Making Your Instant Pot Carnitas Feel Like You Slow Cooked Them
We love the Instant Pot but have to admit that cooking a large roast in it can sometimes turn out a little tough and hard to shred. Our tip for really getting that fork tender, fall apart texture you want in carnitas, is to first cube your roast. Cut it up into more manageable pieces. Then, use the sauté function on your Instant Pot to lock the juices in before you pressure cook your roast. The full instructions are of course in the recipe below, but these two tips will totally be a game changer for cooking with your Instant Pot if you aren’t already using them!
The Seasonings And Citrus
We love using simple ingredients and playing with various seasonings to create delicious flavor combinations. My favorite part about these Instant Pot carnitas that Justin created is the combination of citrus (lime and orange) with savory seasonings. The chipotle powder really adds a little smoky deliciousness and a hint of spice. Spice ain’t your thing? You could use smoked paprika in place of the chipotle powder if you want to avoid the spice all together. But really, you’re going to love the rich and smoky flavors!
Crisp Them And Serve Them Up!
Once your Instant Pot carnitas finish pressure cooking, let the pressure naturally release for 20 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure. We like to take one additional step after we shred the pork. We either place the pork on a sheet pan under the broiler or in a skillet on the stove for a few minutes to crisp up the edges. It’s totally optional, but gives this recipe that extra punch! Once the crispy edges have developed, remove from the oven or stove and serve up these Instant Pot carnitas! You can use broad leaf lettuce as a shell to keep them Whole30 compliant or indulge with some Siete tortillas! We find these tortillas at our local Natural Grocers.
More Instant Pot Recipes To Try
Versatile, 5-Ingredient Instant Pot Shredded BeefInstant Pot Honey Garlic ChickenInstant Pot Italian BeefHealthy Chicken TingaMarinated Instant Pot Mojo Pulled Pork
Your Turn To Try These Instant Pot Carnitas
Go ahead and plan these Instant Pot carnitas into your meal plan! Then, use our tips for making them juicy, tender and delicious! Serve them up and enjoy! Let us know how it goes by leaving a comment below. Also, take a photo and tag us on Instagram @realsimplegood, so we can check it out! SHARE IT NOW OR PIN IT FOR LATER!