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.

Recipe

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

Instructions

1. Cut pork butt into large chunks and salt and pepper both sides generously.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.