Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Tacos

Traditional pork carnitas for tacos take 3 to 4 hours to cook, but with the Instant Pot, they take just one hour! The pork turns out just as tender, juicy and delicious.

Happy National Taco Day! Yes, I really am celebrating. I love tacos. Plus, tacos are one of the only foods that my picky-eater-son will always eat without complaint. OK, maybe not completely without complaint, if I happen to buy the "too spicy" Trader Joe's taco seasoning packet.

Anyway. I could tacos multiple times per week. There are so many combinations of fillings, it's hard to get tired of tacos.

One of my favorite fillings is carnitas, a Mexican pork dish that's typically braised over the course of 3 to 4 hours, to break down the collagen (connective tissue) in the pork, making it easier to shred.

I don't know about you, but I rarely have 3 to 4 hours (plus prep and resting time) to sit around and wait. That's where one of my favorite gadgets, the Instant Pot, comes in. Using pressure cooking, this dish is ready in an hour.

Now, carnitas literally translates to "little meats" in Spanish, and sometimes someone will cook beef or even chicken in this style and call it carnitas, but if you see it on a menu, it's almost always pork carnitas tacos.

It appears that citrus juices aren't a traditional ingredient of carnitas, but I love the subtle taste of lime in these carnitas, so I always put it in. If you're not a fan, you can reduce the amount of lime juice by half, and substitute more chicken broth for the orange juice.

Carnitas are typically served on corn tortillas, but I always find them gummy. Maybe I just haven't had good corn tortillas? Anyway, I always serve tacos on flour tortillas, but go with whatever you prefer.

I've listed topping options in the recipe card below. For a side, I like rice (plain, or with cilantro), refried beans (some people put those in the taco along with the carnitas), or jicama slaw.

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Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Tacos

Yield: 10 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Traditional pork carnitas take 3 to 4 hours to cook, but with the Instant Pot, they take just one hour! The pork turns out just as tender, juicy and delicious.

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Ingredients

For the carnitas

• 4 pounds pork shoulder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 2 bay leaves
• juice of 4 limes
• 3 cups orange juice
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

For the tacos

• Tortillas (flour or corn)
• Pico de gallo
• Avocado slices
• Cilantro

Instructions

1. Trim any excess fat off of the pork shoulder and cut it into 4 chunks. Combine the salt, cumin, ojregano and pepper, and rub all over each chunk of pork.
2. Press the saute button on your Instant Pot, and once hot, add a thin coating of canola oil. Saute the pork shoulder, in batches if necessary, on all sides.
3. Add the remaining carnitas ingredients, and return any pork chunks back to the instant pot, nestling them in the liquid.
4. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on high, and set the device's timer for 30 minutes.
5. After thirty minutes, let the pressure reduce naturally for 10 minutes, then manually turn the valve to "venting."
6. Once the venting is finished, open the pot. Shred the pork with two forks. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
7. Serve on tortillas with pico de gallo, avocado slices and cilantro.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 764Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 1064mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 48g

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