Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Lunch, Dinner
Servings
8
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Calories
482
A staple of Mexican cuisine, carnitas is made by slow-roasting or braising pork shoulder until it practically falls off the bone. Inspired by traditional carnitas, this recipe has a lot of elements, but don't be deterred! You can get tons of other tasks done while your pressure cooker does its thing, making this a great weekend recipe or a great side task to get done while you're working from home.
Ingredients
3-4 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3 pieces
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 lime, zested
-
4 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil
- 5 limes, juiced
8 almond flour tortillas (we used Siete)
- 2 large avocados, mashed
-
¼ cup Primal Kitchen Cilantro Lime Dressing
- ¼ cup red onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Directions
Cut 1-inch deep slits all over the pork. Mix together 1 tablespoon salt, granulated garlic, and lime zest. Rub the pork all over with the mixture. Ideally, let the seasoned meat sit out 30 minutes before cooking.
Set Instant Pot (or other brand of electric pressure cooker) to sauté and add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Add pieces of pork and sear until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes a side.
Put lid on pressure cooker, and set to cook for 90 minutes on high pressure.
Manually release steam when cooking is complete. Remove the meat from the broth. Place meat on a wood cutting board or a large plate. Pull the meat apart with 2 forks until completely shredded (leaving some larger chunks is fine).
In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil.
When pan is hot, add pork in 2 batches. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and the juice from 2 limes. Sear until just beginning to crisp.
Ladle over ½ cup of broth left in the Instant Pot, and continue cooking until the juices reduce and the meat is crispy. Repeat with other batch of meat.
Cut open avocados and remove the pits. Using a spoon, scoop out the green flesh of the fruit and place into a large bowl. Add the juice from 1 lime to the avocado. Using a fork, mash the avocado until all large chunks are smoothed. Stir in ¼ cup Primal Kitchen Cilantro Lime Dressing.
Warm tortillas in a pan over medium heat until pliable. Place tortillas onto plates. Add about 3 ounces carnitas to each tortilla and 1 tablespoon avocado crema per tortilla. Sprinkle with sliced onions and cilantro. Enjoy!
Recipe Note
Nutrition information calculated using Cronometer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 1 serving
- Calories per serving
- 482
- Carbs
- 16 grams
- Fat
- 36.3 grams
- Protein
- 24 grams
The next time you get a Taco Tuesday craving, want a party potluck dish, or need a sublime tailgating recipe to tote to the game, try this Instant Pot pork carnitas recipe. The tenderness of the savory pork melts on the tongue while the skillet-seared crackly bits of meat provide enough texture contrast to make each bite tickle the taste buds.
While the prep time may seem a bit daunting for an average Tuesday night, the majority of that time is spent idly by you, as the Instant Pot does the heavy lifting to sear, steam, and soften the meat. We served these pork carnitas taco style, with grain-free tortillas, a luscious avocado crema made with our Cilantro Lime Dressing, raw thinly sliced onions, and fresh cilantro. You can also serve them in lettuce cups, as an epic topper for nachos, as a switch-up for ground beef in a taco salad, or straight out of the pot.
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