This fork-tender salsa verde pork with smokey cumin, tender onions, and tangy lime juice is an effortless Mexican crockpot recipe. Served in burrito bowls, or as salsa verde tacos, it’s a saucy way to spice up your Taco Tuesdays!
Why You’ll Love This Salsa Verde Pork
- Effortless: You don’t even need to sear the pork if you’re not up for it. Let the crockpot do all the hard work for you!
- Flavorful: This juicy, salsa-loaded pork dinner is so tender and flavorful! Each bite is packed with traditional Mexican ingredients like tangy salsa verde, tender onions, zesty lime, cumin and garlic.
- Easy Clean-Up: Since you only need one pan and your crockpot, there’s very little tidying up to do!
- Versatile: Serve it in tacos, burritos, or rice bowls depending on what you’re craving. You can even use it in nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas or omelettes… The options are truly limitless with this juicy, shredded pork!
Looking for more set-it-and-forget-it style crockpot dinner recipes? Try our best crockpot pot roast, tender crockpot pepper steak, or hearty crockpot chili mac and cheese.
What You’ll Need
Smokey cumin and tender onions are the perfect way to pack more flavor and depth into the store-bought salsa. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Oil: We used avocado oil, you want to use an oil with a high-smoke point for searing the meat.
- Pork: We used a pork roast, but you can also use a pork shoulder or pork butt. Even a pork tenderloin will work, but the meat will be a little drier as it’s a leaner cut of meat.
- Seasonings: Cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. For more garlic flavor, use freshly minced garlic instead.
- Onion: Make sure it’s white or yellow, sliced into pieces.
- Salsa Verde: Be sure to grab a jar of traditional salsa verde, one that does not include avocado.
- Lime Juice: Freshly squeezed will give you the most flavor.
How To Make Crockpot Salsa Verde Pork
Searing the pork before adding it to the crockpot is an optional step. It helps to deepen the flavor of the pork, but will still be tasty without searing. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full detailed instructions.
- Sear the Pork: Coat the pork with seasonings and then sear it, on all sides, in a hot skillet with oil.
- Add to Crockpot: Layer half of the onions along the bottom of the crockpot. Place the pork on top and add the remaining onions. Pour the salsa and lime juice on top.
- Cook and Shred: Place lid on the crockpot. Set it to LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 to 6 hours. Use two forks and pull them in opposite directions to carefully shred the pork.
- Make it Crispy: This is an optional step! Add the shredded pork to a skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in cooking liquid little by little, cooking and turning the pork until absorbed. Repeat this step until pork is crispy and flavorful.
- Serve: Remove the pork from the heat. Let it cool for 10 minutes, serve as desired and enjoy!
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Cook’s Tips and Variations
- Make it Spicy: Slice a jalapeño, or a serrano pepper for even more heat, and add it to the crockpot when you add the onion. For even more heat, leave in the seeds.
- Fresh Salsa: Using a fresh salsa verde will add an even brighter flavor. You can make your own, or many latin grocery stores will sell fresh salsas in the refrigerated section!
- Reserve the Cooking Liquid: Once done, reserve the cooking liquid and use it to “hydrate” the pork when you reheat it the next day. You can also use it in place of some of the broth in this crockpot salsa verde chicken soup!
- More Onions and Garlic: If you love onions and lots of garlic, you can add even more when you crisp the pork. Sauté thinly sliced onions in oil until starting to get tender, then add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the shredded pork and crisp as directed in the recipe.
- Crisp in Oven: We like crisping our pork in a skillet, because more of the broth can be absorbed into the pork making it extra flavorful. However, if you are in a rush, spread the shredded pork on a baking sheet. Then crisp it in the oven under the broiler, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch closely!
Salsa Verde Tacos, Bowls and More!
This garlicky slow cooker salsa verde pork is great served in so many different ways! No matter what you pick, we always recommend serving this pork with a drizzle of our incredible cilantro lime crema.
- Tacos or Burritos: Serve this pork in warm tortillas for the perfect salsa verde tacos! Top them with pickled onions, crumbled Mexican cheese, cilantro, and Pico de Gallo.
- Enchiladas: You can use this salsa verde pork, instead of chicken, in our easy salsa verde chicken enchiladas!
- Rice Bowls: Add some juicy pork to a bowl with cilantro lime rice, black beans or pinto beans, and all your favorite toppings. For more fresh flavor, try adding our corn salsa or refreshing mango salsa!
- Nachos: Swap the pulled pork for this salsa verde pork in our pulled pork nachos recipe.
How To Store Leftovers
- Fridge: Place it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Microwave it for up to a minute or two, until warm. You can also heat it in a pan over medium heat, until crispy.
- Freezer: Transfer cooled pork into freezer-safe bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as usual.
Yield: 10 servings
Crockpot Salsa Verde Pork
This crockpot salsa verde pork recipe with sweet onions, cumin, and lime is super tender, juicy and perfect for salsa verde tacos, burritos, rice bowls and so much more.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2-3 pounds pork roast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder, or 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 (16 oz) jar salsa verde
- Juice of 1 lime
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Instructions
- In a large heavy bottom pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the roast with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cumin. Carefully place the roast into the pan and sear on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Try not to move the roast so much, so that it gets a good sear.
- Add half the onions to the bottom of a 7-quart crockpot. Place the roast on top and then top with the remaining onions. Top with the salsa verde and lime juice.
- Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours, until pork is fork tender and is easily shredded. Shred the pork with two forks and serve as is, or crisp if desired.
- Make It Crispy: (Read notes below to crisp in oven instead.) Heat a large skillet with a little oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the pork from the crockpot and cook, turning the pork every few minutes. As the pork starts to brown, add in a little of the liquid from the crockpot. Cook until the pork has absorbed the liquid, stirring often to keep the pork from sticking. Repeat as often as you like, until pork is crispy and extra flavorful. This optional step adds lots of flavor and texture.
Notes
Store: Place it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheat: Microwave it for up to a minute or two, until warm. You can also heat it in a pan over medium heat, until crispy.
Freeze: Transfer cooled pork into freezer-safe bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as usual.
Crisp in Oven: We like crisping our pork in a skillet, because more of the broth can be absorbed into the pork making it extra flavorful. However, if you are in a rush, spread the shredded pork on a baking sheet. Then crisp it in the oven under the broiler, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch closely!
Make it Spicy: Slice a jalapeño, or a serrano pepper for even more heat, and add it to the crockpot when you add the onion. For even more heat, leave in the seeds.
Reserve the Cooking Liquid: Once done, reserve the cooking liquid and use it to “hydrate” the pork when you reheat it the next day. You can also use it in place of some of the broth in this crockpot salsa verde chicken soup!
More Onions and Garlic: If you love onions and lots of garlic, you can add even more when you crisp the pork. Sauté thinly sliced onions in oil until starting to get tender, then add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the shredded pork and crisp as directed in the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 616mg, Potassium: 553mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 286IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg
