Instant Pot Pork Carnitas. Crispy cubes of Mexican pork, cooked fast thanks to pressure cooking, and finished in a frypan on the stovetop.
Carnitas are Mexican pork candy. Cubes of pork shoulder, simmered until tender, and then fried in their own rendered pork fat. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, I've tried Instant Pot Carnitas many times, but the results were not what I wanted...until now.
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The problem was, I kept trying to make this a one-pot meal, and fry the pork cubes in the Instant Pot by simmering off the liquid. There were two problems. First, the pork would always burn on the bottom of the pot, no matter how carefully I watched it. Second, pressure cooker pots (like the Instant Pot) are not that wide - at best, I could fit 2 pounds of pork in a single layer on the bottom. That's not enough to satisfy my hungry crowd of kids.
My breakthrough was giving up on the authentic, one-pot approach. Mexican kitchens cook carnitas in wide, shallow pots, so there's plenty of room to fry the pork. Me? I brought out my frypan, and use vegetable oil or lard instead of the rendered pork fat. The Instant Pot does what it does best - quickly pressure cook the pork, making it tender and shreddable. Then I scoop the pork into the frypan, where there's plenty of space to brown.
Are you looking for real-deal pork carnitas, crackling browned cubes of pork, tender and shreddable, in about an hour? Get out the Instant Pot and frypan, and get to work.
Carnitas Ingredients Substitutions
- Lime substitutions: You can replace the limes with oranges, blood oranges, or mandarin oranges. (Orange juice goes well with the pork). Even better is a mix of limes and oranges. Or, you can just skip them. Citrus adds a nice flavor to the pork, but it's not necessary. I stay away from lemons; the flavor just seems wrong in this recipe.
- Vegetable oil vs lard: I call for vegetable oil in the frying part of the recipe, but if you can get lard at your local grocery store, it is even better.
- Other cuts of pork: I get asked about other pork cuts often enough that I'm breaking it into its own section:
Which cut of pork is best for carnitas?
Pork shoulder, pork shoulder, pork shoulder! (And did I mention pork shoulder?) Pork shoulder is also called pork butt, Boston butt, and picnic roast. Pork shoulder is the right cut to get tender, shreddable pork after pressure cooking and frying. Boneless pork shoulder is easiest to cut into cubes, but bone-in pork shoulder just takes a little more knife work.
An interesting substitute in this recipe is pork belly (which is essentially uncured bacon). Cut the skin off (if it is on the pork belly), cut the belly into cubes, and follow the directions. Pork belly has a lot more fat than the (already fatty) pork shoulder, but the resulting carnitas are crispy and jelly-like. If you're OK with the extra fat, they are a very interesting alternative.
If you're desperate, you can try pork leg (uncured ham) - it won't be quite as juicy and tender as pork shoulder, but it would still work. Country-style ribs will also work in a pinch. (Especially pork shoulder country-style ribs, which are essentially pork shoulder.)
Pork loin and pork tenderloin are too lean for this recipe, and will not work.
Tips and Tricks
- Doubling: To double this recipe, double all the ingredients in the pressure cooker, and then fry in two batches in the frypan. (Or use two frying pans.) Don't overcrowd the frypan, or the pork will steam, not brown. To halve the recipe, halve all the ingredients except for the water.
- Use the fat from the pot: If you have a fat separator, you can fry the pork in its own rendered lard. After scooping the pork out of the pressure cooker pot, pour the pot liquid into the fat separator and wait for the fat to float to the top. Pour off the pork juices, leaving just the fat, and transfer the fat layer to the frypan. (Add vegetable oil or store-bought lard if needed to get a ¼-inch deep layer of oil in the pan.)
- One-pot carnitas (no frypan): If you really want to do everything in an Instant Pot, without the stovetop frypan, you can use sauté mode instead. Follow the instructions up to "scoop out the pork with a slotted spoon." After that, pour out the liquid in the pot and wipe out the pot liner with paper towels. Put the pot liner back into the Instant Pot body, add the vegetable oil (or lard), and set the Instant Pot to sauté mode adjusted to high. Crisp up the pork in two batches - don't crowd the pot or the pork will steam, not brown.
- One-pot carnitas (wide Instant Pot): After I wrote this recipe, Instant Pot came out with the perfect pressure cooker to do this as a one-pot meal. The 7.5-Quart Wide Instant Pot *is* wide enough to do this all in one pot. Use the instructions above for one-pot carnitas (scoop out the pork, wipe out the pot, add the oil, heat on sauté-mode adjusted to high), but the wide pot lets you brown the pork in a single batch.
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 servings
Description
Instant Pot Carnitas - crispy cubes of Mexican pork, sped up by pressure cooking
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 limes, cut into ½-inch slices
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (or lard)
Accompaniments
- Tortillas
- Shredded cabbage or shredded lettuce
- Salsa
- Diced Onion
- Guacamole
- Shredded or crumbled cheese
- Beans
Instructions
- Everything in the pot: Sprinkle the pork cubes with the salt, then put the pork into the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker pot). Pour 1 cup of water into the pot, stir, and then spread the lime slices over the top of the pork.
