Insta Pot Carnitas

Written by on in Dinner, Main Course

I had been searching for a great carnitas recipe for a couple of years. I tried the slow cook method, the oven method, I used lard, fresh orange, lime juice, etc. Total pain and mess, and none of the recipes I tried were great. Is there anything more disappointing than taking the time to plan, shop, and cook a recipe and then have it fall flat? Such a bummer.

Believe it or not, the inspiration for this recipe came from my Whole30 a couple of years ago. I bought the book and low and behold, a delicious sounding pork carnitas recipe was in it. After making them several times in the oven according to the original recipe, I converted the timing to my Insta Pot and have never looked back. Thank you for the inspiration, Melissa Hartwig! Now I can have carnitas on the table in just over an hour with minimal planning and clean up!

Note: I almost always double this recipe because the leftovers are amazing! I go all out with the traditional taco bar toppings for serving, but would also be delicious with a slaw if you’re fancy! This recipe calls for pork butt, also known as boston butt, boston shoulder or pork shoulder. Buy the one in the net since it’s boneless – will be super easy to prep.

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Ingredients

  • 2 pound pork butt

  • salt and black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

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Directions

  • Cut pork butt into large chunks and salt and pepper both sides generously.
  • Melt the coconut oil on sauté in insta pot. When fat is hot, add pork being careful not to overcrowd and brown on all sides, 3 – 4 minutes per side. Remove the pork from the pot to a plate and set aside.
  • In the same pot, add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 – 5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for one more minute. Add 1 cup of water, chili powder and cinnamon. Bring mixture to a boil.
  • Add pork back to pot, cover and set insta pot to manual setting for 45 minutes. Let pot naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure manually.
  • Pre-heat oven to broil. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and remove pork to the pan. Shred pork and place under broiler for 3 – 4 minutes, until pork starts to crisp. Remove from oven and serve immediately.