A few years ago, when Instant Pots were all the rage, I gave in and bought one, and then I stuck it in my pantry and kind of forgot about it. To be honest, I was kind of scared of the thing (and I kind of still am). As time has passed, I have gotten pretty comfortable with my Instant Pot, and I have come to understand what is so wonderful about it. These Instant Pot Carnitas are so very easy to make, ultra flavorful and delicious and so much easier and faster to make than the traditional version.
If you are not familiar with carnitas, it is very tender and flavorful pork that is shredded and typically used in tacos or something similar. I like to use mine for tacos, but also on salads, lettuce wraps and rice bowls. Top yours with: salsa, queso, sour cream, guacamole, pico de Gallo or any of your other favorites and enjoy!
I used a classic and delicious Budweiser when making this because it adds an amazing flavor of its own, enhances all of the other flavors used, and also because it does an excellent job of helping to break down all of the fibers in the pork and tenderize it so that it is falling apart by the time it is done.
These carnitas take eight hours to cook on low in the slow cooker (plus some time before and after), but in the Instant pot, they take just a little over an hour from start to finish. If you do not have a pressure cooker, or if you would rather make this in the slow cooker for another reason, I have also included the instructions to do that as well.
These are the ingredients that you will need for these Instant Pot Carnitas:
- Pork roast
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Oregano
- Budweiser
- Oranges
- Lime
I recommend the following products for this delicious recipe:
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Instant Pot Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3 lb pork roast cut into 6 chunks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 cup Budweiser beer
- 2 oranges juiced
- 1 lime juiced
Instructions
- Cut the pork into 6 equal sized chunks and season them with salt and pepper. Turn your instant pot on the high sauté setting and allow it to heat up. Add the oil and brown the pork on all sides. You will need to work in batches to have room for each piece of pork.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, beer, orange juice and lime juice. Add all of the pork back to the instant pot and pour the mixture of the other ingredients on top. Put the lid on the pot, seal it select pressure cook, high for 30 minutes.
- Allow the instant pot to natural release for 20 minutes, and then do a quick release if needed. Remove the pork from the pot, shred it with two forks, add it back to the pot and toss it in the liquid. Season with additional salt, pepper and cumin as desired.
- Enjoy this pork on tacos, burritos, lettuce wraps, salads or any other way you like!
Slow-Cooker
- To prepare in a slow-cooker, you will use the same ingredients as the instant pot. Simply brown your pieces of pork on the stove top and then add it to your slow cooker along with the other ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4-5. Follow all of the other previous directions.
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, you may also like my Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa, Easy Chicken Enchiladas or my Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Lime Dressing.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Please stay a while and check out some of my other recipes. I hope you come back soon! – Regan
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