Pressure Cooker Carnitas

Our easy pressure cooker carnitas recipe with salsa verde and plenty of seasonings will become your new favorite meal made in an Instant Pot or as a Ninja Foodi recipe. A cheap Mexican pork family friendly dinner idea. 

These pork carnitas came about quite by accident. Using what I had in the house I made some of the most amazingly tender pork Instant Pot recipe. You’ve gotta’ try these.

One night when my family came home from eating at a restaurant everyone said they had the best shredded pork ever, now that was a challenge. I wanted to see if I could make something similar to that at home for much less but tasting very similar. They described what it was like and how it was served so I went to creating. It was such a hit after they ate it I thought I’d share it with all of you.

I had a day where I had defrosted a pork roast and realized it needed to be cooked. Thought about what we had in the fridge that would bring all the flavors to the next level and threw it all together. It. Was. Amazing.

Instant Pot Carnitas with Frozen Pork

With that said it was so good I made it again a few months later, but forgot to thaw it ahead of time. NO problem!! I threw in my Instant Pot frozen pork roast with this same sauce and that worked just as great as the first go around!

Ninja Foodi Pork Carnitas

Get out whatever electric high pressure machine you have at home and let me tell you how I did this and the tweaks we have made along the way in the years since we made it first. If you are using a Foodi you will use the lid that is not attached to make this one!

What cut of meat is carnitas?

Carnitas are the Mexican version of pulled pork really. It’s traditionally made with a pork shoulder, sometimes called a pork butt. This is usually used because of the higher fat content which helps the meat stay super tender and juicy when it’s cooked. I used a pork roast because that’s what I had on hand and it came out just as amazing.

You can really call this whatever you like. It did have a Mexican flavor to it with the salsa verde I used so the closest thing I could compare them too would be Instant Pot carnitas. You can see how I prepared it here. Theirs was shredded but I knew I could get the same taste but in small chunks, that way each piece would really soak up all those flavors, it worked.

How Long to Cook Pork Carnitas in Pressure Cooker

For a 2 – 3 pound piece it will take about 30 minutes. If you do use a piece with a bone in it take into account that that weight will be removed so you are going to want a slightly larger piece to account for that. I leave all the fat on while it’s being cooked because that offers more flavor. When done I will then trim that off, discard and enjoy the leaner protein pieces.

This is what we use. Of course you can adjust the heat with the amount of chili powder or red pepper flakes. If you don’t want it spicy at all then just omit. What is listed makes it mild.

Ingredient Notes

You are going to want about a 2.5 lb. pork shoulder or roast. I prefer if the bone is already removed I’ll only slice off really thick large areas of fat off the outside, but leave quite a bit on

What is the best cut of meat to make carnitas?

Now, pressure cooker pork shoulder should ideally cubed about 1.5″ x 1.5″ in size. The smaller they are the faster they will fall apart and become pork tender. If I find pieces on sale like you see here I will pick it up and make that that night. You need to be flexible when you are on a budget I say. You never know what you are going to find so if you have a few favorite recipes for each meat you can throw it together when you find a stellar deal.

Shoulder, boneless roast shown below, or loin works but a cut that does have some fat to it is best if you have a choice in the matter. Reason for this is that fat = flavor. I don’t like chewing on it so I will trim all of that when it is done but before cooking it I will leave a better part of that on the outsides.

Can you use pork chops for carnitas?

Not really. You need a fattier piece of meat like the pork shoulder or roast to make pressure cooker carnitas. Reason being, it has fat that will render down well and make it really tender with tons of flavor. Pork loin and pork chops are pretty lean.

I mean it is not like you CAN’T use them it is just better if you have a bit more marbling. With that said I will make exceptions to my rule if I find a killer sale I just can’t pass up. There was once where the store had super thick chops they had for like .99 a lb that I just couldn’t pass up, I did use those for this and it was delicious.

I use a jar of salsa verde to make this super easy and you can choose mild to spicy with that too.

If you notice there is no cooking liquid per say added. That is okay! Just like with our pressure cooker chili verde dish, here is moisture in the salsa and when cooked the meat emits liquid as well. I have had plenty of questions regarding this and I wouldn’t share anything that didn’t work perfectly so just believe in the steps y’all.

I used my Ninja Foodi pot to make this batch which worked fantastic. The only prep work is just cubing the meat, the rest is just thrown in and stirred together before setting it to pressure cook.

Mine had one bone in it which I removed.  Once I added everything in as you see below I put that bone back in and when it was dinner time gave it to our puppy (she was in heaven) Feel free to leave all of the fat on and cube it into 1×1″ pieces, or remove some which is what I did.

Now if you put the entire piece of meat in there without cutting it up at all it would take a lot longer to cook, break down, and be tender enough to pull it apart. This is why I almost always cube my meat before I put it in. That way you not only cut down on the cook time, but it’s already cut into bite size pieces so it’s ready to eat right away.

Serve inside tortillas with toppings or on top of a bed of rice like you see here. There are tons of possibilities as far as that goes. If you want a low carb meal then you can just enjoy as is right out of the pot.

What can I make with pork carnitas meat?

They are so versatile! You can fill any taco or burrito with this, make pork quesadillas, OR use them as a topping for nachos! Include them in a salad like this Chipotle Carnitas Salad! Serve them with alongside air fryer empanadas with onion/cilantro topping typically seen served on Mexican food trucks OR a good Guacamole or Pico De Gallo!

Do you put cheese on carnitas?

If you ask us, cheese goes on everything! It is not typically served with it though. Put on top of a bed of pressure cooker refried beans with grated cheddar cheese. Place coriander, lime, onion, tomato and avocado onto a plate. Or serve inside baked potatoes topped with red tomato salsa.

How to serve

First off you can make Instant Pot pork tacos a variety of ways, oh let me count the ways! While I like to load them up with all the things, including avocado slices, my kids like them more plain. That is why a bar is a great idea when serving these. You can lay out all the fixings and allow every person to construct their own.

1. Black beans on the side is a given
2. Coleslaw gives them a fresh cool ingredient amongst the heat
3. Brown or white rice is a cheap option
4. Throw a pot of corn in for just 2 minutes and enjoy
5. Chips and salsa always works

If you’d rather make a batch of slow cooker pork carnitas, we have a recipe for that too!