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Instant Pot Carnitas
PIN THIS RECIPE!{ COOKING VIDEO }
Well hello, darling beautiful face. It’s a sad day today, mostly because we don’t have The Bachelor franchise to gossip about. What the hell else are we going to talk about?! Well, maybe it’s the first time I actually talk about a recipe. Who woulda thunk?
Not me. Talking about recipes is boring. EATING recipes is the absolute best. And I’ve been doing lots and lots of eating this past week. I’ve been in La Jolla and San Diego and trying every last bite of food possible. It’s quite lovely. But I’m super excited to get back home tonight to routine, more vegetables, and my puppy dog! The hotel I’m staying at right now is actually dog friendly and makes me want to bring Jackson every where with me. But I don’t know flying rules and I think he would freak TF out if I tried to put him in his crate and shove him under the seat. Jackson is too much of a spoiled only child for that.
Ok wait, back to the recipe. You guys requested instant pot recipes so I’ve been trying to come up with more and more which aren’t all soups and stews. I love soups and I love stews but it’s been 70 degree weather in Colorado lately and that kind of meal isn’t really appealing to me at the moment. So I thought why not try shredding up some meat and seeing what happens. Luckily, it worked out quite well and I wanted to make out with this pork. And I did. Gross. But no seriously, I couldn’t stop eating this. Which wasn’t helpful since I made Carnitas Nachos with this meat. Not to worry, I’ll be sharing that recipe on the blog tomorrow!
But wait, who cares about food. Let’s go back to The Bachelor franchise for just one hot second. So hopefully you follow Kaitlyn Bristowe on snapchat or instagram because I do and I totes want to talk about her freezing her eggs. From what I gather, it’s a sponsored type thing, but man it looks miserable. Like, REALLY miserable. And it got me thinking…should I freeze my eggs? I have no yearning to bear children in any near future, but that may change some day. But then again, I’m only 28. So I looked up Kaitlyn’s age and I think she’s only 30. Our eggs aren’t that far off from each other. They’re basically sorority sisters. Is everyone doing this now? Is it a thing? Tell me all the stuff you know! I need the lowdown!
But in the meantime, totally make these carnitas ASAP!
Instant Pot Carnitas
- Yield: 4-5 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork shoulder or butt, cubed
- 2 teaspoons smoked salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 white onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 cup bone broth
For garnishes
- lime wedges
- cilantro
Instructions
- Press Sauté function on instant pot. Once hot, add pork butt and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes. Add all of the rest of the ingredients and mix well to combine. Press cancel, secure lid, close off pressure valve then press manual to high pressure and press the up button until the time hits 30 minutes. Once time is up, let the pressure release on its own for 20 minutes, then remove lid.
- When the instant pot is slow releasing, turn oven on to broiler.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the fall-apart meat and onions, and place on a baking sheet. Use two fork to pull apart the meat slightly. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top and place under the broiler to cook for just a few minutes or until the pork begins to brown and crisp.
- Garnish with fresh lime wedges and cilantro before serving!
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144 thoughts on “Instant Pot Carnitas”
how would you adjust this for a slow cooker, I can not buy another appliance….no room!
Yes! I’m in the same boat, could we just do the same in a slow cooker and put it on high for 4hrs?
Hi Angela. I made a very similar recipe on Sunday in the crockpot. I didn’t cube the meat, but put it in whole with the fat cap up. I then cooked it on high for 6 hours and it was delicious! I’m sure you could cook it on low for 8 hours, but I wanted it done in time for dinner! Don’t forget to brown it when it’s done or when re-heating. The crispiness makes it so so good!
8 hours on low then into the broiler
Would you consider adding an extra line like this to your future instant pot recipes for those of us who aren’t in a position to invest in an Instant Pot? Thanks! Love everything you do!
maybe, but i don’t love giving recommendations for something i haven’t tried myself.
