The Catholic Foodie

Easy Carnitas in the InstantPot

Jeff Young -

Thanks to Alton Brown I have an almost allergic reaction to kitchen gadgets of any sort. But a handful of years ago my parents gave me an Instantpot pressure cooker for Christmas. I had never heard of an Instantpot, so initially, I wasn't terribly excited. But, boy, was I in for a treat!

We use our Instantpot at least twice a week. And I'm sure that there are other things we could use it for... I just haven't taken the time to research it. But one of the weekly uses goes to this carnitas recipe. Everyone, I think, knows about Taco Tuesday, right? Well, we joined in on Taco Tuesday night years ago, but we like to do taco bowls instead of shells. If you are unfamiliar with taco bowls, it's basically some type of meat (beef, pork, chicken, or even shrimp) served taco-style with all the fixings over a bed of rice... in a bowl. But, if you prefer taco shells, you can certainly do that instead.

This carnitas recipe below has become one of our standard weekly recipes for Taco Tuesday. If you don't have an Instantpot, you can still make this recipe. Just cook it low and slow in a crock pot for a few hours, until the meat easily shreds.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 pounds pork loin or boneless pork shoulder
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 onion cut into large wedges
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Rice, cooked to package directions, OR taco shells of your choosing
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, and oregano. Coat the pork with the spice mixture and rub it in. Then place pork in the bowl of the Instantpot. Add the broth, onion and garlic. Set Instantpot to the Meat setting (high pressure, for 35 minutes), making sure that the pressure valve is closed. After the timer is done, set the valve for a quick release of the pressure.
  2. Transfer the pork to a platter or cutting board, and using two forks, shred the pork.
  3. Pre-heat the broiler to high. Place the pork on a large rimmed baking sheet. Broil the pork unitl crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Drizzle the pork with the cooking liquid to moisten.
  4. Use the pork for tacos or taco bowls. Make sure to have additional fixings on hand (in addition to the avocado and lime). We like to use sour cream, cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, salsa or a Mexican hot sauce. We also like to saute onions and peppers on the side to add to our bowls or tacos.