Ingredient Notes
Pork Shoulder: The best cut of pork for making carnitas in an instant pot is the pork shoulder, which is also referred to as a Boston butt or a Boston roast. If you don’t see it in your store, I’ve found butchers are often unreasonably happy to cut it for you. I prefer using boneless pork for this Instant Pot crispy carnitas recipe because we’ll be cutting it up to brown in sections, given the limited size of the Instant Pot.
Spice Rub: I make a spice rub for the pork using sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and coconut sugar. This adds a ton of flavor to the overall carnitas, especially since we’ll be searing the pork once we coat it in the spice rub.
Orange Juice and Chicken Broth: I use a combination of orange juice and low-sodium chicken broth to deglaze the Instant Pot once the pork has been browned. I find using a touch of orange juice adds a delicious tangy sweetness to the meat, and the chicken broth helps add the perfect touch of flavor. These could be substituted with water, but the flavor will be lessened.
Cilantro: Cilantro really makes the carnitas. I use fresh cilantro and chop the leaves once the stems are removed. You can swap it with Italian parsley if you do not care for cilantro.
Lime Juice: Fresh lime will add a delicious citrus vibe to the carnitas and help intensify the pork flavor, especially when combined with cilantro and sea salt. If you don’t care for lime, you can use orange juice.
