These delicious instant pot carnitas are pack full of flavor and so much quicker made this way. Perfectly tender and juicy, you'll want to make this delicious mexican inspired pork recipe for dinner every week.
Equipment
Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
1large onion quartered
2large navel orangesjuiced
2limesjuiced
1cupchicken broth
2bay leaf
For Browning The Pork
4lbspork shoulder- trimmed
2tablespoonsoil
Salt and pepper
For The Seasoning
1tsp.oregano
2tsp.cumin
1tsp.Dried parsley
1tsp.Onion powder
1tbsp+ 1 tsp Minced garlic
1tsp.Smoked paprika
1tsp.salt
1tsp.chili powderoptional
Instructions
Cooking Your Pork Carnitas In The Instant Pot
.Juice the oranges and lime into a bowl. Add all the spices (except bay leaves) to the juice and mix together with a whisk.
Cut the pork shoulder into large chunks (about 3"). Season with salt and pepper.
Turn your Instant Pot to saute and warm up the oil in the bottom of the pot. Add the pork and brown the pieces of meat on all sides. If your instant pot is a smaller, you may want to brown your meat in two batches.
After sauteing, add the broth to your instant pot. Move the meat around the pot so that the liquid touches the bottom of the pot. If there are any brown bits on the bottom of the pot, use a wood cooking spatula to gently lift them from the pot.
Add the onion, citrus juices with spices, chicken broth, bay leaves and fruit peels into the instant Pot. Switch the setting to high pressure and cook on high for 60 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before fully releasing the pressure., then remove the lid. Discard the bay leaves.
Pull the pork into small chunks by shredding apart with forks or chopping with a large knife and cutting board. Your meat should be falling apart tender.
To Make Your Carnitas Crispy (optional)
Turn on the oven broiler to high.
Place the pork in a single layer on a large pan.
Spoon some of the broth drippings from the instant pot on top of the pork. Broil for about 4-5 minutes or until the edges of the pork begin browning.
Stir the meat and add a little bit more broth drippings from the bottom of the instant pot. Broil an additional 5 minutes.
Serve pork carnitas as is over rice or in tacos, and sprinkled with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice if desired.
Notes
These carnitas can be served soft, but they are best served with the meat made just a little bit crispy. It is worth the extra step to broil the meat after it had cooked in the instant pot.Trim any large pieces of fat off your meat. You don't want to stop the meat completely of fat because it adds flavor, but any large pieces of fat should be trimmed.Use a piece of pork that is between 3-4.5 pounds for this recipe. If your cut is bigger or smaller then this your cook times may need to be adjusted. I'd start by subtracting or adding ten minutes to the time the meat pressure cooks. You can also finish slightly undercooked meat in the oven while making it crispy, but your meat should shred easily after cooking in the pressure cooker.Serve in tacos and burritos, over rice, or on top of greens.