Description
These Crispy Pressure Cooker Carnitas take less than half the time of an authentic recipe and no one would know you took any short cuts! You can serve these tacos to your family or friends any night of the week.
Ingredients
Scale
Pork
- 2–2 ½ lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil or oil of choice, divided
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 2, 3-inch orange peel strips
- Juice from 1 orange
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Quick pickled red onions:
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 4 tsp sugar
- 4 tsp kosher salt or 3 tsp fine salt
- Mini corn tortillas, for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
Additional Toppings:
- Salsa verde (green salsa)
- Pickled or fresh jalapeños
- Queso Fresco*
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Season meat: Season pork with oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Pressure cook: Place pork in pressure cooker. Top with onion, garlic, bay leaf and orange peel strips. Squeeze over orange juice. Season with additional salt and pepper. Pressure cook on high for 1 hour with natural release.
- Pickle onions: While pork cooks, add sliced onion, vinegar, sugar and salt to a bowl. Cover and allow to sit out and pickle at room temperature.
- Shred pork: Remove pork from pressure cooker and shred. Season with additional salt and pepper, as desired. Save juices to toss pork in as needed.
- Crisp pork: Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to pan. Add some of pork and 1-2 tablespoons of juice to pan in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes or until well-browned and crispy on bottom side. Crisp in batches, if needed.
- Warm tortillas: Heat tortillas over gas flame on stove top or inside the oven until just warmed through.
- Serve: Place pork and desired toppings into tortillas, and enjoy.
Notes
Any pressure cooker or Instant Pot will work for this recipe. Adjust as per manufacturer’s instructions.
You can substitute cotija, queso blanco or feta cheese.
If you have leftovers, serve over rice, in a burrito or sandwich, or in a salad or soup.
You can also freeze leftover carnitas in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main
- Method: Pressure cook
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz meat, three tortillas & toppings
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 50g
- Cholesterol: 140mg
