I had no idea how ridiculously easy pulled pork is to make. It also makes me wonder why I’ve tried so many mediocre ones in my life! This pulled pork recipe, can easily be made into carnitas with a fry over a pan. The balance of salty, sweet and citrusy orange cuts through the fatty pork to present the perfect topping to a taco, or simply served on rice.

My instant pot only comes out for a few occasions. That occasion mainly involves congee. But since I’ve been working from home in the past year, I haven’t gotten sick and my IP has seen very little use. The congee recipe is no doubt, the best I’ve made (recipe to come later!) but first, all eyes on this super easy pulled pork recipe. In just 2 steps – 3 if you’re going the extra step for carnitas.

Additional Notes

  • Season to your taste. This base recipe is delicious. The one jalapeno in this recipe, didn’t add any spice, so feel free to add more chili! In the form of dried chili powder, or even 1-2 whole thai chili peppers.
  • Versatile ways to eat it! To serve, eat in a quesadilla, or in a slider and top with your favourite fixings (pickled shallots & cabbage). We also tried it within a taco, as well as on rice with vegetables.
  • Freezer friendly! When ready to eat, just defrost it, then add it back to a pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or longer if you’re going or the crispy carnita crunch.

Serves: 4-6
Cooking time: 1 hour
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb Pork Shoulder, slice lengthwise 2”
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp Oregano, ground
  • 1 tsp Cumin, ground
  • 1 medium Onion, chopped
  • 1 Jalapeño, deseeded & chopped
  • 3 Garlic cloves, crushed
  • ¾ cup Orange Juice (2-3 oranges)
  • ½ cup Chicken Broth

Instructions

  1. Cut pork shoulder in half lengthwise. Add all ingredients to instant pot, mix and level out as much as possible. Pressure cook for 45 minutes. Natural release for 15 minutes.
  2. In the instant pot, gently pull apart and shred pork with two forks. Shred as fine as you like, or keep it chunkier. Sauté until liquid is reduced (10 minutes). Allow at least ½ cup of liquid to remain. The pork with absorb the liquid as it sits. Enjoy as is, or make carnitas (next step).
  3. Oil pan on medium-high heat. Add pulled pork to the pan as one layer. Allow the liquid to reduce to crisp the pulled pork (5 minutes). Flip and sear (3 minutes), then remove from heat.