If you like your beef carnitas shredded and spicy, smoky, crispy-yet-moist, these Instant Pot beef carnitas are right up your alley. This recipe is for 3 pounds, but you can easily scale up and cook 5 pounds in a 6-quart InstantPot or Dutch Oven. So many ways to enjoy beef carnitas. Pictured in the recipe is just one: smoky beef carnitas lettuce wraps. Enjoy
Course Meat
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Browning after removing from the InstantPot 15 minutesminutes
3-6clovesgarlicsmashed (depending on how much you like garlic)
3-4tablespoonschipotle powderdepending on how spicy you like things
1tablespooncumin
1tablespoonoreganopreferably Mexican oregano
3cinnamon sticks
2tablespoonscoconut creamthe thick layer at the top of a can of coconut milk, not cream of coconut
2orangeszest and juice
1 ½cupschicken or beef stock
To Finish the Carnitas
3tablespoonsavocado oil or olive oil
Instructions
Generously season your cubed chuck roast with salt and pepper.
Set your InstantPot or multi-cooker on the saute setting. Allow to heat for 5 minutes. Add the oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the beef in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Brown well on one side, seasoning the other side with salt and pepper if you hadn't done so earlier.
Turn the meat and brown the other side. Remove to a bowl or plate while you brown the rest of the meat.
With the cooker still on saute, add the onions, garlic, chipotle powder, cumin, oregano and cinnamon sticks along with another heavy pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add the meat, along with any juices that accumulated in the bowl or plate, in an even layer. Top with the coconut cream, the juice and zest from the 2 oranges, and the stock.
Put the lid on the InstantPot and choose the meat/stew setting--or 35 minutes at high pressure.
Once the timer goes off, allow natural release for 30 minutes and then manually release the rest of the pressure. Remove the lid.
Skim off most of the fat, and then remove the meat to a bowl. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
Turn the InstantPot back onto saute and bring the cooking liquid to a boil. Allow to reduce while you continue with the next steps.
Using 2 forks, break up each chunk of meat into 2 or three pieces.
Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat, add the second amount of oil, and heat for a few seconds.
Arrange all the pieces of meat in a single layer. I had just enough room to do 3 pounds of beef in my 12" skillet. If you are cooking more beef or have a smaller pan, you will need to do this in batches.
Let the meat fry in the oil until very crisp and dark brown, but not charred. Check every minute or so to make sure you don't burn your carnitas!
Once the meat is nice and crisp on one side, place it back in the bowl.
Start shredding the meat with the forks. Add 1/4 cup of the reduced cooking liquid, and mix into the meat while continuing to shred. Repeat this 3 more times for a total addition of about 1 cup of reduced cooking liquid.*
Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the meat and refrigerate until cold.**
Serve as taco meat, burrito filling, a topping for nachos, on a burger, or in any other way that sounds good to you.*** Enjoy!
Video
Notes
*You will have a fair amount of cooking liquid. To stir back into the meat, you'll want to reduce the liquid on the saute setting for about 10-15 minutes. When you scoop up the liquid, you'll also get bits of onion and garlic. Good stuff. Once you've used the cup of meat, you can reduce the remaining liquid until syrupy. Press through a fine mesh strainer and use it as taco sauce. You will not be sorry.**You can eat the carnitas immediately, but I think the flavor is better after having a rest in the fridge. And with the technique of stirring the cooking liquid back in as you shred the meat, you can be sure your carnitas will not be dry, even after a few days in the refrigerator.***As pictured, I stuffed the carnitas into romaine leaves and then topped with red onion, sweet yellow pepper, a slaw made of cabbage with salt, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, and cumin, and some of the reduced cooking liquid.