Tender and juicy beef carnitas is slow-cooked with bell peppers, onion, and green chiles until perfectly shreddable and ready to be devoured.
Why this recipe works
Beef carnitas is really simple to make. Place the beef in the crockpot along with the other ingredients, then let it do its thing in the slow cooker for around 7-8 hours. We love nothing more than a set-it-and-forget-it kind of meal, especially when hosting!
Carnitas translates to little meats, most notably roasted or braised pork, which is typically shredded. While we absolutely love pork carnitas, we’ll never miss an opportunity to put a well-marbled chuck roast to good use.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
BEEF – Chuck roast is our go-to for slow cooker beef carnitas. The fat marbling adds so much flavor!
SEASONING – We use garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and salt but feel free to substitute with your favorite spice blend. Cajun seasoning, rib rub, or all purpose seasoning are other great options.
PINEAPPLE JUICE – The pineapple juice helps break down the meat as it cooks leaving you with tender, juicy beef. You won’t even realize pineapple juice is added flavor-wise.
CHILES – Green chiles are another flavor component. You can substitute with chopped jalapeno if desired.
How to Make Beef Carnitas
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Trim any excess fat from the roast. Don’t completely get rid of all the fat, leaving some helps with the flavor!
- Place roast in the crock of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and salt.
TIP – Instead of placing the roast in whole, you can cut it into large chunks. This will also make it easier for you to remove any excess fat that is not around the edges of the roast.
- Drizzle pineapple juice over the seasonings on the roast.
- Cover roast with diced green chiles, then add the coarsely chopped onion and both bell peppers.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until roast is very tender.
- Spoon off any excess fat and discard. Remove most of the juice and set the juices aside (in case you need to add some back in).
- Use two forks to shred the meat. When finished, if you feel it is too dry, you can add some of the reserved juices back in.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Can you freeze beef carnitas?
Yes, beef carnitas freeze well. To do so, place the cooled beef in a large ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. I would recommend drizzling some of the juices over the beef before freezing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the crockpot or in a saucepan over medium-low heat on the stovetop.
How do you store leftover beef carnitas?
Store cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat with some of the juices.
Can you make beef carnitas ahead of time?
Because this is a slow cooker beef carnitas recipe, you technically will be making it in advance already – but if you want to go the extra mile I would suggest prepping all the ingredients the night before so it’s even quicker to dump them into the crockpot when the time comes.
Serving Suggestions
Pile your beef carnitas into your vehicle of choice such as corn tortillas (or homemade flour tortillas), burrito shells, enchiladas, bowls, salads, or baked potatoes. It’s even fantastic over a big plate of nachos.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 large red bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 medium onion coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces diced green chiles 1 can
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
Things You’ll Need
6 qt Crockpot
Before You Begin
- We use garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and salt but feel free to substitute with your favorite spice blend. Cajun seasoning, rib rub, or all purpose seasoning are other great options.
- The pineapple juice helps break down the meat as it cooks leaving you with tender, juicy beef. You won’t even realize pineapple juice is added flavor-wise.
- Green chiles are a flavor component. You can substitute with chopped jalapeno if desired.
Instructions
Trim any excess fat from the roast. Don’t completely get rid of all the fat, leaving some helps with the flavor!
Place roast in the crock of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and salt.TIP – Instead of placing the roast in whole, you can cut it into large chunks. This will also make it easier for you to remove any excess fat that is not around the edges of the roast.
Drizzle pineapple juice over the seasonings on the roast.
Cover roast with diced green chiles, then add the coarsely chopped onion and both bell peppers.
Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until roast is very tender.
Spoon off any excess fat and discard. Remove most of the juice and set the juices aside (in case you need to add some back in).
Use two forks to shred the meat. When finished, if you feel it is too dry, you can add some of the reserved juices back in.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Pile your beef carnitas into your vehicle of choice such as corn or flour tortillas, burrito shells, enchiladas, bowls, salads, or baked potatoes. It’s even fantastic over a big plate of nachos.
- Store cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat with some of the juices.
- Freezing – place the cooled beef in a large ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. I would recommend drizzling some of the juices over the beef before freezing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the crockpot or in a saucepan over medium-low heat on the stovetop.
- You can prep all the ingredients the night before so it’s even quicker to dump them into the crockpot when the time comes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 359cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1088mg | Potassium: 791mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1066IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 5mg