Ditto on this questions 🙂
Get rid of the slow cooker to make room for the Instant Pot. Problem solved. Seriously, this thing is awesome.
Absolutely true statement. I cook in this thing at LEAST twice a week!! Best investment I’ve made in a very long time, small appliance wise. Looove it!!
The instant pot also has a slow cooker setting so you really don’t need to have a separate slow cooker you will really love an instant pot!
Wow, that carnitas looks super yummy!!! Can’t wait to try it. Any new La Jolla or San Diego paleo/gf food finds?? I’m headed that way today!
check out my instagram for all the places i went this past week since my post won’t be up until next week!
I’m going out to San Diego/Carlsbad/La Jolla the first week of April so I’m really looking forward to hearing about your trip/food places.
i’ll be posting all about it next week!! la jolla is awesome!
I made this tonight and it is so good! I made a bowl a la chipotle with rice, sautéed peppers, this meat and avocado. One of the best meals I have had in awhile!
★★★★★
That might be the most beautiful picture of meat I’ve ever seen. Fer realz.
★★★★★
hahaha thanks, shary!
Juli- Why is no one saying anything about your egg predicament? I have three teenagers. I love them to pieces and always knew I wanted children. But I firmly believe too many people are having children that have no business doing so. Not to be judgie, more like it’s a FACT JACK! Kids are a life commitment. The amount of money we have put into their college funds would buy us a lovely vacation house. And do you know how we did that? We lived on a budget for years. No vacations for years. No extras. Now in hind sight I am okay with that because my kids are pretty damn spectacular and are going to be good human beings. But not everyone wants to, and that’s okay. I believe you know in your heart if you are up for having a child. Your husband works so much, you would be raising your child by yourself, which would suck. How much could it cost? Couple grand? Maybe do it as insurance just in case you change your mind. PS this recipe looks amazing. Jackson is enough…I promise.
★★★★★
Oh Miam !!! The pizza crust recipe from Juli Bauer’s paleo cookbook + this meat on top = perfect friday night dinner!
I started doing some digging after you mentioned the egg-freezing thing. (Never heard of this so I was curious) I think it’s Whitney’s (from Chris’ season) company. http://www.ovaeggfreezing.com Kaitlyn, Andi and Carly have video diaries on the website of their experience going through the process. Just another way for them to earn some money by promoting products. Seems like that’s all these ex-Bach people do.
I would like to substitute boneless chicken breasts for this recipe for the Instant Pot. How much time would you recommend?
I’m honestly not totally sure since i haven’t made it that way. but probably would only need 15 minutes on high pressure
Which salt variety did you use?
i linked the smoked salt i used!
Does this recipe not need oil to sauté the meat?
no, just because the meat is pretty fatty already, but if yours is lean, feel free to throw a tablespoon of fat in there!
It looks like Lisa, Kelly and I are the only ones who noticed the egg question! By age 28 I was pretty sure I wasn’t destined for children and never really had a strong desire for them. At 32 (single) I had my tubes tied. On my 37th birthday I met my husband and somewhere around our 3rd or 4th date I told him that if he wanted children he’d better keep shopping! We celebrated our 20th anniversary last May and I turned 60 last month. I have no regrets. Well ok, I have some regrets but none of them involves children or the lack thereof.
It is obviously a very personal and emotionally charged topic, but I say make a decision and get on with living NOW!
PS we were able to retire at a very young age and are totally living the dream since we didn’t have to pay for braces, college, weddings… ok, you get the drift.
that’s so amazing! i told my husband the same thing, i said that i didn’t know if i ever wanted to have children so if he had that desire, i wasn’t right for him. i don’t know if that feeling will ever change (so many older friend tell me it will once i’m 30 but who knows) but retiring early, having a vacation home and doing whatever the hell you want always sounds quite wonderful haha!
