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    Home » Pressure Cooker » Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe

    Published: Apr 29, 2022 · Modified: Oct 1, 2022 by Desarae

    Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This Instant Pot Carnitas recipe is one four favorite Mexican meal to make! It is quick and easy to make in the pressure cooker, perfectly crispy and juicy, and so delicious!

    three carnitas tacos with toppings

    What are Carnitas

    Carnitas means "little meats" its a Mexican pulled pork dish. Often roasting and then simmering pork in oil or lard until tender and then crispy. The process takes several hours but results in very tender juicy meat.

    Why this carnitas recipe works

    Carnitas takes several hours but in the instant pot we can cut the time down by hours while still keeping the delicious flavor. Crisp it up under the broiler or a quick pan fry and you will want these every week for taco Tuesday.

    instant pot carnitas taco with toppings

    What you need to make Carnitas

    1. pork butt- I prefer boneless pork shoulder (sometimes also called pork butt). This meat is especially tender because it is marbled with fat that breaks down when cooking.
    2. garlic & oregano- these are common Mexican herbs and spices for carnitas
    3. citrus- carnitas is often seasoned with citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits and of course limes!
    onion, oranges, jalapeno, limes on cutting board

    How to make instant pot carnitas

    Step One: Take your pork butt and insert into the pressure cooker inner pot.

    Step Two: Add your broth

    Step Three: rub your pork butt with seasonings

    Step Four: place onions, garlic and citrus around your carnitas

    four photos showing adding pork shoulder and toppings added.

    PROTIP: so cook your pork butt slightly faster, cut your large cut of meat into 3-4 medium pieces.

    instant pot inner pot with pork and oranges and onions inside.

    Cook your pork until pull apart tender

    Take your pork and cook it for 60 minutes and allow pork to pressure release naturally. Once finished remove and shred. If desired, serve as is but for authentic carnitas there is still one more step: crisping the meat.

    three carnitas tacos with toppings

    How to crisp the carnitas

    Two ways to crisp your carnitas

    Option 1: Crisp in oil in pan on stove. Heat a few tablespoon of oil on high heat. Add pork carnitas in a single layer, let fry for a few minutes until the bottom becomes a darker brown. Remove.

    Option 2: Crisp under broiler. This is a healthier option but be cautious not to place it under the broiler too long so the does not meat dries out. Simply lay out meat in a single layer on baking sheet and

    carnitas in pan frying

    What do I serve with Carnitas?

    Carnitas are often served with a pineapple salsa or pineapple relish to pair with the citrus seasonings and it is AMAZING! I highly recommend this pineapple mango salsa or just add a few cups of pineapple to this pico de Gallo.

    other toppings:

    • sour cream or Mexican crema
    • Guacamole
    • Pico de Gallo
    • Fresh Salsa
    • Pickled Red Onions
    four photos adding toppings to instant pot carnitas tacos

    Expert Tip:

    If you are not a fan of tacos try making the carnitas into nachos, burrito, burrito bowl, taco salad, tostada or a meat quesadilla.

    Popular FAQ's

    My pork isn't falling apart, how come?

    It needs to cook a little longer. Depending on the pressure cooker, size and freshness of the meat sometimes meat does need extra time to reach the pull apart tender phase

    What do you do with leftover pork?

    Store your carnitas in an air tight container in the fridge for 7-10 days.

    several carnitas tacos with pineapple salsa

    Great sides with Instant pot Carnitas

    • Cilantro Lime Rice
    • Instant pot pinto beans
    • instant pot black beans

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    Instant Pot Carnitas

    The perfect instant pot authentic carnitas recipes! (also included is slow roasted method) It will come out tender, delicious and packed with flavor every time!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Servings: 18 servings
    Calories: 316kcal
    Author: Kadee & Desarae

    Ingredients

    Carnitas

    • 4 lbs pork butt
    • 1 tbs sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • 1 large orange sliced
    • 2 jalapeño sliced
    • 1 lime sliced
    • 1 large onion sliced
    • 4 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 cup broth

    Instructions

    Carnitas Pressure Cooker Instructions

    • In pressure cooker add broth and pork butt. optional: cut pork butt into 3-4 large pieces.
    • In separate bowl mix dry spices together and rub on pork butt. Rub garlic, top with jalapeños, oranges, and onions.
    • Cook High 60 minutes, natural release. If pork is tough put it back in for another 30-45 minutes.
    • Remove meat when done. Shred. In separate pan (or you can do on saute mode) heat a few tablespoons of oil till hot. Add shredded carnitas meat and allow it so crisp  in the oil. Don't stir until you see the meat darkening, flip is desired. Serve immediately 

    Carnitas Slow Roasted Instructions

    • In a 9x13 pan place 2 pieces of foil perpendicular to each other.
    • Center roast in foil, top with all ingredients except water
    • Fold foil around roast
    • Add broth in pan
    • Cook at 275 for minimum 4 hours, and one hour per additional pound above 3 lbs.

    Video

    Notes

    If after 60 minutes the pork butt is not pull apart tender seal lid and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Meat tenderness can vary based on the amount of fat and freshness of the cut. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 1005mg | Potassium: 832mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 12.1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @OhSoDelicioso or tag #ohsodelicioso!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erik says

      March 24, 2020 at 10:47 am

      This only takes an hour in an instant pot?
      I ask because Kalua Park at 4lbs takes 90 minutes plus NR to finish, how does 6lbs of the same cut of port finish 30 minutes sooner?

      Reply
      • Desarae says

        March 28, 2020 at 4:50 pm

        If you are using a fresh cut pork butt it will take less time (this is explained in the post) if you are not using fresh (meaning it was prepackaged and shipped to the store but not frozen) or frozen it will take longer. Also, the larger the meat the instant pot will automatically take longer to come to pressure so it will- in the end- cook longer than a 4lb piece of meat, and a larger butt- like 8l- would talk longer than the 6lb without having adjusted the "cook time" on the pressure cooker.

        Reply
    2. Heather Rainey says

      March 25, 2019 at 4:31 pm

      I don't see anything in the ingredients or the recipe about the cilantro rice, how do you do that?

      Reply
    3. Laurel says

      February 25, 2019 at 7:33 pm

      How many servings does this make?

      Reply
      • Desarae says

        March 15, 2019 at 1:20 pm

        5 stars
        it depends on how large of a roast you get. Plan on 4 oz per person.

        Reply
    4. Emily Kemp says

      October 09, 2018 at 1:52 am

      5 stars
      Wow these look so delicious, gorgeous photos too!

      Reply
    5. Sidney says

      May 01, 2018 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      These were incredible!! Were going to make this over and over again!

      Reply
    6. Sondra Christensen says

      March 09, 2015 at 12:49 pm

      I tried this carnitas recipe this weekend along with the cilantro rice and the yucateca onions. YUMMY!!!!!!!!! Everyone gobbled it up!

      Reply
    7. Trisha Dowell says

      June 02, 2014 at 7:55 am

      This not only looks AMAZING but it is so beautiful! I have to try this!

      Reply

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