This recipe is from another member request for carnitas! I used to make this for one of my personal chef clients all the time, so I gave it a refresh and brought it back. Carnitas is a Mexican-style pulled pork that’s often flavored with citrus, garlic, and spices. It’s typically slow-cooked for hours, but we’re using the instant pot to get the same fall-apart tender meat in much less time.
Ingredient highlight
Pork! Is a great source of protein and nutrients like vitamin B6, vitamin B12, potassium, selenium, iron, magnesium and zinc. The leaner the cut of pork, the more concentrated those nutrients will be. So (unfortunately) eating bacon doesn’t give you the same health benefits as eating ham, pork chops, or pork meatballs!
Servings 6
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 1 hour Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed off, cut into large 4-inch chunks*
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground coriander**
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
- 1/2 cup orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1-2 red chili or serrano chili pepper (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic
- Chopped avocado
- Pickled red onions
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
For the slaw:
- 4 cups thinly sliced crunchy raw veggie***
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- *Or use 2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- **Or sub with more cumin
- ***Cabbage, fennel, radish, and/or cucumber would all work!
- Optional: ~ add fresh or grilled pineapple chunks!
- Slow cooking instructions: ~ add everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Simmer the sauce after you remove/shred the pork (same as recipe).
Instructions
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot, press the sauté button set to “normal” or “medium”.
- In a medium bowl, add the pork, salt, oregano, coriander, cumin, and black pepper and rub/mix around to coat, making sure no salt or spices are at the bottom of the bowl.
- Optional step: add oil to the instant pot followed by the pork. Let it cook, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes or until deeply browned (this adds more flavor). Press “cancel”.
- If skipping the browning, just add the pork to the instant pot along with the orange juice, onion, chili peppers and garlic. Lock the lid in place and set the vent to “sealing”. Select “manual pressure” (set to high) and set the timer for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add all of your slaw ingredients and toss to coat.
- Once the timer goes off, let it naturally release for 15 minutes, then manually release any more pressure, then press “cancel”. Transfer the meat, onion, and peppers to your cutting board and shred the meat and slice up the veg. Press the saute button again and simmer the liquid that is in the pot for about 10 minutes or until it reduces by about half. Press cancel and add the shredded pork back to the pot to soak up all of those juices.
- Add the carnitas to your tortillas (make sure you get all the juices!) along with the slaw, pickled onions, avocado, and cilantro. Squeeze lime all over.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Coat pork chunks in the spices and salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
- Juice 1 orange (½ juice)
- Pickle a red onion
- Chop cilantro, for slaw + topping
- Thinly slice 4 cups thinly crunchy raw veggie
- Make the slaw
Substitutions:
- This cannot be made vegetarian! I would suggest making these Grilled Mushroom Tacos with Mango Cucumber Salsa or BBQ Tempeh Tacos or Crispy Oven Tacos with Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Carnitas: up to 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Pickle red onions: up to 2 weeks in the fridge
- Slaw: up to 6 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover carnitas in the microwave. Assemble your tacos.
- Turn it into a taco bowl, taco salad, quesadilla, or enchiladas.
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