Instant Pot Carnitas
We’re continuing with the Whole 30/gluten free theme for this week with some more Instant Pot magic. The other day, my dearest friend, Niki, posted an Insta-story with a photo of shredded pork and her new Instant Pot. I immediately messaged her to see how she liked the magical kitchen gadget, and demanded the recipe. And I was not disappointed.
I love carnitas. They scream Spring and Summer to me, and since the weather in Seattle has been absolute shite the past few weeks, I needed something that reminds me of sunshine. The carnitas that I typically make take several hours of searing and braising, and I'll likely make them this summer and write about it (I’m also fortunate to have some Mexican friends that don’t mind swapping family recipes, too, so I know they’re legit). But these only take 2 1/2 hours! From start to tummy, carnitas for days.
And that’s another reason I love making carnitas - they’ll feed a couple people for days, and it’s a pretty inexpensive cut of meat. I paid under $15 for free range organic pork shoulder at my local market, and most of those spices are items I have on hand all the time. So they’re economical, the meal options are endless, and they taste amazing. No losers here.
PS - I've made some adjustments, but the original recipe for this is from FED+fit if you want to find it.
Ingredients:
- 1 4-pound pork shoulder, patted dry
- Spices:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
- 1 orange, zested, cut into 4 wedges
- Juice and zest of 2 limes
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion cut into 4 wedges
- 1 red chili, sliced with or without the seeds (depends on how much spice you can handle)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Directions:
Make the spice rub: combine all spices except for 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl and mix together.
Zest the orange and the two limes, and then cut the orange into quarters and juice the limes. Then skin and quarter the onion, and slice the red chili.
Cut the pork shoulder into 4 even pieces, and rub each piece on all sides with the spice rub.
Turn the instant pot to sauté, and add 2 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil. Brown the pork on all sides (it’s ok to do this in stages so that you don’t crowd the pot. I did them two at a time).
Remove the pork and add the onion and chili pepper with the reserved teaspoon of salt. Stir and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot as the onions start to brown - about 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken stock to continue deglazing, scraping all the yumminess off the bottom of the pot.
Place the pork on top of the onions/stock, and then add the quartered orange, the zest, and the lime juice over the top of the pork. You'll notice in my photos that the orange is peeled: the original recipe said to peel it, but I don't think it's necessary. I don't peel my citrus when I make long-form carnitas, and they taste amaze.
Turn the instant pot off, place the lid on, and set to manual high pressure for 90 minutes.
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Time for some wine! Or whatever else you wanna do, no one’s judging.
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When the 90 minutes is up, allow the pot to naturally release the steam for 10 minutes, and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Pull the pork out of the liquid, and shred it in a bowl using 2 forks, removing most of the fatty parts. It will be fall apart tender; resist shoving all of it in your mouth (this is difficult).
Lay the shredded pork out on a cookie sheet, and pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil over the pork. Niki and I also added a bit more lime juice, a sprinkling of salt, and some smoked paprika at this point.
Roast in the oven about 15 minutes, or until the pork starts getting a little crispy on the edges - however you like it. When it's done, garnish with the chopped cilantro.
Serving options are endless. This makes about 6-8 servings of pork, depending on how you split it. Niki used the pork to make lettuce cups, which I think would be super yummy with a citrus slaw or some fresh pico de gallo. I used the fat from the liquid to toast some jasmine rice before steaming, and then served the pork with some broccoli and a little bit of the jus over the rice. I also added it to some potato/leek soup that I made the other day as an extra bit of protein, and I think tonight we’re going to have tacos with what’s left.
PS - you'll have a ton of liquid leftover, and that shouldn't go to waste! I strained mine through a chinois and poured it into a jar to let it cool and settle. The fat comes to the top, so you can scoop it off and use it (like I did with the rice), or throw it away, and the rest is a spicy pork jus that you can use to flavor all kinds of foods. It'll probably keep in the fridge for a few days.
Enjoy!