Hi there! I’m going to comment on the egg freezing because I’ve been to a fertility specialist (CCRM in Denver actually) and looked into doing that myself. You would be better off having a simple blood test and ultrasound to determine how healthy your eggs are and how many follicles (ovarian reserve) you have. If things look normal, don’t even consider the hellish process of freezing your eggs. I am 10 years older than you, had those tests, and because my egg count and health are great I am not stressing even though I’m approaching 40 and still plan to have a little stinker. You are young girl, no need to be worrying about your eggs yet!! Now on to the meat. Holy Yumness looking. I love my instant pot and will be making this asap!
ok that’s how i feel!! that’s good to hear!!
I made this last night– it was awesome! The grocery store didn’t have normal OJ (out of stock– it was busy) or smoked salt, so I subbed Simply Orange brand OJ with pineapple and kosher salt. I served it with corn tortillas, Guac, and sour cream. We aren’t paleo.
I didn’t even need two forks to shred the meat– I just smushed each piece with a fork and it would fall apart. Delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. I think next time I’ll cut the pork into more rectangular shapes to produce longer strings of meat. (I wasn’t thinking and did one-inch cubes.)
★★★★★
Juli, I went onto the website to buy the nacho cheese and they have a deal where u buy four cheeses. Have you tried the other flavors? If so do u recommend? Thanks so much for introducing us to all of these new brands ????
i haven’t tried other ones yet, but i’ve heard they are all awesome!
Hi Juli! I’m a little late to the post but I’m 29 and a lot of my friends who have recently turned 30 have also begun to look into freezing their eggs. Must be a biological clock thing…or the fact that society has convinced us that our eggs magically disappear the second you hit 30. Either way I’ve been reading this amazing book called “expecting better” (I’m currently pregnant myself, but I think every woman should read this book) and the entire first chapter is dedicated to fertility myths and it’s extremely data driven…. long story short, don’t worry about egg freezing any time soon. Your chances of getting pregnant at 35 aren’t much different than your chances of getting pregnant today (not in any statistically significant way). And especially not enough to go through the egg freezing process. Just my 2 cents….
★★★★★
I agree with this. Anecdotally, my hubby and I were 37 and 35 respectively when we got pregnant with our daughter, on our first try. I had a wonderful, easy pregnancy, a normal delivery and am still breastfeeding. She is 8.5 months old and perfectly healthy. I wasn’t even sure we would have kids until I was 35. Don’t worry – you don’t magically dry up and become infertile in your 30s. Plus, your healthy lifestyle should go a long way towards helping you have a healthy pregnancy, should you want one.
Crack-Nita’s it is!! You didn’t disappoint Juli, this was amazing and tasted like it cooked all day! Added some pineapple salsa on a salad (didn’t plan for nachos but I can’t imagine how good this is as a nacho!)
★★★★★
yayyyyyy!! the pineapple salsa sounds amazing! totally wish i would have done that the other day!
I am 38 and just had my eggs frozen. I do definitely want kids but haven’t found the right partner yet. (I might just have them myself at some point, but for now still dealing with the dating scene.) It is expensive – and not covered by insurance, but definitely the right choice for me. I was lucky and was able to freeze a good number of healthy eggs, but I have a few friends who did it less successfully and some are deciding to do another round for more insurance. On the one hand, not a huge hurry, but on the other, younger eggs are more likely to be successful so if you think it’s something you might want, you could consider it in the next 5 years or so.
Advice on the freezing of eggs – I would absolutely do it. I had my daughter at age 37. By the time we tried again, it was too late. We had 3 failed artificial inseminations and 3 failed IVFs. I was 40. I feel terrible that I waited to long to have children or to try again after the 1st. What if you decide when you are older that you want children? I say freeze them now! I WISH I WOULD HAVE. If you dont use the eggs, then no loss. The process isnt that terrible. Going through 3 IUIs and 3 IVFs is mentally, physically and emotionally draining.
