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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Vietnamese Pho Bo Recipe: Aromatic Beef Noodle Soup

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Pho bo is Vietnam's most beloved bowl: crystal-clear, aromatic beef broth over silky rice noodles, finished with paper-thin sirloin slices that cook in the hot soup itself — then piled high with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and lime.

This home version keeps it classic — charred onion and ginger, toasted spices, a gentle 90-minute simmer — with no whole bones required, just honest broth.

Steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho bo — clear aromatic beef broth, flat rice noodles, thinly sliced rare sirloin, bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, green onions, and red chili rings, with chopsticks, a spoon, lime wedges, hoisin, and sriracha

Clear broth, silky noodles, rare beef.

Recipe Info

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Total time: 1 hour 55 minutes
  • Servings: 4 large bowls
  • Calories: ~420 kcal per bowl

Ingredients

  • 1.5 L / 6 cups low-sodium beef broth (or water + 500 g / 1 lb beef bones)
  • 1 onion, halved and charred
  • 80 g / 3 oz fresh ginger, halved and charred, unpeeled
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick (8 cm / 3 in)
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 tbsp / 30 ml fish sauce, plus more to taste
  • 1 tbsp / 15 g rock sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 200 g / 7 oz flat rice noodles (banh pho)
  • 250 g / 9 oz beef sirloin, partially frozen and sliced paper-thin
  • To serve: 100 g / 2 cups bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, 2 spring onions sliced, 1 red chili sliced, 2 limes in wedges, hoisin and sriracha

Close-up of chopsticks lifting glossy flat rice noodles from pho bo, with tender beef slices, bean sprouts, Thai basil, and swirls of chili oil in the aromatic broth

Glossy broth, melting-thin beef.

Instructions

  1. Char the aromatics: Broil the onion and ginger halves cut-side up until blackened in spots, 5–7 minutes — this gives the broth its signature smoky depth.
  2. Toast the spices: In a large dry pot, toast the star anise, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, and cloves until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Simmer the broth: Add the beef broth, charred onion and ginger, and toasted spices. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 90 minutes. Skim any foam.
  4. Season and strain: Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, and salt — it should be savory with a sweet finish — then strain out the solids.
  5. Cook the noodles: Prepare the rice noodles per package directions (usually soak, then boil 2–3 minutes) until just tender. Drain and divide among 4 warmed bowls.
  6. Assemble hot: Arrange the raw beef slices over the noodles — thin enough to cook through.
  7. Pour and serve: Bring the strained broth back to a rolling boil and ladle over each bowl; the heat cooks the beef in seconds. Top with sprouts, herbs, spring onions, and chili.
  8. Finish at the table: Serve with lime wedges, hoisin, and sriracha so everyone seasons their own bowl.

Pho bo ingredients flat lay — bundle of dried flat rice noodles, thinly sliced raw beef, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, charred onion and ginger, cilantro, Thai basil, bean sprouts, red chilies, limes, fish sauce, and hoisin sauce

Charred aromatics, toasted spices.

Tips & Variations

  • Partially freeze the beef. 30 minutes in the freezer firms sirloin so you can shave it truly paper-thin.
  • Gentle simmer, clear broth. Never boil hard — aggressive bubbling turns the broth cloudy.
  • Char, don't skip. Charring the onion and ginger is what separates real pho from plain beef soup.
  • Taste as you season. Fish sauce varies in saltiness; add it gradually, then rest 5 minutes before the final taste.
  • Warm the bowls. Hot broth in a cold bowl loses temperature fast — and the beef needs that heat to cook through.
  • Make it a meal. Serve with Vietnamese spring rolls (cha gio) and double the beef and noodles.
  • Short on time? A pressure cooker cuts the simmer to 30 minutes — keep everything else identical.

Nutrition Note

About 420 calories per bowl — mostly lean protein from the beef and broth, with rice noodles supplying the carbs. The heap of fresh herbs and sprouts adds fiber for very few calories.

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FAQ

Can I make pho bo ahead?
Yes — the broth keeps 3 days chilled or 3 months frozen. Cook the noodles fresh and reheat the broth to a rolling boil before serving.

What cut of beef is best?
Sirloin, eye of round, or flank — lean, tender, and sliceable paper-thin. Avoid fatty cuts; the broth should stay clear.

Why is my broth cloudy?
It boiled too hard or was never skimmed. Next time simmer gently and strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.

Can I make it with chicken?
That's pho ga — same method, with chicken broth and shredded poached chicken. Equally delicious.

What are banh pho noodles?
Flat Vietnamese rice noodles, found in the Asian aisle or Asian markets. Wide pad thai noodles work in a pinch.

Simmer a pot this weekend and tell us in the comments how you finished your bowl — extra basil, more lime, or a bold squiggle of sriracha? Save this recipe and share it with a noodle-soup devotee.

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