Get the delicious taste of slow-cooked carnitas in less than an hour with your Instant Pot. Serve as tacos, burritos, nachos or in a bowl, any way you eat them, they are delicious!
Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with my Instant Pot lately? I know, I’m about five years late on this trend but good gracious this thing is a lifesaver now that school is back in session!! I’m been having a great time testing and converting our family’s favorite recipes into the pressure cooker and this Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe is most definitely one of my family’s favorite meals to eat!
I’ve made this with my slow cooker for years and years and honestly, I was surprised I was able to get it to come out just as delicious with the Instant Pot. They key is to cut the pork shoulder into chunks before putting it in so the meat gets cooked through. The pressure cooker takes care of the rest. Then, popping under the broiler to finish it off gives you those delicious crispy bits we love so much.
We eat our carnitas in a lot of different ways depending on our moods. I also like to make a huge batch so I can have leftovers for lunch for a few days afterward. My kids love theirs over as tacos, over nacho chips, or rolled up burrito style with cheese while my husband and I eat our burrito bowl fashioned usually, tossed with rice and lots of veggies!
Is your mouth watering yet? I know mine is! On to the recipe!
Print
Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: dinner
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: mexican
Description
Get the delicious taste of slow-cooked carnitas in less than an hour with your Instant Pot. Serve as tacos, burritos, nachos or in a bowl, any way you eat them, they are delicious!
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork shoulder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 small or 1 large orange
- 2 limes
Instructions
Cut the pork shoulder into 2 inch pieces and place in the Instant Pot.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the meat.
Seal Instant Pot lid and press the Manual button. Set the timer for 35 minutes.
After the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally, about 20-25 minutes.
Preheat boiler to 500 degrees.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a baking sheet. Use two forks to shred the meat and spread evenly across baking sheet.
Place meat under the broiler for about 5-10 minutes or until meat is browned and crisp. Serve as desired.
Notes
Serve as tacos, burritos, nachos, or burrito bowls. The broiler step may be omitted if desired for softer, more tender carnitas.
Keywords: carnitas, instant pot
If you like this recipe, you’ll also enjoy these other easy dinner options:
- Instant Pot Lemon Chicken
- Slow Cooker Ham, Bacon, Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
Have you also hopped on the Instant Pot bandwagon? What are your favorite weeknight fast dinner recipes? Let me know in the comments!
Jen says
So good!
★★★★★