I made this last night and my husband and I were in heaven. I served them with lime, onion, cilantro, and avocado and this is officially our new go to Taco Tuesday recipe. Quick recipes that pack a ton of flavor are always a win in my book. THANK YOU!
★★★★★
delicious! glad you loved it!
Made this on Monday for nachos and bowls. My boyfriend and I can’t. stop. eating it. Leftovers crisped up in a cast iron pan are perfect too. Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
Can you please do a what you eat in a week video please? I crossfit, play sports and eat somewhat healthy, but its hard to keep strict, hence no six pack like you 🙁
lol no way. tracking what i eat in a day is hard enough to remember, i can’t imagine doing a week. too much to get done in a day!
Egg Freezing…..actually had my procedure this morning. Im 35, turning 36 this year and I dont know if I want kids, Im with a man that I will not marry or have kids with but I also dont want to rule it out completely. One lady said “hellish”, while its not fun its not that bad. Its shots morning and night, several blood draws and ultra sounds and then the extraction. I had that this morning, like I mentioned, and Im sitting here writing to you 🙂 it was a 20 min procedure and yes Im tender and not supposed to work out hard for 48 hours. I had 13 follicles, only 9 made it thru the freezing process. I see it as a back up and not an end all be all. Each woman makes the decision for different reasons but my idea was the younger you do it the younger your eggs are, meaning more viable. I would be happy to go into further detail if you are interested, email me. Good luck Juli and keep rocking life!
so interesting to hear about all this! thanks for sharing your experience!
Your IP Carnitas were so good! If I can fit a double batch in my IP next time I’m definitely going to double it. My husband and I tore through the batch I made this past weekend. I served mine over cauli rice with sautéed onions and peppers, diced avocado, cilantro and tostones on the side. Seriously delicious! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!
★★★★★
glad you loved it!!
This recipe was a huge hit at our house, possibly “the best thing I’ve ever cooked” according to my SO. Question: what do you do with the cooking liquid once you’ve scooped out the meat and onions to broil? Do you think it’d be good as a soup base or ?
★★★★★
awwwww that’s awesome! you could strain the liquid and use it for a soup base. but i would only do that if it’s high quality pork you’re using!
When I make carnitas in my IP, I reduce the cooking liquid (saute) while i’m shredding the meat, then return the meat to the reduced liquid.
Since I cook for one person at a time (me), I crisp the Carnitas meat on the stovetop rather than heating the broiler for just one serving. The cooking juice caramelizes on the meat as it’s crisping.
Have you ever considered creating an icon/link to Yummly like you do Pinterest?
i have no idea what yummly is!
I literally bought an instant pot because I had to try this recipe (along with your other new instant pot recipes)! It did not disappoint. So freaking good!! For the first time ever, I want to invite people over and cook for them cause this recipe is the bomb. Thank you!
This recipe was fantastic – so quick and the best carnitas I have ever made – so much flavor! Thank you for all the amazing work you do, Juli!
★★★★★
YAY!!! that’s so damn cool to hear!
Hi Juli, after the designated cook and natural release time my piece of pork was not cooked well enough at all to shred with two forks. I thought perhaps it was maybe because I was cooking 6200 feet which can change cooking times. Alas, I noticed you’re in Denver, the mile high city/! I waiting for an additional 15 minutes of cook time. Have any thoughts?
15 minutes might do it! i’m not totally sure since i’m not there to see how cooked it is. but when i test recipes and they aren’t fully cooked, i just add 15 minutes usually
Hello! My husband got me an IP for Mother’s Day and I came across this wonderful recipe. How would I modify the recipe to double the meat? I’m thinking I’d have to use double the spices but is it also necessary to double the liquid? I found there was a lot of liquid strained out from my batch. Also, would I adjust the pressure time? Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Kim! We haven’t tried it that way, so can’t say for sure. If I were going to experiment, I would just increase the liquid by 1 1/2 instead of doubling. As for time, it will probably take 60-90 min because 4lbs of meat will be pretty packed in there. Good luck!
