Instant Pot Carnitas

My daughter Eden has a lot of "favorites" when it comes to my cooking (and by the way - Butter Noodles holds the top spot which just kills me as a cook, but I digress). These pork carnitas are one of the meals that she begs for on the regular. She's also a great helper in the kitchen and this is a simple one for her and I to make together.

The Instant Pot does all of the heavy lifting, giving you juicy, fall-apart pork in about an hour. But the real magic happens at the very end. A quick trip under the broiler gives the meat those irresistible crispy edges that make carnitas...well, carnitas.

I use a crap ton of garlic, lots of cumin, fresh orange and lime juice, and one extra ingredient you might not expect- a splash of soy sauce. The soy sauce adds a rich, savory depth that makes everyone ask what your secret is.

Whether you're piling it into warm tortillas, loading it up nachos, or making burrito bowls for meal prep, this is one of those recipes you'll find yourself making again and again. If you still haven't pulled out your IP from the garage yet, now is the time!

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds pork butt, cut into 2-inch chunks

• 1 T olive oil

• 1 large white/yellow onion, minced

• 8 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ cup orange juice

• 1-2 limes, squeezed

• 1 T soy sauce

• 2 T ground cumin

• 1 t onion powder

• 1 t dried oregano

• 1 T brown sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• A pinch of cayenne

• Cilantro, and lots of it.

Instructions:

Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté mode and add the olive oil.

Cut the pork into chunks and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt. Toss the pork into the pot for a minute on each side to brown.

Add the onion + garlic to the pot and stir to soften for 3-5 minutes. Coat the onions and meat with the dried seasonings and brown sugar.

Pour in the orange juice, lime juice and soy sauce, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Pressure cook

Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes.

Let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes before releasing the rest.

Shred the pork

Transfer the pork to a large bowl and shred it with two forks.

Toss with some of the cilantro and add additional salt, pepper or lime if needed

Don't skip this part!

Spread the pork onto a baking sheet or large cast iron pan and broil for 2-4 minutes, until the edges get browned and crispy. If you want even more crispy bits (I always do), toss it once halfway through and broil for another couple of minutes.

Serve with additional cilantro and lime wedges

My favorite ways to serve these

This pork is ridiculously versatile. We use it for:

• Street tacos with cilantro, diced onion, and lots of fresh lime

• Burrito bowls

• Loaded nachos

• Quesadillas

• Taco salads

• Breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs

• Loaded baked potatoes

My biggest pro tip

If you're tempted to skip the broiler because everyone's hungry...don't. Those crispy edges are what take this from "good pulled pork" to "I need this recipe immediately."