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Home » Carnitas Sliders

Carnitas Sliders

October 28, 2019 by Debi 7 Comments

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These Carnitas Sliders with Mexican Street Corn (esquites), caramelized onions, and cheese will be a hit at any party! The Carnitas is easily made in the crock pot or slow cooker!

All you’ll be left with is an empty tray and a bunch of happy people!

These are great for game day eats! Just imagine these on a Super Bowl Party spread, and you know that they’ll be a hit!

A carnitas slider on a white plate in front of an aluminum pan of carnitas sliders

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

a close up on the carnitas slider sandwich with Mexican Street Corn (esquites), caramelized onions, and cheese

Happy Tailgating Snacks Month!

As October nears to a close, and I look back on another fun and delicious tailgating snacks month.

I hope you had as much fun with this month’s recipes as I did.

I got to share a couple of them at parties with friends. And, I got to play around in the kitchen with this new one!

Looking for more great party food?

Check out these delicious game day recipes: Baked ham and cheese sliders, Pulled pork sliders, and all my Game Day recipes!

October is Tailgating Snacks Month This is the 6th annual banner on a blue striped background.

Recipe notes

This recipe is a little bit of work to prep, but so worth it!

And, most of this can be done ahead of time.

My husband will make a big batch of carnitas in the slow cooker (crock pot).

He’ll often buy an inexpensive and large piece of pork, making this a really budget-friendly recipe to make.

How to make these Sliders

dinner rolls, cut in half and placed in a tray and they have been smeared with spiced butter.
dinner rolls, cut in half and placed in a tray and they have been smeared with spiced butter

Carnitas Sliders: next layer, the crisped carnitas.
next layer, the crisped carnitas

Carnitas Sliders: top the carnitas with Mexican Street Corn esquites.
top the carnitas with Mexican Street Corn (esquites)

Carnitas Sliders: shredded pepperjack cheese comes next.
shredded pepperjack cheese comes next

Carnitas Sliders: then the caramelized onions.
then the caramelized onions

Top all of those layers with the bread tops, and smear the spiced butter over the top.
Top all of those layers with the bread tops, and smear the spiced butter over the top

After they bake in the oven for a little while, they come out melted and golden brown.
After they bake in the oven for a little while, they come out melted and golden brown and ready to eat!

Can the carnitas be made in the pressure cooker?

He’s also started experimenting with the Instant Pot or pressure cooker for the pork, and it seems to be working well.

I think the pressure cooker is a great tool for cooking large cuts of meat.

For an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot), you’ll want to cook it at least 1 ½ hours on high, then let the pressure release naturally. Check for desired doneness.

Crisping the carnitas

The more spread out they are on the tray under the broiler, the faster they will crisp up, and the more tasty crispy browned bits you’ll get.

Makes leftovers

The carnitas recipe makes way more than you’ll need for the sliders, so these sliders are a great way to use the carnitas in a different way, other than just tacos!

Carnitas also freeze well.

Since it makes a nice big batch, we always save some. Take about ¾ of the cooked pork (before crisping it in the broiler), divide them into smaller bathes, place them in Tupperware containers, and pop them into the freezer.

Then, once you’re ready to eat them, simply take them out of the freezer and into the fridge to defrost.

Carnitas (Mexican pulled pork) sliders sandwiches in a pan with melty cheese and Mexican street corn (esquites)

Mexican Street Corn (Esquites)

We first came up with these sliders by wanting to make a Mexican fusion street corn slider recipe using my Mexican Street Corn recipe.

If you want to read more about esquites, including my tips and tricks for the recipe, hop over and take a look at the recipe.

Recipe testing attempts

We tried to make a vegetarian slider, but in the end, I’m really happy with going with a meaty recipe for these sliders.

With some of the leftovers, I tried making a vegetarian slider using soy crumbles instead of carnitas.

But, somehow, it just seemed like it was missing something. And, it was super messy to eat.

caramelized onions in a cast iron skillet with a wooden spoon
Make sure you get the onions nice and golden and soft. It takes patience to do so, don’t rush it.

Kitchen items you may need for this recipe:

Slow cooker (Crock-Pot)
Pressure cooker (Instant-Pot)
Disposable aluminum trays
Tongs
Cast iron skillet
Rimmed baking tray
Storage containers
Bread knife
Box grater
Hot pads
Travel container

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Carnitas Sliders Recipe

carnitas sliders sandwich with corn and cheese on a white plate

Carnitas Sliders

Debi
These sliders will be a hit at any party! There are a few parts to this recipe, and the carnitas will yield more than you need for these sliders. Make the carnitas leftovers into tacos, nachos, burritos, or eat them over rice.
4.91 from 11 votes
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Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 9 hours hrs
Total Time 10 hours hrs
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 9 sandwiches
Calories 718 kcal

Equipment

  • Crock Pot

Ingredients
  

Pork Rub:

  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper (not the powdery table pepper)
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Pork:

  • 8 pounds bone in pork shoulder also called pork picnic shoulder
  • Juice from 4 oranges
  • 2 yellow onions chopped
  • 1 jalapeno deseeded, chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic pressed

Mexican Street Corn:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces frozen yellow corn
  • 1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 ½ ounces Cotija cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder

Caramelized onion:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion sliced

Sliders:

  • 9 dinner rolls sliced in half separating the top and bottom. (If they are attached to each other, you don’t need to separate each roll).
  • 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese

Spiced butter:

  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions
 

Make the carnitas:

  • In a small bowl, combine all rub ingredients: 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
    1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Rinse the pork with clean cold tap water, and pat dry with paper towels.
    8 pounds bone in pork shoulder
  • Rub the rub spice mixture all over the pork, and place the spice rubbed pork, fat side up, in the slow cooker.
  • Turn the crock-pot on high, and start chopping and adding the veggies as you chop them. Add the orange juice, chopped onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Place the lid on the slow cooker once all the ingredients have been added.
    Juice from 4 oranges, 2 yellow onions, 1 jalapeno, 8 cloves garlic
  • Slow Cook on high for about 8 hours. Start checking it after 5 hours. Check for doneness by pulling on the bone with a pair of tongs, when it’s done the bone will easily slide out.
  • Remove the cooked pork from the slow cooker, allow to cool slightly, and shred using two forks. The juices remaining in the slow cooker can be discarded.
  • You’ll need about 3 cups of the cooked carnitas for the sliders. The final step in making the carnitas will be to crisp them up under the broiler. Those instructions are later on the recipe card, so they will be nice and hot and crispy in the sliders.

Make Mexican Street Corn:

  • Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and let cook until the corn starts to char, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    2 tablespoons olive oil, 8 ounces frozen yellow corn
  • While the corn cooks, mix the dressing together in a large bowl: mayonnaise, sour cream, Cotija cheese, cilantro, lime juice, red onion, garlic, and chili powder.
    1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 ½ ounces Cotija cheese, 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion, 1 clove garlic minced, ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • When the corn is done cooking, fold it into the dressing. Set Mexican Street Corn aside while preparing the rest of the sliders.

Caramelize the onion:

  • Wipe out the skillet from any cooked bits from making the corn, and heat 1 teaspoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced onion, and cook, stirring often. Allow onion to brown, adding a little water to the skillet if the onion starts to cook too quickly. Once the onion is nicely browned and caramelized, remove it from the skillet.
    1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 small yellow onion

Make the spiced butter:

  • Soften the 5 tablespoons butter in a microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Mix in 1 teaspoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and ½ teaspoon ground cumin. Set aside.
    5 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • Crisp up the carnitas:
  • Place about 3 cups of carnitas in a single layer spreading it out as much as you can, on a foil lined rimmed tray, and place under a medium heat (about 450° F) broiler for 4-7 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them while they broil, as they can go from crispy to burned in a moment. You want browned crispy looking edges.

Assemble the sliders:

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • Place the bottom of the cut rolls in a disposable aluminum pan. Brush the inside of the rolls with about 2 tablespoons of the spiced butter.
    9 dinner rolls
  • Spread about 3 cups of the crisp carnitas over the rolls. Top with Mexican Street Corn. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded pepperjack cheese over the top of the Corn.
    1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
  • Spread the caramelized onion over the top of the cheese, and top with the bread halves.
  • Smear the remaining spiced butter over the top of the rolls. Bake in 350° F oven for about 10 minutes, or until butter has melted in, tops are browned, and cheese is bubbling.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

You can add more carnitas to make heartier sandwiches if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 718kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 58gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 199mgSodium: 1390mgPotassium: 1097mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 475IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 278mgIron: 6mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword carnitas, sliders
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
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Filed Under: Appetizers, Budget, Main Dish, Mexican Food, Pork, Pressure Cooker Tagged With: appetizers, carnitas, Cooking, Food, Mexican, onions, pork, recipe, sliders, tailgating

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deb Clark

    November 9, 2019 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    Loved these little sliders! That corn salsa really made it – perfect for fun food, these were the first thing gone on the buffet!

  2. Julie

    November 10, 2019 at 9:46 am

    5 stars
    These sliders are amazing! I served them as a tailgating dish and snuck a few off the tray before setting them out. We enjoyed them for lunch with a cup of soup the next day. Next time I’m making two pans!

  3. Kathleen

    November 10, 2019 at 1:44 pm

    5 stars
    I was looking for a WOWZA appetizer to bring to a friend hosting a football party and this DID not disappoint!! So delicious, full of flavor and filling!

  4. Michelle

    November 10, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a great game day recipe! Everyone absolutely loved it!

  5. Jennifer Ann Stewart

    November 13, 2019 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    I made these with a batch of carnitas that I had in the freezer and WOW! I didn’t think my hubby’s carnitas could get any better but WOW!

  6. Amy Nash

    November 15, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    5 stars
    Best. Sliders. Ever. These were seriously so delicious and so full of flavor! I LOVE how they turned out and all my friends raved about them. Thanks for sharing!

  7. Anne

    February 19, 2024 at 10:10 am

    5 stars
    As I was going through the steps for this, I was thinking it seemed like a lot. However, most of it was easy and prepped the day before, making the Day Of quick and simple. And – so good. Will be having again and it will be even easier with several servings of the meat prepped and in the freezer.

4.91 from 11 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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