- Pressure cook for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes in an electric pressure cooker ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot), or for 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes.
- Fry the pork and serve: Unlock the Instant Pot lid and open it away from you - the steam is hot. Remove the lime slices and discard. Scoop the pork to a bowl with a slotted spoon. In a 12-inch frypan over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Spread the pork cubes in the frypan in a single layer and cook until the bottom is browned and crispy, about 4 minutes. Move the pork to a platter with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the oil as possible. Serve the pork with the tortillas and accompaniments.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 ounces of pork
- Calories: 134
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 209.9 mg
- Fat: 6.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Protein: 16.6 g
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
Serving Suggestions
The best part of this recipe is the toppings for the carnitas. I serve with corn or flour tortillas, minced cilantro, diced onions, and sliced jalapeños. The key to varying the flavor and heat with this recipe is making a salsa. On weeknights I make Quick Red Salsa in the food processor. In the summer, when I can get fresh vegetables, I'll make Pico De Gallo Salsa (Fresh Tomato Salsa) or , Tomatillo Salsa. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll make a batch of Toasted Ancho Salsa. I will also pass some bottles of hot sauce at the table so everyone can adjust the heat level on their own. And, no Mexican meal is complete without a side of beans, like Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans, Instant Pot Pinto Beans, or Instant Pot Refried Beans.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Pork Carnitas
I store leftover pork carnitas by shredding them, then refrigerating them in 2-cup containers. Or, to freeze the shredded carnitas, I put them in a single layer in zip-top freezer bags. (Quart sized freezer bags are my preference). I smash the pork in the bag into a flat, single layer, and squeeze out all the air. Then I freeze them into flat bags of pork, so I can stack them in a tray in my freezer. Also, thawing the flat bags of pork in the microwave is quick, making leftover pork carnitas a quick weeknight dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oranges (especially mandarin oranges) are the best alternative.
Yes, as long as the pork is already cut into cubes, and not in a big block of frozen pork. Add an extra 5 minutes to the pressure cooking time, and everything else will work as written.
Pork shoulder is tough when it is undercooked. If you are still getting tough pork after cooking this recipe, you're not cutting the pork pieces small enough. For larger pork cubes, increase the pressure cooking time; 1½-inch pork cubes should pressure cook for 25 minutes, and 2-inch pork cubes should pressure cook for 35 minutes.
You can, but it won't come out as browned and crispy as it will if you pan-fry the pork. (And, since carnitas are meant to be fried, it's not authentic. But, we're already pressure cooking instead of frying in lard the whole time, so "not authentic" is already assumed.)
Set your broiler to high, spread the drained pork cubes out on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil the pork cubes until they are browned on top, about 5 minutes. (The time will depend on how strong your broiler is - I've had wide variations in broiler strength. Check them every minute or two, and keep broiling until they are browned to your liking.)
Yes, you can. You'll have tender shredded pork without the crispy outside, but it will still be great. (You're essentially making my Instant Pot Quick Pork Tacos if you don't fry the pork.)
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Bill Cronin says
Fantastic!! Well done.
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
Rachel W says
I grew up on crock pot carnitas, which were delicious, but this recipe using the Instant Pot and the fry step is far superior. I add a half to 1 tablespoon per pound of my handmade taco seasoning to the meat before cooking in the Instant Pot and fry off portions in avocado oil to order for multiple lunches or dinners. The fresh lime is the secret. Amazing authentic flavor. Awesome job to Dad Cooks Dinner!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Ashley says
I just tried this! I’m new to the whole pressure cooking thing and had pork in the freezer to cook. Will definitely do again! Coming out of pressure cooker it tasted so good and tender. I did do the skillet to amp it up. I diced some up for the kids bc they wanted nachos . They asked for seconds and the rest I made into tacos for myself and husband. I had just 2.5 lbs of pork and still used 1 cup of water. The lime is what makes it.
Mike Vrobel says
Great! Glad you enjoyed it.
Jennifer says
My family loves this so much! I do as another commenter suggested and broil the pork instead of frying it. I place the pork on paper towels and pat them dry, then I drizzle a light layer of oil on a sheet pan and roll the pork pieces on it to coat them before broiling. If there are any large pieces of fat on the raw pork, I will trim it off and--while the pork is cooking--melt it down in the oven on the sheet pan and use that instead of vegetable oil to lightly coat the meat before broiling. So darn good!
Christi says
Can I cook the pork ahead in the instantpot one day and then fry it the next day?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes! Refrigerate it overnight, and you're good to go the next day.
Aaron Friedman says
For the browning stage, especially if doubling the recipe, I would go with Kenji Alt-Lopez's technique of broiling them in there own fat on an aluminum foil covered sheet pan. Great results, every time.
Aaron Friedman says
Sorry...Lopez-Alt.
Mike Vrobel says
Great tip - thanks for sharing!