Pressure Cooker Carnitas Recipe

Published: February 24, 2019 Updated: November 8, 2020 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 33 Comments

Easy carnitas anyone? This pressure cooker carnitas recipe combines savoury pork that has been infused with oregano, cumin, smoked paprika and citrus. Garnish the carnitas tacos to taste with toppings like red onion, hot peppers and cilantro. So yummy!

Carnitas taco next to lime wedges, dish of sauce and cilantro.

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 electric pressure cooker carnitas recipe is 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 so good!

Fortunately, with the help of the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) what would normally take hours, takes way 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?

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:

Canola oil
Salt
Black pepper
Chicken broth
Onion
Garlic
Oregano
Cumin
Smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper
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?

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 just a little on. Because the pork was pressured cooked, it 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 canola oil (instead of lard) when browning 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 okay. You do you!

How To Make This Pressure Cooker Carnitas Recipe

Full details on how to make this pressure cooker carnitas recipe are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

Trim any excess fat and silver skin from pork.
Cut pork into 1.5-inch to 2-inch chunks.
Pat pork chunks with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
Season pork with salt and pepper.
Working in batches, brown the pork in some canola oil in the Instant Pot (don’t overcrowd the pot because you want to get a nice brown colour on the outside of the pork and not for it to sweat).
Deglaze with some stock and get all those yummy brown bits. That’s flavour right there!
Return the browned pork to the 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 canola oil in a cast-iron skillet and place the shredded pork on top in an even layer. Let cook a couple of minutes before removing.
Serve, garnish and enjoy!

The Pork Broth

The braising liquid after the pork has been cooked is really good! 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 broth a bit.

To further thicken, add a cornstarch slurry of equal parts cornstarch and cold water, using about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons each.

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

Hand holding a carnitas taco, about to have sauce put on it from a spoon.

Do I Have to Crisp the Pork?

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 the pork right after it’s cooked and enjoy. No judgement.

What To Serve With Pork Carnitas

I like to keep this pressure cooker carnitas recipe simple. For me, I used jalapeno, 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 onions
Sliced hot peppers
Sliced red cabbage
Diced or sliced avocado or guacamole
A smear of refried beans
Hot sauce
A squeeze of fresh lime juice (a must for me)

Other Ways To Enjoy

Aside from enjoying the shredded pork on a tortilla, there are other delicious ways to enjoy:

Serve over creamy polenta
Make enchiladas
With some rice, veggies and a drizzle of 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 pressure cooker carnitas recipe!

More Recipes You May Enjoy

If you make this carnitas recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!