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Slow cooker carnitas salad bowl with pulled pork, pico de gallo, and guacamole

Slow Cooker Carnitas Salad Bowl for Full GAPS

Browned pork shoulder slow-cooked in homemade chicken meat stock until fork-shred tender, then served over lettuce with homemade pico de gallo and guacamole.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 1 large batch
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: GAPS, Mexican-Inspired
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder butt from about a 7-pound bone-in shoulder; rind removed and cut into large chunks
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil or GAPS animal fat such as chicken fat or pork fat
  • 6 cloves garlic cut into small pieces
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon pure garlic powder no additives
  • 1 pinch dried oregano leaves
  • 1 teaspoon pure smoked paprika powder optional; no additives
  • 2 cups homemade chicken meat stock divided
  • as needed lettuce for serving
  • as needed homemade salsa or pico de gallo for serving
  • as needed homemade guacamole for serving

Equipment

  • Large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet
  • Straight-edged wooden or stainless-steel spatula
  • Large slow cooker with a ceramic insert
  • Large glass or stainless-steel bowl
  • Two forks
  • Shallow glass storage containers

Method
 

  1. Remove the rind and bone, cut the pork into large similar chunks, and pat every surface dry. Leave visible seams of fat through the meat.
  2. Heat the cooking fat in a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and a pork edge sizzles immediately.
  3. Brown the pork in uncrowded single-layer batches. Leave each first side undisturbed until dark golden-brown patches form and the meat releases readily. Transfer browned pieces to a large bowl.
    Large pork shoulder chunks browning in an uncrowded stainless-steel skillet
  4. Between batches, pour a small splash from the measured meat stock into the skillet and scrape up the browned bits before they burn. Add the loosened liquid to the pork.
  5. Add the garlic, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and optional smoked paprika to the browned pork. Toss until evenly distributed.
  6. Pour the remaining meat stock into the skillet, scrape the bottom clean, and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer. Pour it over the pork in the slow cooker.
  7. Press the pork into an even layer, cover, and cook on low. Begin checking at 6 hours. Continue until two forks pull a thick chunk apart with almost no resistance.
    Fork-tender carnitas pork separating in homemade meat stock in a slow cooker
  8. Lift the pork into a bowl, shred into bite-size strands, and spoon enough cooking liquid over it to keep the meat moist.
  9. Serve warm pork over lettuce with homemade salsa or pico de gallo and homemade guacamole. Keep the cold toppings separate until serving.

Notes

Full GAPS: This recipe is not for the Introduction Diet.
Slow-cooker adaptation: The exact source ingredients are retained while the pressure-cooker stage is replaced with slow cooking under current GAPS guidance. Six hours is the first check; fork-shred tenderness controls completion.
Stock: Use homemade chicken meat stock, not boxed broth, bouillon, concentrate, or bone broth.
Storage: The captured source establishes no tested duration. Cool promptly, keep toppings separate, and reheat pork gently with its cooking liquid.
Scaling: The 2x card doubles every measured ingredient. Brown and slow-cook in batches or separate cookers when the doubled volume would crowd the equipment.

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