Do you remember the first time you ever had carnitas? My first time is the real reason I made this Instant Pot carnitas recipe. The first time I had it was during a press junket. We’d gone to dinner at an authentic Mexican restaurant, and I immediately fell in love with this dish.
A Spanish Lesson
I’m one of those nosey people that needs to know the meaning behind names of food. I love that carnitas is simply “little meats.” How cute is that?! The shredding of the meat is the culprit behind the name, since the pork shoulder is turned into little bites of meat. Adorable!
Carnitas is originally simmered in some kind of oil or fat, but this recipe lightens it up by using chicken broth. You can also use beef or pork stock.
Cheap Meal For Big Families
Carnitas is a big meal to make. It’s one of those easy meals that you make once, but eat at least 4 times over the next few weeks. In the instructions below, I quarter the pork shoulder, so I can freeze each section for future meals.
Pork shoulder is a cheap cut of meat, so this is also an inexpensive meal. Cheap and easy meals are my love language.
{Related: Instant Pot Loaded Lasagna from Plowing Through Life}
How To Use Up Carnitas
We use carnitas for tacos, casseroles, soup, and so much more. My husband used it as lunch meat for his lunches during the next week.
Also, have some meals in mind for the leftovers, before you make carnitas. You’re going to have a lot of them!
Instant Pot Carnitas
serves 12 to 16
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
1 3-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
2 dried bay leaves
1 cup chicken broth
Instructions:
Mix together first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Chop pork into 3 to 4 large pieces, then place pieces in Instant Pot.
Sprinkle spice mixture over pork, then rub into the meat.
Place bay leaves on top of pork.
Gently pour chicken broth around the sides of the pork, so you don’t rinse off the rub.
Set pressure cooker on manual high pressure for 80 minutes.
Cover, turn valve to sealing, and let cook.
Allow for natural release, then remove the pork and shred with forks.
Serve immediately, or allow to fully cool, and freeze in large freezer bags.
