I’ve made a lot of slow cooker meals and I don’t think any of them could have been described as “crispy”. When I ran across this recipe, that word alone got me. The trick here is to do a quick broil after the pork is cooked to crisp up the edges. It only takes a few minutes more than you’d spend just shredding the pork, and it really makes this feel different from other slow cooker dishes.

The meat is also really versatile. We made it into tacos, but it’d be great in any Tex-Mex dish.

Crispy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
(from Gimme Some Oven)
Serves 6

1 T. vegetable oil
1 (4-5 lb.) lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch chunks
8 oz. beer
1 large white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce
2 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper

In a large skillet over high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the pork to the pan and sear on each side until browned (about 2 minutes per side). Once seared, transfer the pork to the slow cooker.

Add remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.

After the pork is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and prepare two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheets, spreading it out evenly in a single layer. Reserve the remaining broth from the slow cooker.

Place one sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin crisping up. Remove the sheet, and use a spatula or tongs to carefully toss the pork. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the remaining slow cooker broth over the pork. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the crispy pork.

Repeat with the other baking sheet of pork.