This classic Southwestern Style Mexican dish is inspired by authentic Pork Carnitas where an exciting mix of citrus and Mexican spices compliment fall apart shredded pork for an easy taco dinner that will WOW your crowd. Instant Pot Carnitas mean minimal prep with juicy fall apart shredded pork. I’ll even show you how to create those famous Carnita crispy edges.
What Are Pork Carnitas?
Traditional Mexican carnitas are slow-cooked, tender pieces of pork that are simmered in their own fat until meltingly soft, then crisped until the edges turn golden and slightly crackly. The word carnitas literally means "little meats" in Spanish.
Carnitas originated in Michoacán Mexico, where they're considered a point of regional pride and often cooked for celebrations, markets, and family gatherings.
How Traditional Carnitas Are Made
Authentic carnitas are:
- Made with pork shoulder (Boston butt)
- Slow-cooked in lard in a wide copper pot called a cazo.
- Seasoned simply - typically with salt, sometimes garlic, bay leaves, orange.
- Cooked low and slow until tender
- Finished at higher heat so the exterior crisps while the inside stays juicy
Unlike shredded pork that's braised in broth, traditional carnitas are gently cooked in fat and as the liquid evaporates, the pork fries in the remaining lard, creating that signature mix of silky interior and crispy edges.
We made traditional pork carnitas in Culinary School and they were OUTstandingly wow.
Making Pressure Cooker Carnitas
The method mentioned above literally takes hours and is well worth the time, but I wanted to make a quicker version and knowing that my Instant Pot would render that pork roast fall apart and luscious, I created this recipe.
Pressure cooking gives you that fall-apart texture in a fraction of the time. Same deep flavor. Same shreddable pork. Less hovering over the stove wondering if you burned the bottom. I love tradition but I also love dinner in under a few hours and the convenience. Here’s what you can expect:
Flavor Profile And Benefits
- Rich and savory, slightly salty, pork-forward and not heavily spiced, but warm and cozy with heat.
- An easy recipe for street-style tacos.
- Using a pressure cooker to make Carnitas Tacos guarantees a cook time of less than one hour, compared to 3 – 4 hours in the oven.
- A another star for the Southwestern flavor combination of citrus and New Mexico Red Chile Powder.
- What pushes this recipe over into the five-star category is it’s make-ahead qualities.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Mise en place. Always gather ingredients before starting any recipe. It will save you time and organize your mind.
- Pork: Choose a 3-5 pound pork shoulder (butt) roast. Preferably bone in.
- Oranges
- Onion: Sweet or Yellow Onion recommended.
- Beer: A Mexican beer works well here.
- Limes
- Spices: New Mexico Red Chile Powder and Achiote Paste make this chile forward with flavor. Traditional with garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano for traditional Mexican seasonings.
Ingredient Swaps
- Pork: You can also use a boneless pork shoulder roast. Avoid a pork loin, or pork tenderloin. They are leaner cuts of meat and will tend to dry out, which won’t make good shredded pork tacos. Pork shoulder roast has enough fat to keep the meat tender and juicy.
- Oregano: Mexican oregano is preferred for this recipe, it’s peppery, grassy, earthy flavor is a good compliment for Mexican Food. If you don’t have Mexican Oregano, substitute Marjoram. Known for its aroma and delicate flavor, its related to oregano and will bring a sweet undertone to any recipe.
Step by Step Instructions – It’s Easy
- Step 1: Make the Carnitas sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together oregano, cumin, achiote paste, New Mexico red chile powder, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, and beer until combined.
- Step 2: Cut the pork roast into large chunks to fit well in your pressure cooker. Discard any large chunks of fat.
Tip: If using a bone-in pork roast (preferred) cut around the bone, leaving a chuck of meat attached. Add that piece to the browning/cooking process and then to the Instant Pot. That bone will bring even more savory flavor to the end result. You’ll remove that bone once you start shredding the meat.
- Step 3: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add oil. Salt and pepper the pork pieces and brown them on each side. You may need to do this in batches. Don’t crowd the meat.
- Step 4: Add the pork pieces to the pressure cooker insert. Pour the carnitas sauce over the pork. Cook 25 minutes on high.
Pro Tip: Don't skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it's responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It's a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
- Step 6: Once cool enough to handle, using two forks, or your hands, shred the meat. Discard the bone from the piece of meat that it was attached to. Spread the shredded pork on a sheet pan and then set it on a rack 5 inches below the broiling unit to create that famous carnitas crisp. Watch it close during the broiling process, it won’t take long.
- Tip: I like to sprinkle on a bit more red chile powder, for color, heat and that famous New Mexico warm flavor.
How They’re Traditionally Served
Pork Carnitas are typically chopped and served as Carnitas Tacos:
- Warm corn tortillas
- Fresh Cilantro
- Diced White or Sweet Onion (raw)
- Salsa: Use either red salsa or salsa verde.
