This freezer friendly Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas recipe comes together quickly and is a great meal idea for large groups. The Instant Pot cooks the pork roast to perfection and a quick broil gives it a divine crisp texture. Double the recipe and make it an easy freezer meal!
Instant Pot Carnitas
These Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas are by far one of my family’s favorite recipes. The seasoning and marinade, plus the Instant Pot cooking method, pack some serious tangy-smoky-citrusy flavor into the meat. After being pressure cooked in the Instant Pot and shredded, you’ll pop the meat under the broiler and broil until it begins to crisp up on the edges. You’ll find yourself going back to this recipe again and again!
How to Cook Pork Roast in the Instant Pot
The secret to getting divine Instant Pot Carnitas is cooking the pork just right.
After testing hundreds of recipes for our forthcoming cookbook, From Freezer to Cooker, I’m pretty convinced that a pork roast (also known as a pork shoulder or pork butt) is one of the best cuts of meat to cook in the Instant Pot.
We’ve tested pork in the Instant Pot a lot of different ways and found that pork roast cooks best in the Instant Pot when it is cut into a few pieces. In all of our Instant Pot pork recipes, we instruct you to cut it into four equal pieces. Not only does this make the cooking time go faster, but the meat gets more evenly cooked and shreds very easily. This is especially true when cooking pork roast from frozen!
The Perfect Instant Pot Freezer Meal
As if our Instant Pot Pork Carnitas weren’t good enough, I have even better news. They make an amazing Instant Pot Freezer Meal. Simply doubling the recipe and freezing a portion before cooking it will set you up for an incredibly easy dinner down the road. Here are some great tips on making Instant Pot freezer meals if you want to learn more on that. We also have a printable Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart that would be helpful for anyone who uses their pressure cooker regularly.
How to Make Instant Pot Carnitas
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Seasoned, marinaded pork roast gets cooked in the Instant Pot and then broiled until crispy in this easy, freezer friendly, and delicious recipe for a crowd.
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4–5 pounds pork shoulder (also known as pork butt or Boston butt)
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Turn on Saute function and heat the oil. Saute the onion just until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper while it cooks. Stir in the garlic during the last 30-60 seconds. Press cancel.
- In a small bowl, combine the oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- On a cutting board, cut the roast into four equal pieces. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and then rub the seasoning all over each piece. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Add the seasoned meat along with remaining ingredients into the Instant Pot.
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 45 minutes at high pressure. Naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes (or more if you prefer) and then use a quick release.
- Remove the pork to a cutting board, and shred with two forks.
- Preheat the broiler. Broil the meat for 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the meat over and spoon about ¼ cup of the juices from the slow cooker over the meat. Broil another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the edges of the meat start to crisp up and turn brown. Remove from the oven and spoon another ¼ cup of the juices over the cooked pork.
- Serve immediately in tacos, burritos, or salads, or enjoy by themselves.
Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1-3. Place the seasoned pork and remaining ingredients into a gallon-sized freezer bag or round freezer container. Seal and freeze. Tip: Set the freezer bag in a bowl in the freezer for a few hours to help it freeze in the shape of the pressure cooker.
Prepare From Frozen: Turn on Saute function. Saute the frozen meal for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press Cancel. Follow Steps 4-8, except cook at high pressure for 45-50 minutes with a natural release for 10 minutes and then a quick release. (The frozen meat will cook approximately the same amount of time as from fresh.
Make sure to swing by and check out our other Instant Pot recipes.
Love how simple this looks, love that it’s freezer friendly, and especially love that it uses my InstaPot! Any tips on making it more kid-friendly? My toddler isn’t a fan of shredded meat 🙁