Description

This Beef Carnitas recipe features tender, slow-cooked beef chuck roast infused with a flavorful blend of spices, bell peppers, and pineapple juice, producing juicy, shredded meat perfect for tacos, burritos, salads, or bowls. The long, low cooking method ensures melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich, savory flavors with a subtle hint of sweetness from the pineapple juice.

Ingredients

Scale

Beef

3 pounds beef chuck roast

Vegetables and Peppers

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)

Spices

1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon salt

Liquid

1½ cups pineapple juice

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Instructions

Trim and prepare the beef: Trim any excess fat from the beef chuck roast, leaving a little fat for flavor. Remove large thick fat pieces especially those not around the edges. Optionally, cut the roast into large chunks for easier handling after cooking and fat removal.
Season the beef: Place the beef roast or chunks into the slow cooker and evenly sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and salt over the beef.
Add liquids and vegetables: Pour the pineapple juice over the seasoned beef, ensuring it soaks into the spices. Layer the diced green chiles, coarsely chopped onion, and both bell peppers on top of the beef.
Slow cook the beef: Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours until the roast is very tender and can be easily pulled apart with forks.
Remove fat and shred: Spoon off any visible excess fat from the surface and discard. Remove most cooking juices and set aside. Using two forks, shred the beef directly in the slow cooker.
Adjust moisture and serve: If the shredded beef is dry, add a small amount of reserved cooking juices until desired consistency is reached. Serve as desired in tacos, burritos, salads, or bowls.

Notes

Trimming excess fat before cooking helps reduce greasiness while maintaining flavor.
This recipe uses beef chuck roast, but pork shoulder can be a suitable alternative for traditional carnitas.
If you prefer a crispier texture, you can spread the shredded beef on a baking sheet and broil it for a few minutes after shredding.
Reserve the cooking juices to adjust moisture without thinning out the flavor.
Cooking times may vary depending on your slow cooker model.