Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Crispy Mexican Pulled Pork}

These Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Crispy Mexican Pulled Pork} are crispy, yet deliciously moist and full of deep and complex flavors.

Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork}

There are very few things in life that are more delicious than Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork}.  This is one of those recipes that is really incredible.  I’m really picky with my Mexican food, as I can’t say that it is in my top five favorite cuisines…..  However, Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork} is definitely one of my favorite meals.  It’s flavors are complex and deep, yet Carnitas are so simple to make.

I do a few things differently than the many of Pork Carnitas recipes you will find on line.  Maybe it is my Cuban roots (well, I did grow up in Miami) and my love of Mojo, or maybe it is because of living in Los Angeles for 32 years, with thousands of Mexican eateries and driving to Tijuana for real authentic Mexican food.  Perhaps it is my little secret ingredient, or maybe it is the way these crisp up. Whatever ‘it’ is, these Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork} are going to blow you away.

For years, I have made Carnitas in my Slow Cooker and they are fabulous.  The recipe developed over the years and to me, this is the perfect Carnitas recipe.  Using the Pressure Cooker, they are quicker and just as fabulous.

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Mexican Pulled Pork}

In 1985, I moved to LA and left behind all my favorite stomping grounds and my beloved Cuban food specialty shops and restaurants.  You have probably noticed by now that a large majority of my recipes are not traditional “American” cuisine, even though I was born and grew up in the US.

Miami, is full of all kinds of ethnic restaurants and when going out to eat, why eat what we always eat at home?  My dad introduced me to all kinds of food and made me the foodie I am today.  The seasonings and spices, layers of complex flavors and interesting cooking techniques, grabbed a hold of me at an early age.  Not that I want to put down American food, but, it sometimes bores me.  🙂  Well, I do love a good Grilled Steak or Tri-Tip.

Season the Chunks of Meat

Another trick and which adds an extra layer of flavor, is after removing the bone, cut the Pork Shoulder into big chunks and place them into a Medium Mixing Bowl.  Not only will it cook faster, but there will be more surface spots to absorb all the goodness.   Don’t forget to save your bone, so you can make a nice Pressure Cooker Stock/Bone Broth.  Oftentimes, the bone in the Pork Shoulder is crumbly where it was cut, otherwise, I would have added it to the Pressure Cooker, which would have added even more flavor.

One of the seasonings I use in this recipe is Oregano.  Yeah, I know it is not normally used in Carnitas, but, my husband (Latino ancestors, remember), had me add Oregano to my Jewish Chicken Soup and oh my gosh, it was goooooood.  Without adding a distinct taste, it took it up another level.  So, massage all the seasonings into the Pork Chunks and set the it aside for now.

Render Some Fat and Deglaze

After removing the Pork Skin from the Pork Shoulder, my husband cut it into pieces and cooked it in our Air Fryer for a few minutes.  His Grandmother is from Puerto Rico and much like the Cubans, they love their Pork Rinds.  Not me.  I remember sitting at the counter in Cuban restaurants and the owner handing us a piece of the Crackling Skin.  They do that if they like you, apparently.

In my Pressure Cooker Chinese BBQ Char Siu Pulled Pork, I remove some of the fat, as I also do in my Pressure Cooker Southern Style Pulled Pork recipe.  The Southern Pulled Pork is a recipe I have cooked on the BBQ Grill for over 20 years!  It’s great in the Pressure Cooker and I will get that recipe up soon.  For this Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas, recipe, leave on that big fat Fat Cap.

This is a very small extra step, but it adds some depth of flavor.  Totally skip it if you like or, if you have prepped this in advance, stored in in a FoodSaver and are cooking from the Freezer.  When Pork Shoulder is on sale, this is one of the recipes that I do prep and freeze.  For more prep and freeze meals, check out my Freezer Recipe Archives.

Add a chunk of fat to the Pressure Cooker cooking pot and then deglaze the cooking pot with a little Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice.  Make sure to allow your Pressure Cooker to fully heat before adding in the fat.  This will help make a stainless steel pot, non-stick.

Add the Seasoned Pork, Veggies and Orange Juice

Add in the Seasoned Pork, all the chopped veggies, the Cinnamon Sticks and the Bay Leaves.  Push the Cinnamon Sticks (yes, I really do use that brand) down, below the surface.

