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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Slow Cooker Carnitas Street Tacos

    Modified: Jun 4, 2025 · Published: Mar 27, 2018 by Brandy · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    These slow cooker street tacos take just minutes to prepare! The deliciously seasoned carnitas simmer to perfection in the slow cooker. When you are ready to eat simply serve in a warm corn tortilla and top with shredded lettuce, avocados, cilantro, tomatoes and cojita cheese. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.


    Thursday is Mexican night in our home. The kids look forward to it every week! Enchiladas, tacos, rice bowls, or taco salad, we love it all!

    My favorite way to prepare the meat for our Mexican dishes is in the slow cooker. My Instant Pot works too, but I still find myself going back to my slow cooker for shredded pork perfection.

    Have you tried the Smithfield Seasoned Carnitas Boneless Pork Shoulder from Walmart? I love how they are already seasoned and ready to cook.  It's no revelation that I love Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork. I've shared recipes using them multiple times and buy them on a regular basis for my family. We even used them while traveling across the country in our RV!

    Here is a quick and easy-to-prepare recipe for the BEST carnitas to use in street tacos. We had these last Thursday and they were a hit!

    Slow Cooker Street Tacos

    (scroll down for printable recipe)

    Prep Time: under 30 minutes

    Slow Cooker Time: 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.

    Ingredients:

    1 (1 ½ lb.) Smithfield Seasoned Carnitas Boneless Pork Shoulder

    ½ c. water

    16 corn tortillas

    shredded lettuce/cabbage

    tomatoes, diced

    avocados, diced

    lime wedges

    Cojita cheese

    cilantro for garnish

    Directions:

    Place Smithfield Seasoned Carnitas Boneless Pork Shoulder in a slow cooker. Add water. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Shred meat.

    Wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds or until warm. (I like buying the uncooked corn tortillas in the refrigerator section and cooking them on the stove. After cooking I wrap them in damp paper towels to keep them soft until ready to serve.)

    Fill each corn tortilla with carnitas and any other toppings you'd like. Street tacos are the perfect combination of simple toppings and bold flavors. I love squeezing lime and sprinkling with cilantro and Cojita cheese.

    Slow cooker carnitas street tacos take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Let the pork slow cook all day for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
    One roast is plenty to serve our family and there are usually leftovers for me to have for lunch---BONUS!

    My kids love cilantro lime rice and beans as a side dish with our street tacos so I'll usually make a rice bowl with the leftover carnitas and rice the next day.

    Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork is 100% fresh pork, made with all-natural ingredients, and takes about 30 minutes to cook (unless using a slow cooker). We've grilled, roasted, and slow-cooked it and have had great results every time! Perfect any night for a hassle-free meal.

    Slow Cooker Street Tacos

    Slow cooker carnitas street tacos take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Let the pork slow cook all day for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

    Slow Cooker Street Tacos

    These slow cooker street tacos take just minutes to prepare! The deliciously seasoned carnitas simmer to perfection in the slow cooker. When you are ready to eat simply serve in a warm corn tortilla and top with shredded lettuce, avocados, cilantro, tomatoes and cojita cheese.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 hours hours
    Total Time: 5 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 305kcal
    Author: Brandy Nelson
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    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ lb. Smithfield Seasoned Carnitas Boneless Pork Shoulder
    • ½ cup water
    • 16 corn tortillas
    • shredded lettuce/cabbage
    • tomatoes diced
    • avocados diced
    • lime wedges
    • Cojita cheese
    • cilantro for garnish

    Instructions

    • Place Smithfield Seasoned Carnitas Boneless Pork Shoulder in a slow cooker. Add water.
    • Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Shred meat.
    • Wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds or until warm.
    • Fill each corn tortilla with carnitas and any other toppings you'd like.

    Notes

    Instant Pot version: place pork and water on the trivet in your Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes then do a quick release of pressure.
    Calories are calculated for pork and corn tortillas. 2 tacos per serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 305kcal
    Tried this Recipe? Like it Today!Mention @Gluesticksblog or tag #gluesticksblog!

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    About Brandy

    Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

    Comments

    1. Brandy says

      May 30, 2025 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      I've made this recipe many times and it really does make the best leftovers and meal prep for pork salads, tacos and bowls.

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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