Hi Kim, I plan on making this tomorrow with 4 lbs of pork. Would you mind sharing how it turned out for you? Total time? Did you use 1.5x or 2x the broth? Thanks!!
Do you ever save the au jus ? Sometimes I throw away that goodness, and then regret it later. I’d recommend freezing your eggs. Ha, just like saving the au jus, lol! I wanted to expand my family at age 35 only to find out I was going into early menopause.
Made these the other day and apologize for not posting earlier – but WOOOOW !!! These were amazing. Love the citrus flavor and the bit of burnt edges I got from the broiler. These are great all by themselves or could clearly be used in omelets, burritos, tacos, salads… wow i just love making a huge batch of something that can be used several times over. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
awesome!! glad you liked the recipe, Chance!
I just made these tonight and they were great! I think the only thing I could have done different was keep them in the broiler a bit longer to get a little more crisp to them (I was really hungry and it smelled good, was a little impatient at that point). Thank you so much for sharing, I will for sure be keeping this recipe and making it again in my regular rotation.
★★★★★
how long in the IP if cooking the meat from frozen? I am terrible at defrosting ahead of time.
i honestly have no clue. i always try to defrost ahead of time to make sure the meat tastes correct
Do you think it would ruin the recipe to omit the OJ? Trying to keep carb count and sugars low…
it will definitely taste different but you can do whatever you’d like!!
This recipe looks wonderful! Thank you so much!
Just made this using the instapot. Super delicious. Picky kid approve. Thanks!
Do you notice a difference if you use bone in pork shoulder? My carnitas were super tasty (I left out the jalapeños bc I’m avoiding nightshades but they were still super flavorful) I followed the directions to a T but had trouble shredding the meat. Most of it was very tough.
you shouldn’t have an issue shredding the meat at all, bone in or no bone. if you’re having trouble, it just means it needs to cook longer. maybe your IP didn’t come to pressure or cook long enough.
This might be a weird question. But do you do something with the cooking liquid? Serious this stuff is so infused with flavours it hurts to throw it out.
i mention in the post to pour some of liquid over it. for me, i reduce it down in a pan until it’s thick like a gravy!
Hi! Just wondering if these freeze well? I want to make a bunch and freeze extras for later! Thanks!
i haven’t tried freezing this but i’m sure it would, as long as you let it thaw off and broil it again to get the same texture
I just made this and it was very tasty. My one complaint is that because there was so much soup left over I think a lot of the flavor ends up in the soup rather than the meat. Have you (or other cooks) tried making this with less liquid? I think more of the flavors may end up in the carnitas? We did pour some of the juice on when serving the meat but this just adds complexity when serving this to a large group.
no, i haven’t tried it any other way
Holy crap!! This is THE BEST CARNITAS YOU’LL EVER HAVE! And you make it yourself! Juli, this recipe and you are the reasons I asked for an Instant Pot for Christmas, and I’m already an owner of 3 crock pots (different sizes) and a pressure cooker. My recommendation to anyone is GET THE INSTANT POT! If you don’t have room, make room. I bought the 6-quart Instant Pot for $99, and it’s already my favorite go-to meal prep device. Even if it’s just for cooking whole potatoes! AND even with my decades of experience with a pressure cooker, this takes a lot of guess work out. My husband and I much prefer pressure-cooked foods to crock pot-cooked foods, and with your recipes, it’s an easy choice. I also wondered about using oil to saute the pork and if the batch can be doubled–I see this is answered in the other comments. Anyway, I couldn’t find smoked salt, and it was still amazing. Definitely, you’ll need the orange juice (ref the other question being asked if it was needed). Not only for the flavors to mix but it’s also going to tenderize the meat. Thank you for this amazing recipe! P.S. I never wanted children until one day at 31 something inside of me switched on, like someone flipped a switch! Three months later, I had my daughter at 32, and then my son at 35. Enjoy your life, as you are doing so. The egg freezing research is a great idea.
so glad you love the recipe!! and i’ve totally heard that from other women who thought they didn’t want to have kids then something switched inside them. crazy!
If I double the size of the pork roast, how does this change the liquid requirement and cook time?
not sure, i haven’t tried doubling it myself
Made these exactly as described and they were not good at all. Will stick with a slow cooker for pork from now on. Cut up fresh pineapple as a garnish and the pineapple was the best part!
hey katherine!! based on the reviews, people have really enjoyed this recipe. can you share a little bit more to why you did not enjoy it? i would love to help improve your experience!
I have a 4lb pork shoulder. How do I adjust the time!! I don’t want to mess this up!!
i’m not totally sure since i haven’t made it with a 4lb shoulder, but i’m guessing maybe around 50 minutes
I made this with a 6.68 lb piece of meat. I doubled everything ingredient wise (except the onion) including the juices/broth and set it on pressure cooker, on high, for 90 minutes and it was literally perfect. Falling off the bone. Outstanding!!
awesome!! so glad to hear it, nancy!
Awesome and easy recipe! Didn’ t have bay leaves so made it without. Will include it next time. Made tacos out of them garnished with salsa, onions, cheese, cilantro, squirt of lime, jalopeno and cilantro rice. Husband said it looked and tasted like a dish at a restaurant. Adding it to the rotation and now have a reason to buy pork shoulder when it goes on sale!
awesome!! glad you both loved it!
This is the most ridiculous thing that I ever tasted. I’m in food heaven. My goodness! Definitely repeating but with more jalapenos. Thank you.
yayyyy!! glad you liked it, marie!
Do you by chance know the fat/protein/carb break down and how much you would consider one serving?
Thank you in advance!
no clue
I don’t know if you ever made a decision on the egg freezing thing, but if you are thinking you may someday (much further away) decide you want kids, then I think it doesn’t hurt to do a little research on the subject. Speaking as a 34 year old woman who, turns out, has a pretty low AMH level (this is the age of your eggs), it couldn’t have hurt to have froze my nice juicy, fertile eggs when I was younger. You never think it will be a problem, but I will tell you, younger eggs most likely make for healthier pregnancies. Just sayin. Also, I am an RN who actually works with High Risk Pregnancies, so aside from having my own experience dealing with infertility, I do have medical background as well.
Also, yes the stim meds and the whole process can be ridiculous and tough on a lot of women. I am not one of those women. I had no issues with side effects or “hormonal craziness” while doing meds, and I’ve done this 3 times! You just have to know yourself and if you tend to be a hormonal mess during your period, be warned… Lol. Good luck with any possible future babies, or with just enjoying life without!
p.s. I am making this recipe this week and I am very excited! I am still so new to IP and haven’t had great success yet, but I am committed to finding good recipes and mastering them! Thanks for sharing!!
This took 2 hours not 1:10. It took 30 min just to prep everything then there’s the broiler time and assembling tacos. I’m pissed. 🙁
i’m sorry you’re pissed, summer. not what i intended when i created this recipe. i’m not sure what took 30 minutes to prep. let me know if i can help explain the recipe any further. but just so you know, i never talk about assembling tacos in this recipe, so i never figured that time into my own prep time within the recipe.
I never post online but had to say how much I loved this recipe! I’ve been a longtime reader and have your cookbooks too, and this is one of my faves. So flavorful and tasty and easy, and so helpful for meal prep (I eat with taco fixings when I make it the night of, then reheat with butternut squash noodles, or mix with a sweet potato hash for lunches). Thank you!
so glad to hear it, Sophie!! testing another instant pot pork recipe today!
