Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Recipe: Crispy, Juicy Mexican Pork

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Slow cooker pork carnitas is the easiest path to the best tacos of your life: a pork shoulder rubbed with cumin and oregano, slow-cooked in orange and lime juice until it falls apart, then crisped in a hot pan until the edges turn golden and crackly. Juicy inside, crispy outside — that contrast is the whole point. The slow cooker does the hard work. Eight hours on low turns a tough shoulder meltingly tender, and the citrus in the cooking liquid keeps the pork bright instead of heavy. The real magic happens at the end: shred the pork, spread it in a screaming-hot skillet with a splash of its own cooking liquid, and let it sit undisturbed until the edges char. Do not skip that step — crisping is what makes carnitas carnitas. Crispy edges, juicy center — carnitas night done right. Recipe Info Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 8 hours (slow cooker, low) Total time: 8 hours 30 minutes Servings: 8 Calories: ~520 kcal per serving Pork, citrus and spice — carnitas starts h...
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Churros Recipe: Crispy Cinnamon Sticks with Warm Chocolate Sauce

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Nothing beats a churro fresh from the fryer: crisp ridged golden shell, soft steamy center, rolled in cinnamon sugar and dragged through warm chocolate sauce. The choux-style dough takes five minutes on the stove.

No yeast, no proofing, no waiting — if you can pipe a straight line and heat oil, you can make churros. The two-ingredient chocolate sauce comes together while the first batch fries.

Cinnamon sugar churros stacked on a plate with a bowl of warm chocolate dipping sauce

Golden ridges, warm chocolate.

Recipe Info

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Servings: 4 (makes about 16 churros)
  • Calories: ~210 kcal per churro (with chocolate sauce)

Ingredients

  • 250 ml / 1 cup water
  • 115 g / ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp / 25 g granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 150 g / 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 750 ml / 3 cups neutral oil, for frying
  • 100 g / ½ cup sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon, mixed, for coating
  • Chocolate sauce: 150 g / 5 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped; 120 ml / ½ cup heavy cream

Close-up of churros broken open showing the soft airy center, with warm chocolate sauce drizzled over

Crisp shell, pillowy center.

Instructions

  1. Make the dough base: Bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until the butter melts.
  2. Add the flour: Reduce to medium heat. Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously about 2 minutes, until a smooth ball forms and a starchy film coats the pan.
  3. Cool, then add eggs: Transfer to a bowl and cool 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Beat in the eggs one at a time — the dough will look split, then come back together thick and glossy. Stir in the vanilla.
  4. Pipe the churros: Fill a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip. Pipe 12–15 cm lengths on a parchment-lined tray; cut ends with oiled scissors.
  5. Heat the oil: Heat the oil to 175°C (350°F). A test piece should sizzle at once and turn golden in ~3 minutes.
  6. Fry in batches: Fry 4–5 at a time, 3–4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden. Drain briefly on a wire rack.
  7. Cinnamon-sugar coat: While hot, roll generously in the cinnamon sugar — the coating is half the experience.
  8. Make the chocolate sauce: Heat the cream until steaming; pour over the chopped chocolate, rest 2 minutes, then stir smooth and glossy.
  9. Serve warm: Pile the churros on a platter and serve immediately with the warm chocolate sauce for dipping.

Churros ingredients flat lay — flour, eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, piping bag, chocolate, and milk

Choux dough, five minutes on the stove.

Tips & Variations

  • Eggs go in one at a time. Each egg must be fully absorbed before the next — that's what gives the dough its structure and puff.
  • Don't skip the cooling step. Eggs added to piping-hot dough scramble and ruin the texture. Five minutes of cooling is enough.
  • The star tip is the crunch. Ridges mean more crisp surface and more cinnamon sugar clinging on.
  • Hold 175°C. Cooler oil makes greasy, limp churros; hotter oil browns the outside before the inside puffs. Adjust the heat between batches.
  • Pipe compactly, no air pockets. Trapped air can make churros burst — pipe steady, continuous strips.
  • Dough waits, fried churros don't. Raw piped dough holds 1 hour at room temperature (towel-covered); fried churros are best within 30 minutes.
  • Flavor twists. Add ½ tsp cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg to the dough, fill with dulce de leche, or dip in salted caramel instead of chocolate.

Nutrition Note

About 210 calories per churro with chocolate sauce — an honest treat. One or two churros with a good dip is exactly how they're meant to be enjoyed.

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FAQ

Why did my churros explode?
Air pockets expand violently in hot oil — pipe steady, gap-free strips.

Can I bake instead of frying?
Yes — pipe onto a lined tray and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes until golden, then brush with melted butter before rolling in cinnamon sugar.

No piping bag — what can I use?
A sturdy zip-top bag with one corner snipped works, though without the signature ridges. A cookie press with a star disc also works.

How do I store leftover churros?
Best the day they're made — keep 1 day airtight and refresh in a 190°C (375°F) oven for 5 minutes. The sauce reheats gently in the microwave.

My chocolate sauce seized — can I save it?
Usually the cream was too hot. Whisk in warm cream a tablespoon at a time until it smooths out again.

Make a batch this weekend and tell us in the comments: team chocolate dip or team dulce de leche? Save for your next movie night.


 

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