- Always lime wedges.
- Sliced radishes are also common toppings for tacos in Mexico, as well as chopped avocado and Mexican Pickled Onions. A dollop of Guacamole would work well here.
- Toppings For Carnitas Tacos: Sliced Radishes, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, crumbled cotija cheese, sliced or chopped avocados andMexican Pickled Onions.
- To make it a meal, serve with Gulf Coast Rice, Refried Beans or this tossed salad recipe for Southwestern Salad.
Make Ahead
This pulled pork taco recipe is also a great make-ahead taco recipe to feed a crowd. Here’s why.
- The pork roast can be cooked, shredded and stored until ready to re-heat and broil. (you will need to broil to get that crispy element for carnitas).
- You can prep, chop and store all the toppings in air tight containers in the refrigerator in advance.
All that’s left is to do is warm the corn tortillas and line up those toppings. Guests can build their own personal carnitas as you sit back and take in the compliments.
TIP: How to keep those corn and flour tortillas warm. I was recently introduced to these Imusa Tortilla Warmers. They work like magic. Just place the tortillas in the warmers and then use the microwave to heat them. They’ll stay warm for about an hour tucked inside. Check it out, they’re amazing. You can also toast corn tortillas over open flame stove top. Just a few seconds per side for a more rustic Mexican feel. Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase the tortilla warmers using the link above, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
FAQ’s
A pork roast is very forgiving, and hard to over cook. If the meat turns out mushy, you’ve over cooked. Stick to the cooking times in the recipe and you’re safe.
Probably not enough fat. Or you didn't cook it long enough to fully break down. Dry pork usually means undercooked, weirdly enough.
Just how many tacos should you plan for each person. Err on the safe side and plan for three tacos per person, especially if you’re using smaller street-style corn tortillas.
Barbacoa is slow cooked shredded meat, usually beef. It’s a more chile-forward dish that used dried red chile peppers and stronger spices. Cochinita Pibil is a Yucatan inspired dish, where pork is achiote marinated.
Storing, Reheating and Freezing
- Refrigerator: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Reheating: Gently reheat stovetop in a saucepan until warm. Or use your microwave oven. The 50% power feature is your best friend. Place individual servings in a microwave safe bowl and reheat in 30 second increments until warm enough to eat. This lower setting helps avoid those splattering microwave food explosions.
- Freezer: Place any leftovers in a freezer safe zip-lock style bag. Fill the bag while it’s standing up, then press air out and seal well. You can store the bag laying down to optimize freezer space. Label with date and contents and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
And that's it. Close to the real-deal authentic carnitas. Faster. Crispy where it counts. Tender where it matters. And honestly? Pretty hard to mess up.
I routinely make this pressure cooker Pork Carnitas recipe for Super Bowl. This is truly perfect football party food. Actually it’s perfect party food – period, any time of year and especially a Cinco de Mayo.
Explore More Southwestern Mexican Taco Recipes
Love tacos as much as we do? Here are some recipe you might want to take a look at:
And don’t miss my Taco Category, you’ll find even more ideas, including Fried Tacos, the most popular on my site.
And don’t miss my recipe for Pork Tenderloin Tacos in Chile Guajillo Sauce. Pure rustic rich red-chile forward flavor in every bite.
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Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos
Equipment
- Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano preferably Mexican Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Achiote paste
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico red chile powder or ancho
- 1 large Sweet Onion chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic chopped
- 2 Limes juiced
- 2 large Oranges juiced
- ½ cup Beer
- 4-5 pounds Pork Shoulder Butt Cut into large pieces
- 3 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Neutral Oil Canola or vegetable oil works well here.
- Soft Corn or Flour Tortillas Look for 5 – 5 ½" tortillas to make Street Style Tacos.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together oregano, cumin, achiote paste, chile powder, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, and beer until combined.
- Cut the pork into large pieces, removing any large chunks of fat. Season pork chunks with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add oil. When oil is shimmering, add half of the pieces of pork. Sear on both sides and remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the pork.
- Place brown pieces of pork into the instant pot. Pour sauce on top of the pork. Close lid and set to pressure on high. Cook for 25 minutes. Let naturally release for about 15 minutes. Release the remaining steam before removing lid.
- Remove pork to a large cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred with two forks or your hands. Spread pork onto a large baking sheet. Spoon one third of the sauce from the Pressure Cooker on top of the pork, tossing to combine.
- Set broiler temperature to 550 and set the sheet pan full of pork 5 inches below the broiler unit. Broil for 4 to 5 minutes, just until the pork edges begin to crisp.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top with half of the remaining sauce from the pressure cooker. Toss again to combine. Broil for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and toss more sauce. Don't use too much sauce. You don't want that pork to be swimming.
- To assemble the tacos, top warmed flour or corn tortillas with pork. Top with sliced red onion, diced avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, pickled onions, or diced sweet onions and cotija cheese. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos … It’s Whats for Dinner