I’ve never cooked pork shoulder or butt before … do I look for meat that is already cubed, or do it myself? If I’m doing it myself, then I presume I need to get boneless? I’d rather look like an idiot asking the question here than looking like an idiot at the store. Thank you, Juli! Excited to try this recipe!
you do it yourself. or you can ask your butcher to do it for you! and yes, boneless
This recipe is really really good. I made it last night for my ‘bruh bruh’ type boyfriend (one of the guys who is very into lifting weights) who was in charge of buying meat this week and decided that two four pound boneless pork shoulders were what we needed because there was a BOGO at the grocery store-and might I add it’s just us two people living together, no kids or roommates… After I made it, he took a picture of it and sent it to his lifting buddy to share the recipe. They sounded like church ladies sharing recipes… Thanks for the recipe!
that’s so awesome!!
Haven’t seen this recipe before. Bookmark to try this out at weekend. My kids and husband must love this for sure. Do you recommend for if we don’t use instant pot? Does it give different tastes?
the instant pot definitely make a difference in texture and taste
This was good. Most of the flavor stayed in the liquid, so taking a cue from the Cook’s Illustrated carnitas recipe this is based on, I reduced the sauce by boiling in the instant pot, and spooned the reduction on top before broiling. Next time I will use only half the amount of liquid during the pressure cooking stage.
Hi Juli, thank you for this recipe. I have made it many times and my family loves it. I was just realizing I need to say thank you and I need to try your other recipes!
thanks for trying out my recipes, christine! glad you liked this one!
I don’t know if you ever made a decision on the egg freezing thing, but if you are thinking you may someday (much further away) decide you want kids, then I think it doesn’t hurt to do a little research on the subject. Speaking as a 34 year old woman who, turns out, has a pretty low AMH level (this is the age of your eggs), it couldn’t have hurt to have froze my nice juicy, fertile eggs when I was younger. You never think it will be a problem, but I will tell you, younger eggs most likely make for healthier pregnancies. Just sayin. Also, I am an RN who actually works with High Risk Pregnancies, so aside from having my own experience dealing with infertility, I do have medical background as well.
Also, yes the stim meds and the whole process can be ridiculous and tough on a lot of women. I am not one of those women. I had no issues with side effects or “hormonal craziness” while doing meds, and I’ve done this 3 times! You just have to know yourself and if you tend to be a hormonal mess during your period, be warned… Lol. Good luck with any possible future babies, or with just enjoying life without!
p.s. I am making this recipe this week and I am very excited! I am still so new to IP and haven’t had great success yet, but I am committed to finding good recipes and mastering them! Thanks for sharing!!
Hey there. This recipe looks amazing and I am going to give it a try. I’m wondering how it would work with cooking ahead and freezing. My thought would be to freeze the pork in vaccuum sealed pouches directly from the Instant Pot. On the day I eat them, I’d warm it, then broil it. Anyone tried this?
yeah i totally think that would work!
Slightly confused on the lime. 2 limes worth of juice in the cooker and more lime when finishing in the oven? Or limes JUST for the finishing in the oven.
the 2 limes is for in the cooker then finish it off with extra lime!
What is with all the comments about freezing eggs? I was looking for a pork shoulder recipe.
well luckily you get both!
Hey Juli! Haven’t tried this recipe yet but it looks amazing, as usual!! I know you don’t like to make suggestions on things you haven’t personally tried but I am allergic to oranges so I was wondering if there’s a different juice or maybe even a broth you would suggest instead of the OJ…I am not allergic to grapefruit but I was thinking that might be a little too tart…thoughts?
Thanks!!!
grapefruit would definitely work, you may just need a little extra sweetener to offset the tart
I paired these bad boys with Nom Nom’s MexiCauli Rice, and I am having the time of my life chowing down today! Thanks, Juli!
yayyyy!! Michelle Tam’s recipes are seriously the best!
My husband, every time I cook:”Honey, don’t make so much food, we never eat leftover.”
My husband, when I made this:”Honey, you need to make way more of this so we have leftovers next time.”
