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Instant Pot Carnitas

This Instant Pot Carnitas recipe makes flavorful pulled pork with Mexican spices. Ready in one hour, these carnitas are just as juicy and tender as the slow cooked version--with a fraction of the cooking time!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 542 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 4 pound Pork shoulder roast pork butt roast
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ onion roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 teaspoon smoky paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 jalapeños stems removed

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut the pork roast into sections to fit neatly in the bottom of the instant pot.
  2. In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine orange juice, pepper, salt, onion chunks, garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, pepper, and jalapeños. Blend until sauce forms.
  3. Pour the blender sauce over the pork pieces in the instant pot.
  4. Secure the lid and make sure the valve on top is set to "SEALING." Cook on the manual setting (or high pressure) for 50 minutes. When cook time ends, allow pork to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to "VENTING."
  5. Carefully release the pressure from the instant pot and remove the lid.
  6. Using two forks, shred the meat (it should fall apart easily).
  7. Transfer the meat to a sheet pan and broil on high for 3-5 minutes until crisped and brown.
  8. Serve as is or incorporate the meat and remaining juices from the instant pot.
  9. Serve carnitas on tortillas with your favorite fixings, or in a bowl with cilantro lime rice.

Notes

  • Pork shoulder is often called a pork butt roast. Can be bone in or boneless.
  • Storage: Leftover carnitas can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • No pre-browning required. We also do not recommend trimming the fat from the pork before cooking. A little fat in the meat helps the carnitas to crisp and brown without drying out during the final broil in the oven. Broiling isn’t necessary, but it sure adds a lot of flavor and great texture.
  • For more spice, include the jalapeño seeds in the blender sauce.
  • You do not have to cut the roast into pieces. However, cutting it helps it cook a bit more quickly. If you’d like to leave the roast whole, increase the instant pot cook time to 60 minutes to ensure it is “fall apart” tender.
  • See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks. Recipe tested in 6 quart Instant Pot.

Nutrition Information

Calories 542kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 43g (86%) Fat 39g (60%) Saturated Fat 14g (70%) Polyunsaturated Fat 21g Cholesterol 163mg (54%) Sodium 376mg (16%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 542

% Daily Value*

Calories 542kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 43g 86%
Fat 39g 60%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Polyunsaturated Fat 21g 124%
Cholesterol 163mg 54%
Sodium 376mg 16%
Sugar 1g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.