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3 pork carnitas tacos garnished with slices of radish, lime served in corn tortillas
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Pressure Cooker Carnitas (Pork Tacos)

This Insta Pot Carnitas recipe is quick and easy to make in the pressure cooker, perfectly flavored and juicy. So delicious!
Cuisine Southwestern Mexican
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 171kcal

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
  • 1/2 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 1/2" 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

This recipe is easily adaptable for crockpot or oven roasting. For Oven: Place seared pork chunks into a Dutch Oven and pour the sauce over the pork. Roast at 350 degrees until meat is fall apart tender. This should take about 2 - 3 hours. 
For the crockpot: Place seared chunks of pork into the crockpot and pour in the sauce. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until tender enough to shred. 
Friends don't let friends eat Mexican Food without Pickled Onions. Check out this recipe for Quick Pickled Red Onions.
Can I sear the pork pieces in the Instant Pot? Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Add oil. Once hot, add half the pork and sear directly in the Instant Pot, turning every 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer pork to a separate plate and repeat with remaining pork pieces until browned. Press cancel to turn off the heat. (I find it easier to sear stove-top)

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 655mg | Potassium: 415mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg