If you like Mexican flavor you’re going to love these Instant Pot Pork Carnitas. A few of our favorite ways to serve this fall-apart-tender recipe are in lettuce wraps, tacos, salads and over rice. It is great served with homemade salsa and refried beans.
Don’t be intimidated by all the recipe steps, some are optional but offer a rich flavor profile. What I like most about this versatile recipe is you can easily use it for multiple meals throughout the week. Food prep is simple with this recipe, make a batch on the weekend and enjoy it for dinner and a few lunches throughout the week.
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Recipe
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Ingredients:
- ¾ c. chicken broth
- ¾ c. fresh orange juice (approximately 2 large oranges)
- 3 T. lime juice
- 1 T. chili powder
- ½ t. smoked paprika
- 1 t. dried Mexican oregano
- 1 t. ground cumin
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3½ – 4 lbs. pork shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 6-8 chunks
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 medium jalapeno, diced
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
You’ll find these kitchen tools useful (I've included affiliate links to the products I use at home):
- Obviously an Instant Pot, the instructions are for the IP-Duo series, other models may offer different features or buttons. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck I love the Crock-Pot Express Crock, it delivers a lot of the same features at a lower price point. (I purchased mine at Target on sale for $45).
- My favorite tool for shredding meat are bear claws, they’re quicker than using two forks and simple to use.
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth, fresh orange juice, and lime juice with the chili powder, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, and ground cumin. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and set aside.
- Push the “Sauté” button on Instant Pot. Once the display reads “On,” add 1 tablespoon olive oil and half the pork shoulder pieces to the container. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and cook until pork is browned on all sides, approximately 1-2 minutes per side.
- Once browned, transfer seared pork to a plate and repeat this process with additional olive oil and the rest of pork. Remove browned pork from the Instant Pot and set aside.
- Optional: Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to the container, along with red onion, jalapeno, and fresh garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Add browned pork back to the pot and pour chicken broth/orange juice mixture over top. Add lid and seal, making sure the steam release handle is positioned toward “Sealing.”
- Press the “Manual” button and set the time to 30 minutes at high pressure. Once the cooking time is up, allow 20-25 minutes for the “natural release” of the steam inside the Instant Pot. After that time, perform a manual “quick release” to vent any remaining steam to release lid.
- A few minutes before the steam is fully released, preheat oven broiler to high (if you choose to broil). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Transfer pork to the prepared baking sheet and gently shred with two forks. Drizzle with ¼ cup juices from the Instant Pot and toss to combine before spreading into a thin, even layer.
- Optional: Place pork under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, then remove from oven and add a little more juice before turning the meat to brown the other side. Place back under the broiler for another 4-5 minutes or until the pork is nice and crispy on the edges.
- Once pork is under the broiler, press “Sauté” on the Instant Pot to reduce the cooking liquid by one half while the pork is broiling. If you aren’t broiling cover your meat in serving dish to keep warm while you reduce the liquid.
- When finished broiling, remove baking sheet from oven and serve immediately with the reduced cooking liquid, fresh lime wedges, and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
The instructions for this recipe include a couple of optional steps that can be omitted to save time. The aromatic blend of onion, jalapeno, and garlic does not need to be sautéed before cooking the pork, but doing so deepens and releases more flavor. If you’re in a hurry the pork can be shredded and served as soon as it is done cooking. The extra step of tossing the shredded meat with cooking liquid and broiling under high heat delivers the delicious, crispy edges found in traditional carnitas recipes.
When I make the recipe ahead of time I save the broiling for when we eat dinner, it is an easy way to reheat the meat without drying it out. I store the liquid separate from the meat for easy reheating, you can even turn some into ice cubes for reheating in the microwave without drying out the meat.
However you decide to enjoy this Instant Pot Pork Carnitas recipe I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
- ¾ c. chicken broth
- ¾ c. fresh orange juice (approximately 2 large oranges)
- 3 T. lime juice
- 1 T. chili powder
- ½ t. smoked paprika
- 1 t. dried Mexican oregano
- 1 t. ground cumin
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3½ - 4 lbs. pork shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 6-8 chunks
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 medium jalapeno, diced
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth, fresh orange juice, and lime juice with the chili powder, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, and ground cumin. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and set aside.
- Push the “Sauté” button on Instant Pot. Once the display reads “On,” add 1 tablespoon olive oil and half the pork shoulder pieces to the container. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and cook until pork is browned on all sides, approximately 1-2 minutes per side.
- Once browned, transfer seared pork to a plate and repeat this process with additional olive oil and the rest of pork. Remove browned pork from the Instant Pot and set aside.
- Optional: Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to the container, along with red onion, jalapeno, and fresh garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Add browned pork back to the pot and pour chicken broth/orange juice mixture over top. Add lid and seal, making sure the steam release handle is positioned toward “Sealing.”
- Press the “Manual” button and set the time to 30 minutes at high pressure. Once the cooking time is up, allow 20-25 minutes for the “natural release” of the steam inside the Instant Pot. After that time, perform a manual “quick release” to vent any remaining steam to release lid.
- A few minutes before the steam is fully released, preheat oven broiler to high (if you choose to broil). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Transfer pork to the prepared baking sheet and gently shred with two forks. Drizzle with ¼ cup juices from the Instant Pot and toss to combine before spreading into a thin, even layer.
- Optional: Place pork under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, then remove from oven and add a little more juice before turning the meat to brown the other side. Place back under the broiler for another 4-5 minutes or until the pork is nice and crispy on the edges.
- Once pork is under the broiler, press “Sauté” on the Instant Pot to reduce the cooking liquid by one half while the pork is broiling. If you aren’t broiling cover your meat in serving dish to keep warm while you reduce the liquid.
- When finished broiling, remove baking sheet from oven and serve immediately with the reduced cooking liquid, fresh lime wedges, and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