Squeeze the rest of the Oranges into the cooking pot.  If you don’t have Fresh Oranges, Orange Juice or Frozen Concentrate Orange Juice is fine.  You will need about 3/4 cup.  You want to make sure not to add a whole lot of liquid, as the Pork will release its own juice and you want the liquid to stay very concentrated and Salty.

Another Secret Ingredient

Another of my little tricks which you won’t find in many on-line recipes (remember, I live two hours from Mexico; Tijuana is one of my playgrounds) is the addition of Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice.  Just one lime is good.  You don’t want to overpower the flavor, plus, upon serving, you can squeeze on some more Fresh Lime Juice.

As always, if you don’t have Fresh Limes, try using True Lime.  It tastes every bit as good and fresh as Fresh Limes.  The Lime that I cut to squeeze, was all dried out, so luckily, I just pulled out my True Lime and sprinkled on a bit.  You need to have some True Lime in your pantry, really you do!

Remove Meat, Cook Down Sauce and Shred

The cooking time is greatly reduced using a Pressure Cooker.  You can literally prep everything, cook and get a meal on the table in under 1.5 hours!

Use a Slotted Strainer to remove the Pork.  I like to put the Pork into my Strainer Basket over a Bowl and let the excess liquid drain.  After removing the Pork, if you have more than about two cups of liquid, allow it to simmer and reduce down a bit.  By the time you have shredded the Pork, the liquid will be perfect.   Just pour the Juice into a large Measuring Cup to make it easy to remove the liquid fat on the top and then use for pouring.

Use Two Forks to Shred the Pork

I have a set of Bear Claw Shredders, but I think I like using two forks.  You can see that the excess liquid was drained from the Pork and the Pork is nicely shredded.  We will add back in some juice, after removing some of the fat off the top.  The Carnitas will be crispy, but also remain moist and juicy.

You are ready to crisp up the Carnitas and I will show you two different methods.  The first way is my favorite.  Please, however, do me a favor, don’t use your Broiler/Oven or your Air Fryer.  They are both dry cooking environments and your Carnitas will dry out a bit.  While they will still taste good, they won’t be as delicious as they can be with the following method(s).  Let’s make some super delicious, crispy and JUICY Carnitas.

Heat a Cast Iron until Very Hot

Get your Cast Iron Skillet very hot.  Let it heat up for 10 minutes before adding in the oil.  You can see how dry the center looks because of allowing it to really heat up.  You will need to do this in batches IF and I said IF, you are serving all the Carnitas at once.  If you will be eating this the next day, just fry up what you will use now.  Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas are so great for making in advance, because you can have them completely cooked, shredded, fat removed from liquid, all in advance.  Then just fry up what you need.  I use the Cast Iron Skillet to first warm my Corn or Flour Tortillas and then I fry up the Pork.

Add a little Olive Oil to your hot Cast Iron Skillet.  Using your Stainless Steel Tongs carefully place a layer of the Pork into the Skillet.  The bottom of the Pork will begin to caramelize.  Wait a minute and then pour in about 1/2 cup of the Carnitas Juice.  This will keep the Pork nice and moist, while crisping up one side of the Pork.  Add more Juice, as needed.  Cook until the Juice has evaporated.

Look Closely at the Caramelized Pork

Come close.  Really.  Look at those crispy bits of Pork.   I flipped some over in the Skillet, so you could take a close look.  You can see the moistness of the Pork too.  When you are ready to serve, pour a little more juice over the Pork.  I have not done so in this photo, as I like you to see what is cooking in real honest time.

Now, on to the second method.  Let’s crisp them up in your Pressure Cooker.  It’s now a one pot meal, right?  So, here we go.

Crisp up in Pressure Cooker

Turn your Pressure Cooker on to the highest heat setting.  For Instant Pot, GoWise, Breville and other Multi-Cookers, use the Sauté function and adjust to High Heat.  For the Power Pressure Cooker and other stand alone Pressure Cookers, choose your highest heat setting.

Wait for the cooking pot to get very hot and then add in a little Olive Oil.  Add your Pork (in batches), wait a minute and then add in a little of the Carnitas Juice.  Let the bottom brown and the Juice evaporate.  You may not get the Carnitas as crisp as in a very Hot Cast Iron Skillet, but you will get them crisp enough and more importantly, your Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas will be nice and juicy and not dried out.

Add to a Serving Platter, Pour on Some Juice and Garnish with Cilantro and Lime Wedges

Look very close again.  This time, look how juicy the meat is.  I actually forgot to pour on some of the Carnitas Juice before taking the picture, so this is right from the Cast Iron Skillet.

