but every oven is different.
Flip taquitos over and broil other side until golden brown.
Serve with hot sauce, guacamole, jalapeños, sour cream or any other toppings you desire. My husband and I usually are full after two taquitos (each) and love having tortilla chips on the side.
*Corn tortillas are a bit more difficult because they tend to break if you’re not extremely careful but the end result is amazing and gluten free! I’ve found microwaving the corn tortillas for about 15-20 seconds makes them easier to work with. Flour tortillas are much easier to fold, but sadly not GF.
