Instant Pot Carnitas are easy and quick to make in the electric pressure cooker. This pork carnitas recipe makes perfectly seasoned, tender and juicy Mexican pork with crispy bits.
Pork Carnitas is one of the most popular Mexican pork dishes and for a good reason. It is hard to resist a perfectly seasoned pork roast cooked until juicy and tender then shredded and made crispy under a broiler.
Ways To Serve This Carnitas Recipe
There are so many ways to serve Instant Pot Carnitas some of my favorites are:
I often make carnitas in the crockpot with excellent results. However, cooking pork roast in the pressure cooker is quick, easy and the pork always turns out perfect! This instant pot recipe may not be made in an instant, but it sure cuts the cooking time by a fraction.
What are Carnitas?
Think of carnitas as a savory Mexican pulled pork. Traditional carnitas are usually seasoned with spices, citrus juice and onions and then cooked slowly in lard. When the pork is fork tender, it is crisped up in a skillet with some more lard. The crispy edges and bits are as tasty as fried pork while some parts of the shredded pork remains juicy and tender. Seriously delicious!
Instant Pot Carnitas Ingredients
- Pork – Any boneless pork roast, like pork shoulder or pork butt (Boston butt) work well for this pork carnitas recipe. I cut the meat in big chunks (about 2-inches). Trim any excess fat.
- Beer – Mexican beer, pilsener or lager beer works well. You can also use chicken broth or stock.
- Orange Juice – Fresh orange juice is best as bottled juice has a high sugar content and tends to make the dish a bit sweet.
- Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed.
- Oil – Canola, vegetable or olive oil. Very little oil is used as it is just to sear the pork.
- Garlic – I highly recommend using fresh garlic however, in a pinch you can use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead.
- The Spices and Seasonings- Chili powder, onion powder, dried oregano, cumin. Salt and ground black pepper.
How To Make Instant Pot Carnitas
This recipe has 3 easy steps.
- STEP ONE – Season and Sear the Meat:
Season the pork with salt and pepper. Click the SAUTE function and heat the oil. Sear the pork until it browns on all sides.
You may need to do this in 2 batches not to overcrowd the pot. Remove the pork from the instant pot and click CANCEL. - STEP TWO – Cook on High Pressure:
Pour all your liquids (beer, orange juice and lime juice) into the pot. With a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any brown bits.
Add the spices and return the meat to the pot. Close the lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 60 minutes. Do a natural release for 15 minutes. - STEP THREE – Broil:
With a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the pressure cooker and click SAUTE. Reduce the cooking liquid for about 5 minutes while shredding the pork.
Click CANCEL and return the shredded pork to the instant pot. Toss the meat so it is all coated with the cooking liquid.
Turn the broiler to high. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and spread the meat into an even layer. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking liquid over the meat. Broil for a few minutes until the pork edges begin to get golden brown and crispy
What Cut Of Meat Is Carnitas?
Mexican Pulled Pork or Carnitas is best made with well-marbled pork, that is pork that has enough fat to either be braised for a long period of time or be cooked in a pressure cooker while retaining it’s moisture.
Here are my suggestions:
Pork Shoulder
Pork Butt
Boston Butt
Even Picnic But
Do You Use Boneless Pork Or Bone-In Pork To Make Carnitas?
Although boneless pork shoulder or pork butt are much easier to cut into chunks, bone-in pork roast can be used as well.
No. Picnic ham comes from the lower part of the pork shoulder (that is the lower part of the hog’s leg). It has more muscles and connective tissue making it tougher.
Pork shoulder comes from the upper part of the shoulder. This area is fat marbled and less used by the animal so it hasn’t developed a tough muscle.
Absolutely! Let the pulled pork sit in the cooking liquid overnight and heat and broil when ready to serve.
Yes! Divide the shredded Mexican pork into smaller portions and place in resealable freezer bags with some of the cooking liquid. Defrost in the refrigerator.
To reheat, microwave for a few minutes or preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit, spread the meat on a baking sheet, cover it with aluminum foil and reheat until warm through (it may take about 12 – 15 minutes). Remove the foil and turn on the broiler. Broil for a couple of minutes or until crispy.
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Recipe Tips
- Add a little bit of spicy and smoky taste to your carnitas by adding chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the marinade. About a tablespoon is all you need.
- You can make this instant pot recipe with chicken thighs or chicken breast.
- If cooking pork in the pressure cooker while frozen, skip the searing part. If you decide to make this easy and quick recipe with frozen chicken, you must skip the searing part as well.
- Instant Pot Carnitas is the perfect recipe to feed a crowd. Carnitas tacos are always a favorite and can be served with many toppings like guacamole and pico de gallo.
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Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 (4-pounds) boneless pork shoulder roast trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
- 1 (12-ounces) Mexican beer (Pilsner or lager beer)
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)
Suggestions for Serving (optional)
- Warm corn tortillas, chopped onions. chopped cilantro, salsa, crumbled Queso Fresco, lime wedges.
