Instant Pot Carnitas
Hey everybody! So, I’ve been hearing about it…I’ve been reading about it…the Instant Pot. At first I brushed it off, I mean I have a pressure cooker, I have a slow cooker, do I really need this device? I’m also the type of person that tends to stay away from another kitchen “gadget.” But, Instant Pot has been so popular for so long with so many great things said about it that I couldn’t ignore it anymore. So, I decided to make a space in my kitchen for it and for my birthday my beautiful wife and in-laws ended up getting me on…so it’s been about a month since I got it and I just now finally busted it out! I was perusing the internet, looking at what other people were doing and settled on trying some carnitas. All I can say is WOW! It really is a great kitchen appliance. It was so nice to be able to saute, pressure cook and then keep the food warm all in one pot! I also really like how it takes a lot of the guessing work out of pressure cooking. I have a stove top pressure cooker as well and you kind of have to baby sit them while they do their thing. I was also really impressed how easy it was to clean. So, even though I only have one cook under my belt, so far I give this thing two big thumbs up. Can’t wait to do more with it! So, as far as the recipe goes, I made some very traditional pork carnitas, that I served on yellow corn tortillas, with homemade pico de gallo and a avocado crema. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Instant Pot Carnitas w/ Pico de Gallo and Avocado Crema
Prep time: 30m | Cook time: 1hr | Total time: 1hr30min | Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
-
- 4 lbs Boneless pork butt, cut into 2" chunks
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 cup beer
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
- 16 - 6" yellow corn tortillas
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Pico de Gallo, recipe follows
- Avocado Crema, recipe follows
Cooking Directions
- Click the “Saute” setting on the Instant Pot and let heat. While Instant Pot is heating, season pork chunks with salt and pepper. Add oil and , working in batches, sear pork — turning every 45-60 seconds or so — until the pork is browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a separate clean plate, and repeat with the rest of the pork, searing until browned on all sides. Press “Cancel” to turn off the heat.
- While the pork is browning, in a separate bowl whisk together the next 9 ingredients.
- Return the browned pork and the sauce to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid in place and set the Instant Pot to pressure cooking on High for 30 min. Cook. Then let the pressure release naturally, about 15 minutes. Carefully turn the vent to “Venting”, just to release any extra pressure that might still be in there. Then remove the lid.
- Turn your oven broiler on high. Placing a towards the top in the oven.
- Remove work with a slotted spoon and place on a rimmed backing sheet. Shred the pork with two forks then ladle some of the sauce over the pork. Put in the oven and broiler for 4-5 minutes until the works starts to brown and get crispy. Remove from oven, top with more of the sauce and toss with some tongs. Return to oven for another 4-5 min until brown and crisp. Remove from oven
- Heat and crisp the corn tortillas on a cast iron pan or baking steel. Use two corn tortillas per taco. Top with carnitas, cheese, pico de gallo, and avocado crema
Pico de Gallo
Prep time: 10m | Total time: 10min | Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
-
- 3 red onion, medium dice
- 12 Roma tomatoes, medium dice
- 2 Cups cilantro, chopped
- 3 jalapenos, fine dice
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt, to taste
Cooking Directions
- Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Avocado Crema
Prep time: 10m | Total time: 10min | Yield: 1 batch
Ingredients
-
- 2 avocados
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 lime, juice
- 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
Cooking Directions
- Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Add more lime juice to adjust consistency; should be thick but still smooth enough to squeeze out of a bottle. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and use as needed.
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