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You are here: Home / Crockpot / Crock-pot Pork Carnitas with Traditional Chimichurri

Crock-pot Pork Carnitas with Traditional Chimichurri

May 7, 2018 by Hayley 6 Comments

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Crispy shredded pork made using the crock-pot makes this a simple weeknight dinner with minimal hands on time. Fresh and flavorful chimichurri sauce takes these pork carnitas to the next level. With just a few basic ingredients you can have a healthy, but yummy dinner on the table in no time.

carnitas on a white plate with chimichurri

When I was in college I was fortunate to get the opportunity to live in Argentina for 4 months. Learning a new language and experiencing a new culture was exciting, but we all know the real reason I went was for the food. I probably ate my body weight in empanadas and croissants.

Chimichurri is a traditional sauce in Argentina that they like putting chorizo (spice sausage) and asado (grilled meat). Living in rural Southern Missouri there isn’t really a lot of Argentine restaurants around. Which means that I have to figure out how to recreate those flavors at home!

glass bowl of chimichurri on a wooden cutting board

Many chimichurri recipes I see around the web involve mincing it in a food processor or adding onions. While there is certainly nothing wrong with doing either of those things they’re not quite traditional. For my version we are going to stick to basics. Though I do add a little cilantro because it tastes amazing with it, even though it’s not technically traditional.

For the pork carnitas all you have to do is toss everything in a crock-pot and let it cook all day. When you’re ready to eat just shred the roast and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes and viola! You got pork carnitas and now all you need to add is the chimichurri.

The best part of this recipe is it is great for leftovers. Depending on how many you are feeding you can stretch this meal out for lunch a couple of days. Perfect for those of you that meal prep! Combined with the fact that this dinner is sugar/dairy/gluten-free and you have a slam dunk.

Chimichurri being poured over pork carnitas.

Tips for making this chimichurri:

  • Use the right parsley! For chimichurri, you are looking for flat-leaf Italian parsley. Do not use curly parsley which doesn’t have a lot of taste.
  • Be sure to use an oil without a strong flavor like light tasting olive oil or avocado oil. You don’t want the oil to overwhelm the taste of your sauce.
  • Mix but don’t smash the herbs. You don’t want to crush the parsley or you will end up with a herb mush.
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carnitas on a white plate with chimichurri

Crock-pot Pork Carnitas with Chimichurri

Crispy shredded pork made using the crock-pot makes this a simple weeknight dinner. Fresh and flavorful chimichurri sauce takes this recipe to the next level. 

Course Dinner
Cuisine Argentine
Keyword crock-pot carnitas, pork carnitas, traditional chimichurri
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8 People
Calories 304 kcal
Author Hayley

Ingredients

Crockpot Pork Carnitas

  • 4lbs Pork Shoulder Roast
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Tsp Cumin
  • 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder

Traditional Chimichurri

  • 1/2 Cup Parsley Finely minced
  • 1/4 Cup Cliantro Finely minced
  • 1 Clove Garlic Finely minced
  • 1/8 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
  • 1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Light Olive Oil Or oil of choice
  • 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Instructions

Crock-pot Pork Carnitas

  1. Place roast in crock-pot fat/skin side up. Sprinkle all spices over roast and add water and apple cider vinegar to pot.

  2. Turn crock-pot on low and cook for 8 hours or 4 hours on high. Pork is done when meat falls apart easily.

  3. Shred meat when done and place in a single layer on sheet pan. Put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until pork has become crispy at the edges.

Traditional Chimichurri

  1. Finely mince parsley, cilantro, and garlic. Add to olive oil along with crushed red pepper, salt, and vinegar. Lightly mix.

  2. Serve over pork carnitas or any protein or vegetable of choice.

Recipe Notes

Pork shoulder roast is also sometimes called Boston Butt or Picnic Shoulder. Either of those cuts will work in this recipe!

You might need:

 

  • 6 Quart Crock-pot for making the carnitas.
  • Herb stripper to de-stem the parsley and cilantro quick and easy.

You may also like:

  • Crock-pot Pork Loin with Rosemary Applesauce | Paleo, Gluten Free
  • Southwest Chipotle Skillet | Paleo, Gluten Free
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Filed Under: Course, Crockpot, Dairy-Free, Diet Type, Dinner, Gluten-Free, recipe, Sugar-Free, Whole30 Tagged With: carnitas, chimichurri, crockpot, pork, whole 30

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ThrifDeeDubai

    May 8, 2018 at 2:03 am

    5 stars
    Wow never heard of this before, sounds very flavourful! Can you use beef or lamb instead?

    Reply
    • Hayley

      May 8, 2018 at 8:45 am

      Definitely! In fact beef is must more Argentine. Pork is just much cheaper where I live! I would use Chuck Roast if you want to do beef and cook it the same way.

      Reply
  2. Lauren

    May 8, 2018 at 10:39 am

    5 stars
    As per usual– I am now starving and have added this to my “list of things to make” that is a list of every blog post you have ever published! Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
    • Hayley

      May 8, 2018 at 10:42 am

      Thank you Lauren! I hope you love it!!

      Reply
  3. Kendra B

    May 8, 2018 at 10:43 am

    5 stars
    I dont think i have ever had chimichurri! However I do love Carnitas! These look incredibly yum!! Thanks for another awesome post! Pinning for later!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Hayley

      May 8, 2018 at 10:54 am

      Chimichurri is the best!! You can just pour it on everything!

      Reply

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Welcome!

Hello! I'm Hayley the author, recipe developer, and taste tester for this blog. I love creating simple, healthy recipes that everyday people can enjoy. I share recipes and the tips and tricks I have learned on my journey. I'm excited to share my meals with you! Read More…

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