Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe {Mexican pork}

Easy Mexican carnitas anyone? This Instant Pot carnitas recipe combines savoury pork that has been infused with oregano, cumin, smoked paprika and citrus. Garnish to taste with toppings like red onion, hot peppers and cilantro. Leftovers are amazing too!

Guys, I’ve been obsessed with all types of Mexican cuisine for as long as I can remember, but even more so in recent years. I love the uniquely rich flavours and the way that anything can be customized to taste with  garnish.

It’s been unbelievably cold here in Newfoundland this winter so I’ve been making a bunch of soups and brightly coloured recipes. 

So, today I’m sharing my second Instant Pot recipe on the blog – this pork carnitas recipe.  I’m super excited to get this one to you; it’s really yummy!

What are Carnitas?

Carnitas are a popular Mexican dish….and for good reason! Basically,  it’s small pieces of pork cooked until tender and delicious. 

The process of preparing the pork usually takes hours by braising or simmering the pork over low heat in lard or oil. Once the pork has broken down, it is then crisped. The shredded pork is used for tacos, burritos and the like. It’s essentially Mexican pulled pork and is oh so good!

Fortunately, with the help of the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) what would normally take hours, takes waaaaay less time.  I’m all about that.

I especially enjoy meals like this on the weekend while chilling and catching up on our fave shows, but these carnitas tacos come together so quickly, it’s super do-able for weekday dinners.  Taco Tuesday anyone?

What Do I Use for Carnitas Seasoning?

One of the great thing about this Mexican pork carnitas recipe it that it uses pretty simply pantry staples (which I love). Basically, (aside from the pork itself), you’ll need –

• Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chicken stock/broth
• Onion
• Garlic
• Oregano
• Cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Cayenne
• Orange juice and peel

You’re also gonna want some cornstarch and water to thicken the pork broth (if you like) at the end of cook time for drizzling over the carnitas.

What Kind of Meat Is Carnitas?

Pork is the meat of choice for carnitas and typically one would choose a marbled pork shoulder or butt. 

What Cut of Pork Should I Use for this Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe?

Ideally, you would choose a boneless cut of meat to get the most bang for your buck, meat-wise.  However, if you happen to have a bone in piece of pork, throw it in the Instant Pot like I did for an extra punch of flavour. Discard when the pork is cooked.

Though I did use a pork shoulder here and it did have a heavy fat cap, I trimmed if off.  For the pork chunks, I trimmed any excess fat as well, leaving a little on.  Because the Instant Pot was used here in ‘pressure cooker’ mode, the pork broke down beautifully.

Note–> I prefer to remove a lot of excess fat or skin (even from other proteins that I enjoy such as chicken), which is why I prefer to use oil (instead of lard) when searing the pork and crisping it after in a cast iron pan. If you want to leave a little more fat on the protein, that’s ok. You do you!

How to Make Carnitas in the Instant Pot

• Trim any excess fat and silver skin from pork.
• Cut pork into 1.5 – 2 inch chunks.
• Pat pork dry with paper towel.
• Season pork with salt and pepper.
• Sear pork in Instant Pot  in batches (don’t overcrowd the pot because you want a sear, not a sweat…save that for the gym 😉 ).
• Deglaze pot with some stock and get all those yummy brown bits.  That’s goodness right there!
• Return seared pork to Instant Pot along with spices, onion, garlic, stock, orange juice and orange peel.
• Pressure cook for 30 minutes and let steam naturally release for 10 minutes before fully releasing steam.
• After pressure valve has gone down, carefully unlock and remove pork chunks from liquid and shred.
• Next, to get those crispy bits, heat some oil in a cast iron skillet and place the shredded pork on top in an even layer.  Let cook a couple minutes before removing.
• Serve, garnish & enjoy!

Full recipe details in recipe card below.

Note:  Ensure you are familiar with the  manufacturer recommended operating instructions and know how to properly/safely use your Instant Pot (or any kitchen appliance/device/tool you are using).

After the pork has been cooked in the Instant Pot—>

Remove Pork From Liquid—>

Shred Pork with Forks (and maybe have a lil’ taste test 😉 )—>

Fry pork in a cast iron pan to get those crispy edges—>

What to do with Pork Broth?

The  braising liquid after the pork has been cooked is goooo-oooood!  I mean, you can discard, but why?? 

I adjusted the seasoning by adding a little more salt (season to how you like it), and turned the Instant Pot to ‘sauté’ to reduce the sauce a bit.

To further thicken, add a cornstarch slurry of equal parts cornstarch with water, using about 1 – 1.5 tbsp each.

Then, the reduced braising liquid can be served over the pork or mixed into the pork after it has been crisped.

Do I Have to Crisp Pork for Carnitas?

Traditionally, the pork is crisped in fat.  However, if you are in a rush and really want to get these pork carnitas right in the ol’ pie hole, just shred ’em right after they are cooked and enjoy. No judgement.

What to Serve with Pork Carnitas?

I like to keep this pork carnitas recipe simple (as you know what acronym I love – K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid)).  For me, I used jalapeño, red onion and cilantro. But, if you want to go wild with the garnishes, I suggest any of the following –

• Cilantro
• Diced white onion, thinly sliced red onion or pickled red onion (if using pickled red onion, this one from Epicurious is great)
• Sliced hot peppers
• Sliced red cabbage
• Avocado or a smudgin’ of guacamole
• A smear of refried beans
• Hot sauce
• A squirt of fresh lime juice (a must for me)

What to Do with Leftover Carnitas Meat?

Just like the concept of a ‘wine stopper’ or ‘leftover’ wine, I don’t understand why you would have any of this delicious pork leftover.

Just kiddin’ 😉

Kinda…..

So, if you find yourself with pork carnitas leftovers, here are some great ideas –

• Serve over creamy polenta
• Make enchiladas
• Prepare a ‘bowl’ with some rice, veggies and a drizzle of leftover sauce or hot sauce
• Serve with scrambled eggs and beans for a hearty breakfast
• Cheesy pork quesadillas are never a bad idea
• The possibilities are pretty much endless with this pork carnitas recipe!

Other Easy Mexican Recipes you May Enjoy

• Strawberry Mango Frozen Margarita – Not too sweet, and definitely refreshing, this easy margarita recipe would be the perfect pairing with pork tacos!
• Oven Baked Fish Tacos – Panko coated white fish are baked and topped with a smoky chipotle sauce. So good!
• Easy Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Slaw – Made in about 20 minutes, this super simple taco recipe is fresh, delicious and perfect for taco Tuesday!

Hope you love this Instant Pot carnitas recipe as much as we do!

Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon 🙂

~Dawn

P.S. If you think these Mexican carnitas will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO

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5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe {Mexican pork}

Easy Mexican carnitas anyone? This Instant Pot carnitas recipe combines savoury pork that has been infused with oregano, cumin, smoked paprika and citrus. Garnish to taste with toppings like red onion, hot peppers and cilantro. Leftovers are amazing too!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword carnitas tacos, mexican pulled pork, pulled pork tacos

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Build Pressure, Then Natural Release 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Servings 10 carnitas (tacos)

Calories 169kcal

Author Dawn – Girl Heart Food

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs pork shoulder -cut into 2 inch cubes (see note below)
• 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil -divided
• 1.25 tsp salt -divided
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 cup unsalted chicken stock -divided
• 1 onion -sliced
• 3 cloves garlic -minced
• 1.5 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 3-5 slices orange peel
• 1-1.5 tbsp cornstarch -optional (to thicken sauce)
• 1-1.5 tbsp cold water -optional (to thicken sauce)

Instructions

• Set instant pot to ‘Sauté’ and use the arrow to select time of 20 minutes (adjust  arrows up or down, as necessary, to complete searing of pork).
• Pat pork chunks with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Season with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper.  Using about 1 tablespoon of oil PER batch, brown pork in batches (laying browned pork on plate while completing batches).  Brown about 4-6 minutes per batch. Don't overcrowd pot.  It took me 3 batches to complete.
• Deglaze pot with 1/2 cup of chicken stock, using wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits on bottom of pot.
• Add onion and garlic to pot and top with browned pork chunks and any reserved juices that’s on the plate.  Stir in oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne and remaining 1/4 tsp of salt.  Add remaining 1 cup of stock, orange juice and orange peel.  Stir.
• Close lid, set to ‘Seal’ and select ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ (depending on your model) and use the arrows to select a time of 30 minutes.  The Instant Pot may take 10-20 minutes to come to pressure before counting down the 30 minutes.
• Once time is up, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release steam for 10 minutes, before carefully moving to ‘vent’ to fully release steam.  When valve goes down, carefully unlock lid.  Remove pork chunks and place in a bowl. Shred with two forks.
• Optional – if you want to reserve the sauce for use, turn Instant Pot to ‘Sauté’ and use the arrows to select 10 minutes.  Stir corn starch with water in a cup. Stir into sauce.  When it reaches the thickness good for you, stop cooking. You don’t  have to cook the full 10 minutes. Sauce can be used on carnitas.
• To crisp pork – in a cast iron pan on medium (may have to do two batches), heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Spread shredded pork into pan and allow to brown/crisp slightly for a few minutes. Serve on tortillas and garnish as desired (suggested garnish in text above). Enjoy!

Notes

• The quantity of pork I used in this recipe was 2.5 lbs AFTER trimming.  So, you may  have to get a slighter larger piece of pork to account for that.
• The nutrition information includes the serving of pork and does not include garnish.
• Ensure you are familiar with the  manufacturer recommended operating instructions and know how to properly/safely use your Instant Pot (or any kitchen appliance/device/tool you are using).
• For more recipe tips, see body of post above.

Tried this recipe? That’s awesome!Mention @dawn.girlheartfood or tag #girlheartfood

Nutrition (estimate only)

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 344mg | Potassium: 306mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 6.6mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe {Mexican pork}

Amount Per Serving

Calories 169 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 46mg15%

Sodium 344mg15%

Potassium 306mg9%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 85IU2%

Vitamin C 6.6mg8%

Calcium 20mg2%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Nutrition estimate only. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.