Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Easy pork carnitas tacos made simple! Pork shoulder is slow simmered in a crockpot or pressured cooked in an instant pot until perfectly tender, then it's shredded and broiled to flavorful, crispy perfection!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, (trimmed of excess fat)
- 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice ((about 2 - 3 oranges))
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice ((about 2 limes))
- 2 tsp salt, (or to taste)
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano*
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, (to taste)
- 1 small yellow onion, (chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic, (minced (2 Tbsp))
- 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Warmed corn tortillas, diced yellow onions, cilantro ((for serving))
Instructions
- 1
--- Slow cooker method: ---
- 2
Place pork in slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth, orange juice and lime juice.
- 3
Sprinkle in salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, coriander, chili powder and cayenne pepper, onions and garlic.
- 4
Cover and cook on low heat 8 hours.
- 5
Leave liquid in slow cooker, remove pork and shred with two forks.
- 6
Spray a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
- 7
Place pork on baking sheet, pour over 1 cup reserved broth (try and strain out onions when ladling broth out), drizzle with oil and toss and spread into an even layer.
- 8
Position oven rack near broiler and preheat broiler to high.
- 9
Broil until pork is browned and crispy in places about 3 - 6 minutes.
- 10
Serve warm in tortillas with desired toppings.
- 11
--- Instant Pot method: ---
- 12
Cut pork into 4 chunks and place pork in Instant Pot, pour over chicken broth, orange juice and lime juice.
- 13
Sprinkle in salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, coriander, chili powder and cayenne pepper, onions and garlic.
- 14
Cover and seal lid (make sure valve is set to "sealing" position), press "manual" (or high pressure) and select 60 minutes.
- 15
Once cooking is done, let pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes then use quick release method to release any remaining pressure.
- 16
Once steaming has stopped remove pork from pressure cooker while leaving broth in pressure cooker.
- 17
Shred pork and proceed with broiling method starting at step 5 above.
- 18
Instant Pot method will take approx. 80 minutes + 10 minutes prep.
- 19
Recipe source: Cooking Classy, recipe updated from archives originally shared July 2013.
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