Instant Pot Carnitas (Video)
It might look like just another meal prep recipe, this one’s actually a capsule meal in our house. My husband says this is his favorite thing we make for meal prep. Because honestly, who doesn’t love some juicy shredded pork? Moreover, who doesn’t love tacos? Trust me when I say you’re gonna love these carnitas. Even if you don’t make them for meal prep, keep the recipe on standby for party food or family dinners. You’re gonna blow some folks away with this recipe.
This pork can be made in your slow cooker while you’re at work OR in your Instant Pot in just over an hour. God bless the Instant Pot, how incredible is it that you can prep an entire roast in less than two hours? It’s a meal prep lifesaver. I filmed this preparation as part of my Instant Prep Series on Instagram (PS if you’re not following me yet, go now and check out the Instant Prep series).
The infusion of garlic, onions, cumin and a little heat from jalapeno make the meat so savory. But what really shines here is the sweetness from fresh squeezed oranges, limes, and a swig of Coca Cola—don’t skip the Coca Cola, it helps to tenderize the roast. Even better: Use Mexican Coke if you can find it!
Final Touches
This isn’t optional: Please take an extra 10 minutes for this last crucial step. Heat your oven on HIGH BROIL then shred your roast after it’s done in the Instant Pot. Add shredded pork and about a cup of the liquid inside the Instant pot to a cookie sheet. Broil your pork for 7-10 minutes until the edges begin browning. This step brings out all the sweetness and savory goodness of the pork.
Tips for Meal Prepping
This is certainly not the leanest protein we’ve ever made, so I opt to for a couple corn tortillas or a bed of romaine lettuce to keep the macros manageable. We portion out the pork into cups with lids and reheat individual portions as needed. Microwaving works just fine. I like pre-dicing purple onion and adding that to my tacos, along with some fresh cilantro. Justin literally eats the pork on it’s own most of the time. However you choose to eat this pork, it’s SO GOOD YOURE GONNA LOVE IT.
Instant Pot
carnitas
Yields: 5-6 servings
Ingredients
3-5 lb pork butt or pork shoulder
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 lime
1 white onion (cut into wedges)
1 to 2 jalapenos (chopped, more for extra spice)
6-8 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup Coca Cola (use Mexican Coke if you can find it!)
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Cut pork into 2-4 chunks to help it cook faster. Mix together cumin, oregano, and salt, then coat your roast with the mixture.
Into the Instant Pot, squeeze orange and lime juice. Placed seasoned pork inside.
Tuck onion wedges between the pork, then add garlic, jalapeno, and Coca Cola on top.
Secure the lid and make sure the vent is sealed (twisted upward).
Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 50 - 55 minutes, then NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes.
Release the remaining steam then carefully pull pork wedges out of the Instant Pot and shred them.
Turn on your oven broiler and distribute your pork evenly onto a cookie sheet. Add 1 cup of the Instant Pot juice on top of your pork to maintain moisture.
BROIL shredded pork on high for 7-10 minutes until the edges become crispy.
IF MEAL PREPPING:
Portion pork out into meal prep containers and store in the fridge up to 7 days. I like eating pork with fresh onion, cilantro, and lime juice on top of corn tortillas. My husband likes it on a bed of lettuce. Enjoy!
