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Instant Pot Carnitas meat on flour tortillas topped with cabbage and sliced avocado.
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4.93 from 55 votes

Instant Pot Carnitas

Instant Pot Carnitas are easy to make and deliver impressive results using simple ingredients. The pork is incredibly juicy, fall-apart tender, insanely flavorful, and perfectly crispy!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Pressure Build-Up and Release30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Tex Mex
Servings: 12
Author: Kristen Chidsey

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork loin roast cut into 3-4 inch chunks
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup light lager beer or chicken stock
  • 1 cup pulp-free orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut 3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork loin roast into large chunks and season well with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
    Pork shoulder roast cut in large chunks seasoned with salt and pepper on cutting board.
  • Turn your instant pot to sauté and add in 1 tablespoon olive oil and allow to heat for 2-3 minutes. Once the inner pot is heated, add the pork chunks and sear each side of the pork bout 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Once the pork is seared, remove it to a large plate and turn hit cancel to turn off the sauté function.
    Seared chunks of pork roast inside the inner pot of an Instant Pot for carnitas.
  • Add 1 cup light lager beer (or chicken stock) to the inner pot and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. This will prevent a burn notice from happening.
    Wooden spoon scraping up browned bits off bottom of inner pot from searing pork roast.
  • Add the seared pork back to the inner pot. Add in the 1 cup pulp-free orange juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon oregano.
    Seared pork roast inside inner pot topped with orange juice, beer and seasonings to make Instant Pot Carnitas.
  • Place the lid on the inner pot and be sure the venting knob is pointed towards sealed. Using the manual or pressure cook button, set to cook on high pressure for 40 minutes for a shoulder or butt roast. Cook for 30 minutes if using a pork loin roast.
  • Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally FOR AT LEAST 15 minutes. Then you can opt to release pressure if desired or needed.
    Pressure cooked pork roast in beer and orange juice inside inner pot.
  • Remove the pork from the inner pot and place into a large bowl. Shred the pork with 2 forks or kitchen mixer.
    Pressure cooked pork taco meat shredded in mixing bowl.
  • If you want to crisp the edges of the shredded pork, place meat on rimmed sheet pan with ½ cup cooking liquid and broil under high heat for 3-5 minutes per side.
    Shredded pork on sheet pan after being pressure cooked and broiled to be crispy.

Video

Notes

Beer: Select a light and pale lager like Corona or Coors Light or in place of the beer use chicken stock. 
Pork: Keep in mind that pork loin is leaner than a pork shoulder or butt and won't be quite as tender as tender, but still delicious.
Skip Searing: Taking the time to sear the pork before pressure cooking yields a slightly better texture, but the difference is minimal. Skip this step if you are short on time OR if your pork roast is frozen.
Frozen Pork? Skip searing and increase the cook time to 50 minutes for pork shoulder or pork butt and 40 minutes for pork loin, assuming your pork is cubed the pieces are not frozen solid together. 
Storage: Store leftover carnitas with the remaining cooking liquid in an airtight container for 4 days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, freeze the leftover meat in 1-2 cup portions in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and serving as desired. 

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 498mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 10.3mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
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