Garnish with lots of Fresh Cilantro and Lime Wedges.  My husband will not eat Cilantro, so I had to put it to the side, so that he would be able to eat dinner.  Remember about the trick in my Pressure Cooker Thai Coconut Chicken Recipe?  Well, it won’t work here.  Therefore, Fresh Cilantro is pushed off to the side.  🙂

Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

I can’t wait for you to try this recipe.  It is perfect for Cinco de Mayo parties, as the Carnitas can be made in advance and fried right before serving.  Don’t forget to make a batch of my super simple Homemade Classic Pico de Gallo as Carnitas as not the same without some Fresh Pico de Gallo. Instead of Sour Cream, choose some Homemade Thick Greek Yogut, instead.

I like to pile the Carnitas over shredded cabbage for a nice little crunch surprise.  If you want cheese, I recommend crumbling some Cojita.   It’s the only cheese, I feel pairs well.  Feta has a similar taste to Cojita so I’m lumping it in with Cotija.  Cheddar Cheese does not pair well with Pork Carnitas.

Serve with a side of Pressure Cooker Frijoles {Re-Fried Beans} and Pressure Cooker White Rice.  For a real treat, try my Elote {Mexican Street Food Corn on the Cobb} recipe.  Once you try Elote, you will never eat corn any other way.  It’s truly the best Corn I have ever had.  Talk about blowing your mind!

I’d love it if you would leave me some comments down below and let me know how you enjoyed this recipe.

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
• J.A. Henckels Classic 8-inch Chef’s Knife
• Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
• Culina Stackable (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
• Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
• di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
• Alton Brown Salt Box
• Electric Pepper Mill
• John Boos Maple Cutting Board with Groove
• RSVP Stainless Steel Strainer Basket
• OXO Stainless Steel Tongs
• Lodge 10.25″ Cast Iron Skillet
• Bamboo Strainer

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Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Crispy Mexican Pulled Pork}

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

1 hrs 10 mins

 

These Pressure Cooker Pork Carnitas {Crispy Mexican Pulled Pork} are crispy, yet deliciously moist and full of deep and complex flavors.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Latin, Mexican

Servings: 10 people

Author: Jill

Ingredients

• 5 lbs/2.27 kg Pork Shoulder/Butt skin removed/cut into pieces
• 4 large Oranges
• 1 Lime
• 1 large Onion chopped
• 10 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
• 1 large Jalapeño Pepper stems/seeds removed/chopped
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1-2 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice from Pork (fat skimmed)

Pork Rub

• 2 TBL Kosher Salt
• 1 TBL Ground Cumin
• 2 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Garnish

• Limes
• Pico de Gallo
• Fresh Cilantro
• Avocado

Instructions

1. Remove skin and bone from Pork Shoulder.  Cut Pork into 8-10 pieces and place into bowl.  Add Rub ingredients and massage into pork.

2. Select Sauté/Browning on your Pressure Cooker and allow to fully heat.  Add about 3 inches of raw pork fat and Sauté for three minutes to render fat.  Add the juice of one Orange and deglaze cooking pot.  Turn off Pressure Cooker.

3. Place seasoned Pork Chunks in cooking pot.  Add chopped Onions, Garlic, Jalapeño, Cinnamon Sticks and Bay Leaves.  Squeeze in the juice of three Oranges and one Lime.

4. Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve.  Cook at High Pressure for 40 minutes.  Allow a 20 minute (or full) Natural Pressure Release.

5. Remove Meat from cooking pot and place into a Strainer to drain liquid.  Place drained Pork into a Bowl.  With 2 forks, shred the Pork well.  Select Sauté/Browning and adjust to Low heat.  Simmer for 10 minutes to reduce liquid.  Pour liquid into a large Measuring Cup and skim off fat.

6. Heat Cast Iron Pan on Medium High for 10 minutes.  Add Olive Oil and add some Shredded Pork to the Skillet.  Wait one minute and add in 1/2 cup of the Hot Carnitas Liquid.  Fry on one side, until Liquid has evaporated.  Place Carnitas onto serving platter. Repeat until done.  Drizzle over a little of the Carnitas Liquid.  Squeeze a lime and sprinkle over Chopped Cilantro.

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Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Pork Carnitas {Crispy Mexican Pulled Pork}