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Instant Pot Carnitas – juicy, flavourful, and tender, it is an easy and versatile recipe! Great for meal prepping, a quick dinner, or to freeze for later. (Slow cooker instructions included)

Pressure Cooker Carnitas

So what are carnitas? Carnitas are a braised or roasted pork served shredded in small pieces. They are often used as a filling in tacos, burritos, etc. You may even recognize it on the Chipotle menu!

Carnitas are quite easy to make – even easier if you have an Instant Pot! As recommended by the official Instant Pot website, pork is cooked for 15 minutes per pound so these recipe only takes 45 minutes to “braise” in the Instant Pot. If you have a smaller piece of pork, it would take even less time!

What I love about these Instant Pot Carnitas is that when a batch is made, they can be used in many ways. Having a batch in the fridge can make meal time much easier. Down below, I’ve listed some ideas on what to use carnitas for.

What You Need To Make This Instant Pot Carnitas

cumin

smoked paprika

chili powder

dried basil

dried oregano

salt & pepper

pork leg/shoulder/butt

onions

garlic

orange juice

lime

What Cut Of Meat Do You Use For Pulled Pork / Carnitas

The best cut of meat to use for making carnitas would be pork shoulder. It might be called pork butt roast or Boston butt in the grocery store. It is best cut to use for carnitas due to its marbling/fat (that cooks aways and) leaves your pulled pork juicy and tender.

How To Make This Easy Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe

Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.

Place the pork into the Instant pot then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.

Press the “manual” button and set Instant Pot for high pressure for 45 minutes.

Quick release, remove the pork and shred. Place the meat back into the IP and put it on sauté mode and let the juices thicken and coat the meat more.

Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up.





Is This Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe Whole30?

Yes! The carnitas themselves are Whole30 friendly – you can also use lettuce wraps as a sub for tortilla shells if you want them taco style!

Make These Carnitas in a Slow Cooker

I know not everyone has an Instant Pot so here’s an alternative cooking method! The trusty slow cooker!

Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.

Place the pork into the slow cooker then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.

Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Once done, remove the pork and shred before placing it back in the slow cooker for 30 more minutes.

Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up.

Ideas for What To Use The Carnitas for

tacos

burritos

salad

quesadilla

bbq sandwiches

breakfast omelette

pizza topping

shawarma

chilaquiles

tamales

Tips for Freezing Carnitas / How To Freeze Pulled Pork

You can prep these carnitas as a freezer meal by freezing the seasoned pork, onion, garlic, orange juice, and lime in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag then dumping it into your Instant Pot or slow cooker after thawing.

Alternatively you can cook your carnitas in a large batch and then freeze the cooked carnitas. Make sure you use an airtight container or press all the air out of the ziploc to avoid freezer burn. To reheat and crisp the carnitas back up, place thawed meat in the oven for around 20 minutes.





Instant Pot Carnitas Instant Pot Carnitas - an easy and versatile recipe! Great for meal prepping, a quick dinner, or to freeze for later. 5 from 7 votes Print Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 45 mins Total Time: 55 mins Servings: 4 servings Ingredients 1 tbsp cumin

3 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt & pepper , or a pinch

, 3 lbs pork leg/shoulder/butt

1 large onions

5 cloves garlic

1 cup orange juice

1 lime juice Instructions Instant Pot Instructions Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.

Place the pork into the Instant pot then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.

Press the “manual” button and set Instant Pot for high pressure for 45 minutes.

Quick release, remove the pork and shred. Place the meat back into the IP and put it on sauté mode and let the juices thicken and coat the meat more.

Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up. Slow Cooker Instructions Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.

Place the pork into the slow cooker then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.

Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Once done, remove the pork and shred before placing it back in the slow cooker for 30 more minutes.

Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up. https://carmyy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/instant-pot-carnitas-2-wide-screen.m4v Tried this recipe? Did you make this recipe? I'm always so happy to hear about it! I'd love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I'd really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥ Authour: Carmy

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