Absolutely DELICIOUS!
hahahaha that’s awesome!!
Excellent recipe. I used leftover to make taco soup. Awesome!
glad you liked it Linda!
I got an instant pot for Christmas and have had so many fails already lol but this was a win and I’m so pumped! It was totally delicious and now I have faith in my instant pot again. My boyfriend also already asked if we could “add it to the rotation” – thanks for the great recipe!
i seriously make my carnitas almost every week!! so glad you liked the recipe!! try out the gnocchi soup and tomato soup recipes too!!
This looks awesome! Can you tell me what type of broth you are using? Chicken or beef?
i’ve honestly used both and really don’t notice the difference, so whatever you prefer!
I’m planning to make this tonight–I’ve seen you post on IG stories that you use the leftover broth to make Ramen. Can you save a post on your page or let me know what you do with the leftover broth?
i haven’t made a full recipe for it yet. i just strain the liquid then i add some asian ingredients like coconut aminos, fish sauce, sriracha and rice vinegar and cook it all up!
Love cooking with my instant pot, but did I do something wrong? I cooked it as stated in the recipe, let it release on its own. When I went to shred it did not shred. I cut into it and the meat was pretty raw so its going back in for another 10 minutes because I do not know how much longer to cook it. Any idea what went wrong?
I have absolutely no clue. did you cube the meat?
This was amazing! Made it last night. If only i could post a picture here, it would be worth more than my words! Great recipe!
awesome!! so glad to hear it Natalie!! thanks for trying out my recipes!!
OMG, this recipe exceeded my expectations!! Not only was it absolutely delish, but I LOVE how easy it was!! I was actually drinking the juice as I was putting leftovers in the fridge ? We used green chiles instead of jalapeños and I added an extra bay leaf. I was hoping I wouldn’t like this so much because quality pork butt can be hard to find, but now I’m hooked.
awesome!! so glad to hear it Andrea!!
Can this recipe be doubled !
V
I’m sure it can, I just haven’t tried it that way myself
For anyone wondering what to do with the extra sauce and the freezing / doubling questions.
I put extra sauce in mason jars and freeze and then thaw to use with another pork butt, or any other type of meat, for more amazing carnitas.
I have frozen the carnitas with a little extra sauce added, and then thaw out for a quick dinner…turns out perfectly.
Doubling always works…I like to have leftovers and enough to freeze so I always double. Just double everything else and if it’s not completely fall apart tender after the set time, just re-start the IP for 10-15 more minutes. There is no way to mess this up.
Also, if I have bone in pork butt I cook with the bone to get the extra collagen.
This is the best carnitas recipe I have ever found and better than most restaurant carnitas…trust me, I judge all Mexican restaurants based on their carnitas and really good carnitas are very hard to find.
Thanks for the recipe Juli!
This recipe is hands down one of our favorite!!! We make tacos or loaded nachos with this recipe all the time. I don’t cube the meat and it still turns out amazing every single time!!! Thanks for sharing, I’m so glad that I stumbled across this recipe once we got our pressure cooker! It truly is the best!
★★★★★
yay!! so happy to hear that!
Made this for the first time today. I doubled the recipe because I accidentally bought 2 kg instead of 2 lb of pork (oops!), but otherwise made it exactly as written. It was so good, I’m glad I have extra! Do you do anything with the cooking liquid? It incredibly tasty and I’d hate to waste it. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Hey Juli! The ingredients list for this recipe is mysteriously gone, and I’d like to make these. Is there a way to get this post fixed? A friend made these and they are AMAZING!! Thanks.
sadly there is a glitch in my system that i’m trying to troubleshoot, but here are the ingredients in the meantime! i’m so sorry for the inconvenience!
2 pounds pork shoulder or butt, cubed
2 teaspoons smoked salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 white onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, diced
2 bay leaves
juice of 2 limes
1 1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup broth
For garnishes
lime wedges
cilantro