Fill a warm corn tortilla with juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder and top it with fresh cilantro and red onion for restaurant-style Instant Pot carnitas street tacos you can make in the comfort of your own home.
What is Carnitas?
Carnitas are a popular Mexican dish made with pork butt or shoulder. The meat pressure-cooks or braises in the Instant Pot until it’s tender enough to shred, which is how it gets the name carnitas or ‘little meat’ in Spanish.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pork Rub: Generously coat the pork in salt, cumin, chipotles en adobo, black pepper, cinnamon, and Mexican oregano.
- Pork Shoulder: Pork shoulder or butt is ideal for making our Instant Pot carnitas recipe; the higher fat content helps the meat maintain its juiciness throughout the cooking process.
- Onion: Onions combine with shredded pork for the perfect bite.
- Garlic: I suggest using four cloves, but don’t let my recipe tell you how much garlic to use – measure with your heart.
- Jalapeño: Finely diced jalapeños bring the right amount of heat for most, but if you crave something spicier, use serrano chili instead.
- Aromatics: Cinnamon sticks and bay leaves infuse the meat as it cooks.
- Orange Juice and Lime: Tenderize the pork with orange and lime juice.
- Liquid Smoke: The secret ingredient for our carnitas is liquid smoke; it gives the pork a nice, smoky flavor without cooking it on the grill or over an open flame.
How to Make Instant Pot Carnitas
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine chipotle en adobo, salt, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, and black pepper in a small bowl to make the pork rub.
Step 2: Remove the skin and bones from the pork and then cut it into 1-2 inch pieces. Add the meat to a mixing bowl and massage the rub into the pork.
Step 3: Warm oil in an Instant Pot on saute mode until smoke. Add the pork and let it cook until it begins to brown, for about 5 minutes. Cook in batches and return the meat to the Instant Pot.
Step 4: Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, orange juice, lime juice, and liquid smoke.
Step 5: Secure the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes, and naturally release for 20 minutes before removing the lid.
Step 6: Remove the pork from the Instant Pot using a slotted spoon, leaving the juices behind. Let the meat cool before shredding it. Then, spread it onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 500° F (260° C). Cover the meat with liquid smoke and cook for 4 minutes, until the top layer becomes crispy.
Expert Tips
- When broiling the pork at the end, the crispier, the better. After the first broil, I move the pork around on the baking sheet and repeat the process a few times to get the ends nice and crispy.
If you enjoy this recipe, try one of these Mexican favorites!
Serving Suggestions
- Seasoned Black Beans, Refried Beans, Pinto Beans
- Cilantro Lime Rice, White Rice, Brown Rice
- Guacamole, Avocado Lime Crema, Ancho Aioli
- Grilled Zucchini
- Pico De Gallo, Chunky Salsa, Mango Pico De Gallo, Corn Salsa, Serrano Crema, Salsa Verde
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze – I prefer to store the pork in a freezer-safe container or bag and reserve the juices in a separate bag. The Instant Pot carnitas will freeze for 3 months.
- Thaw – Defrost the pork in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat – Warm the carnitas by frying the meat in a cast-iron skillet or in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet. When the pork is reheated, drizzle the meat with some of the reserved juices, prepare the corn tortillas, toppings, and enjoy!
- Repurpose – Don’t feel like making tacos for the second night in a row? No worries, use the leftover meat to make enchiladas, nachos, sliders, quesadillas, breakfast burritos, or Mexican pizza.
Instant Pot Carnitas
Equipment
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
For the Rub:
- 1 tablespoon chipotle en adobo, sauce and 1-3 chillies
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, coarse ground
For the Carnitas:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 5 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-2-inch pieces
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, stem and seeds removed, diced
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ cup orange juice, no pulp
- lime juice, 2-3 limes
- liquid smoke, to taste
For the Assembly:
- corn tortillas, warmed
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- red onion, finely diced
- lime wedges, to garnish
Instructions
- Combine chipotle en adobo, salt, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, and black pepper in a small bowl to make the pork rub.
- Remove the skin and bones from the pork and then cut it into 1-2 inch pieces. Add the meat to a mixing bowl and massage the rub into the pork.
- Warm oil in an Instant Pot on saute mode until smoke. Add the pork and let it cook until it begins to brown, for about 5 minutes. Cook in batches and return the meat to the Instant Pot.
- Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, orange juice, lime juice, and liquid smoke.
- Secure the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes, and naturally release for 20 minutes before removing the lid.
- Remove the pork from the Instant Pot using a slotted spoon, leaving the juices behind. Let the meat cool before shredding it. Then, spread it onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 500° F (260° C). Cover the meat with liquid smoke and cook for 4 minutes, until the top layer becomes crispy.
Notes
- When broiling the pork at the end, the crispier, the better- I say! After the first broil, I move the pork around on the baking sheet and repeat the process a few times to get the ends nice and crispy.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.