Instant Pot Pork Carnitas

We have Taco Tuesday every week at my house, our family is big on day specific menu's.  It's a bit of challenge to come up with a different taco filling each week so I don't feel like were having the same food every Tuesday.  I do have three children who never eat Taco's and will only eat quesadilla's made with the same orange sharp cheddar cheese and a specific flour tortilla.  Back to tacos, my Instant Pot hasn't been used to much, I did make homemade chicken noodle soup on Monday with homemade broth and noodles which was awesome since I only used the Instant Pot for the whole process.   I'm not a big fan of wet, mushy meat so Crock-Pots are my least favorite way to cook any sort of meat.  After some searching I determined a two fold approach would yield the best results int his recipe.  The pork is cooked in the Instant Pot but crisped up under the oven broiler.  

A combination of flavorful crispy edged pork and homemade guacamole and salsa are the highlights of this perfect taco.

Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork Shoulder
1 Yellow Onion
1 Lime
1 tablespoon Bacon Grease (or other oil)
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Chili Lime Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Whole Cumin or 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder

 Peel and cut onion into big chunks.  Cut lime in half.

Turn on Instant Pot or comparable electric pressure cooker to sauté.  Melt bacon grease in pan then add 2 inch cubed pork and onion to pan and brown.

Add all the other ingredients to the pot including squeezing the limes over the pot.  Close lid according to directions, it chimes to help you know it is closed.  Set to high pressure for 30 minutes.

After pork is finished, allow pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes.  The Instant Pot has a timer telling you how long it has rested, very nice feature.  When it reaches the the de-pressuring stage I turn my oven on to the broil setting.

Remove pork from Instant Pot and place on a cookie sheet.  Using two forks shred the pork a little.  Don't completely shred it, just a little so more surface area will be broiled.   Place in a oven under the broiler for 15 minutes. 

 Look at that close up of the nice crispy pork, and then a pan out shot.  

Leave the juices in the Instant Pot and set to sauté, reduce the juices while the pork is under the broiler.

Pour the reduced juices on the pork and serve in your favorite taco.  I put corn tortillas on a griddle and slightly toast them then add the pork, homemade salsa, guacamole, lettuce, and cheese. 

Enjoy!

Instant Pot Pork Carnitas

Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork Shoulder
1 Yellow Onion
1 Lime
1 tablespoon Bacon Grease (or other oil)
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Chili Lime Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Whole Cumin or 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder

Process:

Peel and cut onion into big chunks.  Cut lime in half.

Turn on Instant Pot or comparable electric pressure cooker to sauté.  Melt bacon grease in pan then add 2 inch cubed pork and onion to pan and brown.

Add all the other ingredients to the pot including squeezing the limes over the pot.  Close lid according to directions, it chimes to help you know it is closed.  Set to high pressure for 30 minutes.

After pork is finished, allow pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes.  The Instant Pot has a timer telling you how long it has rested, very nice feature.  When it reaches the the de-pressuring stage I turn oven on to the broil setting.

Remove pork from Instant Pot and place on a cookie sheet.  Using two forks shred the pork a little.  Don't completely shred it, just a little so more surface area will be broiled.   Place in a oven under the broiler for 15 minutes. 

Leave the juices in the Instant Pot and set to sauté, reduce the juices while the pork is under the broiler.

Pour the reduced juices on the pork and serve in your favorite taco. 

Enjoy!

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Recently a friend from church had a baby.  I wanted to make a dinner for her and her husband that would be comforting and remind her of her home country of Brazil.  When I was looking up recipes from Brazil, I learned about a Brazilian Black Bean Stew, Feijoada.  Since I had all the ingredients to make the stew, it was a win win.  We had leftovers, so on another night the stew got an upgrade and the recipe below is the upgrade.  This stew was very delicious, so much so, that my husband requested I make it again for a church social.  I made it this afternoon, third times the charm for our church Halloween Party Chili Cook-off.  I added some pepper flakes to the recipe to make it more like chili.  I brought this "chili" and blew away the judges and won first prize.  I think they liked the three kinds of pork, not a traditional chili with beef.  This recipe can be made very easily, and cheaply, depending on your preferences.  At a nearby grocery store, we have blemished discount produce that isn't perfect enough to be sold with the other pretty produce.  On a wonderful whim, I looked at the discounted produce at my local grocery store and struck cheap produce heaven and found bell peppers to use for this recipe.

Look at all that pork, so very yummy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder
3 Green Bell Peppers
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Yellow Onions
1 lb. Chorizo
4 lb. Pork Shoulder
Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)
3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes
5 slices Bacon
2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Water

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans
to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.   Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for
30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender. 

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

 on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

My ham bone is leftover so it still has meat and fat on it.  I freeze leftover bones and use them
for other recipes.  Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do
not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat),
although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly
fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left
in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin.  Break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium
 heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes.  Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes
and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

This is a Brazillian Black Bean Stew, if you omit the pepper flakes, and with the pepper flakes
 it is great as a chili.

Enjoy!

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans

Kosher Salt

Garlic Powder

3 Green Bell Peppers

2 Red Bell Peppers

2 Yellow Onions

1 lb. Chorizo

4 lb. Pork Shoulder

Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)

3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes

5 slices Bacon

2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Water

Process:

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.  Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it, substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat), although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin, break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes. Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

Enjoy!