Instructions
- Season the pork with salt and pepper.
- Click the "Saute" setting on the instant pot. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and working in 2 batches, add the pork pieces and sear until evenly brown, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl or plate and proceed with the remaining oil and pork. Remove the browned pork from the instant pot and press "cancel" to turn off the heat.
- Pour the beer, orange juice and lime juice into the pressure cooker and using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits stuck to the bottom. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and return the pork and any collected juices to the instant pot.
- Close the lid and make sure the valve is in the sealed position. Cook on HIGH pressure for 60 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before fully releasing the pressure. Then remove the lid.
- Remove the pork from the pressure cooker and shred the meat. Meanwhile turn the pressure cooker to "Saute" mode and reduce the liquid for about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
- Return the shredded pork to the instant pot and toss to get the meat all coated with the cooking liquid. Press "cancel" to turn off the heat.
- Turn on the oven broiler to high. The oven rack should be at about 6 inches from the heat source.
- Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and spread the meat into an even layer. Spoon about 2 – 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid over the pork and broil for about 4-5 minutes or or until the edges of the pork begin browning. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and with a spatula, flip the meat over. Broil for an additional 4 -5 minutes to get the meat browned and crispy on the edges. Remove from the oven. You can pour some extra cooking liquid over the pork or serve as is sprinkled with some chopped cilantro (optional).
Video
Nutrition
Denisha J says
Great recipe! Thanks
Kathy says
Thank you Denisha. Glad you enjoyed it.
Julie says
I am planning on making recipe with pork tenderloin. Would you adjust cook time in the instapot due to the leaner cut of the meat?
Kathy says
Hi Julie, absolutely! Pork tenderloin cooks in 15 minutes in the instant pot. After the cooking is done, do a natural release for 5 minutes then release the remaining pressure.Again this is for pork tenderloin, NOT for pork loin.
Laura R. says
Fantastic! I actually made this with beef chuck chunks…..cooked for 45 minutes. Otherwise I followed the recipe to a “T”. My family loved it! Served it with corn tortillas, guacamole, chopped onions, chopped cilantro, queso fresco, salsa, lime wedges and refried beans.
Kathy says
Hi Laura! Thank you. Happy to hear it was a success.
Mike says
This is awesome
Kathy says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
KP says
This was really good once I put everything together into a taco. I’ll definitely save and adjust the recipe a bit. I’m not sure about all this liquid though. I could tell as I was adding it that it was a lot. I ended up reducing the liquid at the end for WAY more than 5 minutes. More like 25 all together. My boyfriend thought it was a little bit sweet and acidic. Next time I’ll probably use less lime and orange juice and maybe add some more cumin, onion and some chipotles. I also suggest cutting the salt in half. Don’t nobody need their bp to be 180/120.
Kathleen Foley says
AWESOME recipe! Will definitely make again, and again….
Kathy says
Thank you!
Angie says
Thank you for this recipe. I have a tried and true crock pot carnitas recipe but I wanted to use my instant pot and chose this recipe because it is similar to my own. I’ll start by saying boneless country style ribs are a great option if one doesn’t want to freeze some or isn’t cooking for a crowd. And I’ve found when freezing, it works best to leave the chunks whole, add the pre reduced liquid to the container, and shred after it’s warmed.
I had two pounds of country style ribs and the recipe worked great, I just reduced the liquid by about a third and since my chunks were about 1 inch instead of 2, I reduced the time by 10 minutes. I also omitted the onion powder in place of a small yellow onion I sautéed for a minute with the garlic after pulling out the meat and before turning off sauté and adding the liquid to scrape. Left other seasoning the same. I also added a couple pieces of orange rind and a cinnamon stick before sealing it (since my own recipe includes this.) Everything else I followed to a T and it’s a perfect recipe. I thank you so much!!
Angie says
Forgot to rate it 5!!
Kathy says
Thank you!
Kathy says
Thank you! xo
Galen Schatzman says
As soon as I saw the beer as an ingredient I was sure this would taste very good and it did. I needed to make this quick tonight and the steps were perfect.
I made one slight change and that was sauteeing the meat (after the instant pot) on a flat top with additional beer, a cup of the juice from the pot, and a few splashes of milk (it is the secret ingredient). It gives it a nice crust as well.
Kathy says
Thank you Galen. I am glad you gave it a chance and enjoyed it. One of my fav! xo
Will J says
This was – by far – the best carnitas recipe that I have tried. My only additions were addding onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika during the searing phase. Also, about a 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke into the broth mixture. I also used an applewood smoke sea salt. I just like meat to be a little smoky.
Kathy says
Hi Will, Thank you. You made my day! I am so happy to hear you liked my recipe. Your additions are great ones. xo
Deb Wall says
If I have 2 Lbs of pork, do I pressure cook it in less time?
Denise R says
I’m wondering the same thing. I made it once with full recipe and it’s fantastic, but making less this time so wasn’t sure. I think I’ll leave the full time, and report back.