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5.0 from 3 votes

Crispy Carnitas with Summer Corn Salsa

If you're a taco lover, these crispy summer carnitas tacos are for you. Crispy pulled pork in a warm tortilla, topped with refreshing, crisp sweet corn salsa and an herby jalapeño crema drizzled on top. So delicious and flavorful!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
8 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 8 to 12
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 4 pound pork shoulder, cut into pieces
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoons fresh grated lime zest
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • ½ cup beer or ginger ale
  • corn tortillas, for serving
  • crumbled cotija cheese, for topping
corn salsa
  • 4 ears corn, kernels cut from the cob
  • 1 mango, diced
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • kosher salt and pepper
jalapeño crema
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and diced
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro
  • kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper liberally. Add the pork and sear on all sides until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Place the pork in the slow cooker with paprika, garlic powder, onions, garlic, lime zest and juice. Add the beer or ginger ale. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 6 hours.
  2. Once finished, lift the pork pieces out of the slow cooker. Don’t dump the juice!
  3. Shred the pork with a fork - it should shred easily. Place it on a sheet pan. Before serving the pork, I like to crisp it up in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  4. Strain the liquid from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of the liquid over the pork on the sheet pan.
  5. To do this, I spread the shredded pork in a large baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing the pork with a fork every 10 minutes. You don’t HAVE to do this step, but it really helps it taste like authentic carnitas.
  6. To assemble the tacos, warm the tortillas and place the crisp pork on top. Top with the corn salsa, the crema and sprinkling of cotija cheese. Enjoy!
corn salsa
  1. Combine all ingredients with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and season more if needed. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
jalapeño crema
  1. Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with more salt, pepper or lime if needed. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to use.