Instant Pot Carnitas 3 Ways (And My Lard Free Secret to Getting Those Crispy Edges)

This Father's Day Meal Doesn't Involve My Nemesis...A Grill

Starting today, recipe posts will be sent to all paid subscribers on Wednesdays instead of Mondays to give you the perfect opportunity to try something new midweek or get you ready for the weekend. Free subscribers will get previews each week plus a complete recipe post the first Wednesday of each month.

---

Father’s Day has a much different feel than Mother’s Day. It has nothing to do with roles in the family but everything to do with time on the calendar. The Mom’s Day vibe definitely has a more feminine feel: bubbles, flowers and delicate egg dishes and overall, it’s a bigger deal.

But Dad’s Day is more of a free-for-all centered around a grill and being outside in the more reliably nice Spring-Summer bridge weather. Brats and Beer. Ok. Steaks and red wine? Sure. But what if you’re not comfortable grilling or there’s a torrential downpour?

Enter Carnitas. An alternative “man food” that doesn’t require stepping foot outside or a live fire and is equally good with iced tea, beer, tequila, red wine or a margarita.

I’m giving you my easy method and the three ways we like to enjoy them. Make as big of a batch as your Instant Pot will hold because they’re great frozen and will last up to 4 days in your fridge.

Carnitas 101

Carnitas means “little meats” in Spanish. They are a very standard taqueria protein that’s featured in every format from tacos to tortas. They should be crispy on the edges because they’re cooked until falling apart then crisped up on a griddle in the residual lard clinging to the pulled pork. If a taqueria sells you a taco that doesn’t have at least some crispy edges, find a new one STAT!

Carnitas are typically made by slowly roasting pork shoulder in unfiltered lard. but with it’s literal name meaning little meats I suppose they could be made out of almost any meat. As with almost any traditional recipe, everyone has their way of doing it, but the standard seasonings are salt, pepper and lime or other citrus. I like to add a few spices and herbs like bay leaves, oregano and cumin and many others add a whole host of other spices.

Don’t Fear the Pressure Cooker…

I will admit it. I’m afraid of our gas grill. Not cooking on it, turning it on. You may be thinking “irrational fear,” but it came about from the time I unsuspectingly lit the grill, not knowing spiders had infiltrated the gas “tubes” which caused a mini explosion of flames to come out of the grill. (I might have lost you at your irrational fear of spiders…stay with me.)

But yes, I know many of you have a similar, possibly irrational fear of the Instant Pot. I never used a pressure cooker for years for the same reason. All I could imagine was the thing exploding and hot meat juice being all over my kitchen and possibly my children. (It was definitely worst-case scenario playing out in my head!)

The Instant Pot I use is 6 quarts and it fits two pounds of boneless meat easily and I could probably fit up to 4 pounds. The bigger version will accommodate bigger cuts of meat but you may still have to cut them down if they have bones.

To make Carnitas in the Instant Pot:

• Place the pork in the pot, dump the seasonings and onions over it then add water, hit the “Meat” button and make sure time is at 60 for thawed pork or 70 for frozen then walk away

• Due to the pressure, the water and seasonings permeate the meat without my intervention so it’s so easy.

Can’t Overcome the Fear but Want Carnitas? Here’s the Oven Method

So, can you roast carnitas in the oven? Yes, but if you have an Instant Pot, it’s so much more hands off and easy.

If you do decide you want to oven roast the pork instead, you will:

• Cut cross hatches in the fat cap.

• Season the pork on both sides and top with onions

• Place in a parchment and foil lined pan pulling up the foil around the pork to encase it.

• Bake at 275 degrees for 4 hours until you can easily pull the pork apart.

Dismantling a Pork Shoulder

Once the pork is cool enough to handle, it’s time to make this big piece of meat into “little meats”. It’s not pretty, but the only way to do this is to get in there with your gloved or gloveless hands. If you’re afraid of this method, the only other way is with forks but only your hands can feel the difference between fat, sinew and meat, the former two less desirable in a taco than the latter.

So get in there, pull apart the big pieces first then break them down into smaller pieces discarding connective tissue, big pieces of fat and any other less desirable bits. Here’s a tip: the fat cap has extremely tender pieces of meat hiding so don’t just pull it off and throw it away.

How to Get the Crispy Edges Without a Plancha or Vat of Lard

Cooking meat slowly and especially in an Instant Pot will make the meat pull-apart tender, but isn’t going to yield the crispy edges expected with Carnitas. In taquerias, carnitas are crisped up either by being refried in a vat of lard or on a plancha - flat top griddle. Since I don’t have a vat of lard hanging around, and babysitting the pork on a griddle or dry skillet doesn’t seem to be the best use of our time, I’ve found broiling them with the residual fat on the pork gets the same effect.

Cover a pan with foil and spread out the pork. Place it under a hot broiler for 3-4 minutes and check it. If it’s got a lot of fat, really pay attention because it could start flaming if it’s popping on the broiler elements quite a bit. I usually start with the oven rack on the second level rather than the first for a safer little meat crisping experience.

Carnitas Three Ways

While there are certainly more ways to serve carnitas like on a quesadilla, stirred into scrambled eggs or on a delicately sweet torta bun, these are the ways we tend to eat them.

1. Carnitas Tacos

This is the most basic way to serve Carnitas - crispy pork, cilantro, white onion (no other color) and a squeeze of lime. At the best taquerias you will have a salsa bar with several salsas and pickled veggies. The photo below is more representative of that than the simplified version, but either works and is delicious.

2. Carnitas Tacos - California Burrito Style

A California burrito is made with a crazy combo of Carne Asada (grilled steak) and fries so I had the idea of morphing this with the OG style taco and it was delicious. Everything in the OG plus fries, queso fresco and lime crema.

3. Loaded Carnitas Fries

Another SoCal specialty that’s finally made its way across to Texas. Like the California Burrito, Carne Asada Fries are a really big deal. It’s a pile of fries topped with meat, cheese sauce, pico de gallo and guac. I’ve made mine a little healthier with queso fresco, pico de gallo, lettuce or cabbage plus a drizzle of lime crema and of course using Carnitas instead of steak. The runny yolked egg is a bonus if you’re feeling it.

Carnitas 3 Ways: Loaded Carnitas Fries, California Burrito Style Taco (with fries) and standard Carnitas taco with cilantro, onion and pickled veggies

Shop the Post

• Instant Pot Multicooker 6 qt

• Instant Pot Multicooker 8 qt

• Tortilla Warmer

• Parchment Paper Sheets

• Large Sheet Pan

• Weekly Meal Plans (not in post but nice to have)

NOTES: