With it being the start of a new year I decided to try cooking a different type of meat...Pork! My husband has made pork chops for us before but I’m still not so great with lean meats so I looked up slow cooker recipes for inspiration. It’s almost impossible to mess up a slow cooker meals since there are only two options...low or high!
I ended up finding a recipe for Carnitas (Mexican pulled pork) that used pork shoulder. The recipe looked simple but when I went to start cooking (in the late afternoon) I didn’t realize it said to cook on HIGH for 7 hours (I misread it as low since I’m so used to cooking on high for 4 hours with other recipes I’ve tried!)
Rather than save it for the next day I challenged myself to use our Instant Pot we bought a year ago. It seemed like a great purchase at the time but when I saw all the different cooking methods I was too intimidated to try it! Luckily this recipe had directions on how to cook it in an Instant Pot, and it used the basic high pressure cooking option, so I decided to go for it!
All in all, the Instant Pot is not so scary after all! I definitely need to learn how to use all the other cooking settings but if you are just using the pressure cooker it’s pretty simple! You just have to set the timer the same way you would a slow cooker but because it’s cooking with high pressure do NOT open the lid once it’s locked until the pressure has been released (there is a little silver button on the top that will indicate when it's safe to open the pot)!
Either way, slow cooker or Instant Pot, this carnitas recipe is so delicious!! My husband also found a recipe for Avocado Crema and Cilantro Lime Slaw as toppings. All of the recipes are below!
- I didn't use jalapeno since I don't like spicy food
- The last step is to crisp the pork in a pan. You don't need to if you prefer to just cook it in the Instant Pot/Slow Cooker. It still tastes as great! I ended up crisping half the batch and we plan on using the other half as leftovers for nachos, quesadillas, sliders etc. The options are endless!
Avacado Crema
1 avocado
1/4 cup of sour cream
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tablespoon of lime juice (1/2 a lime)
Note: Original recipe calls for a full lime but it was too citrusy for us. You can always start with 1/2 a lime then add the second half afterwards. I also recommend putting in a little sour cream at a time if you don't want it to be too thick.
Optional: Pepper (to taste)
1) Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Cilantro Lime Slaw
3 carrots (shredded)
2 cups of cabbage (thinly sliced)
Note: Original recipe calls for 3 cups but I didn't want more cabbage than carrots.
1/2 cup cilantro
Note: I added a little more cilantro after I mixed it together
2 tbsp. lime juice (1 full lime)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Note: I used kosher salt
1) Put all the ingredients in a bowl and toss until fully mixed.
The original recipes for the toppings are from Fox and Briar, who also has a different version of Carnitas, see link below:
Make sure to put the pork shoulder with skin side up. No need to mix once its all in the Instant Pot/Slow Cooker.
I added extra cilantro once I mixed the slaw.
The crema was a little too citrusy for us. I recommend adding 1/2 a lime at a time. I also added pepper to taste.
I also made Goya Yellow Rice as a side dish and added fresh cilantro
ENJOY!
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