Pork Carnitas Recipe
Learn how to make our tried-and-true pork carnitas recipe in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for an easy and delicious weeknight meal.
Serving8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 pound boneless pork shoulder, (or pork butt roast)
- 15 ounces enchilada sauce, slow cooker version only
- 1 cup salsa, slow cooker version only
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup orange juice, Instant Pot version only
- 2 Tablespoon lime juice, slow cooker version only
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Cut pork into 2" cubes and place in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Toss pork with olive oil, then sprinkle spice mixture overtop and toss again.
- Place pork in the instant pot, then add orange juice, onion, and garlic.
- Place lid on instant pot and move vent to SEALING.
- Cook on MANUAL on HIGH PRESSURE for about 60 minutes until the pork is cooked all the way through.
- QUICK RELEASE pressure, then remove pork from the Instant Pot with a slotted spoon and shred.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place roast in slow cooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the roast.
- Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours (I would recommend the low setting). Remove roast from slow cooker when finished cooking and shred using two forks (it should fall apart pretty easily).
- Cover a large baking sheet (15x10x1") with foil and spread the shredded meat on top of it. Pour some of the liquid from the slow cooker over the meat (I used about 1 ½ cups – use as much or as little as you like).
- Broil meat for about 5 minutes, until it starts to caramelize around the edges (I flipped my meat once during this time).
Notes
To make this a freezer meal, place roast, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, olive oil, orange juice, onion and garlic into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last up to 90 days.
When ready to use, dump ingredients from bag into Instant Pot and add 1/2 cup chicken broth or water in with the frozen food. Place the lid on top, move the valve to SEALING, and press the MANUAL button. Set timer for 90-100 minutes (or about 30 minutes per pound of your roast). Do a NATURAL RELEASE when the timer is done – I even like to let it sit in the Instant Pot for a few hours so that it falls apart so easily. Follow the rest of the instructions as written.
Recipe slightly adapted from All Recipes.
Nutrition
Calories: 189 kcal · Carbohydrates: 5 g · Protein: 21 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g · Cholesterol: 70 mg · Sodium: 664 mg · Potassium: 441 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 3 g · Vitamin A: 119 IU · Vitamin C: 18 mg · Calcium: 25 mg · Iron: 2 mg