Years ago, I found a well-loved, bright orange Dutch oven at the Alameda Flea Market. It was made by a now-defunct Belgian brand, once coveted in its heyday, but later overshadowed by Le Creuset and forgotten by time. It has since become my most used kitchen tool, a trusty accomplice in sourdough bread baking and all-day stews, which has satiated many an afternoon popcorn craving. In 2017, my roommate and I used it as a weight in our Bikini Body Guide home workouts. There’s a certain amount of pride in cooking something inside a Dutch oven, where one must harness heat and time–often a lot of time–to transform some combination of things into another form, one that is elusive and seems only to be possible through the transformative properties of this magical pot.
I will continue to use my trusty Dutch oven for all of these things (except the workouts; I have real weights now) but sometimes time is of the essence, and that essence is ephemeral. It’s a weeknight or a busy weekend when you, for some reason, offered to host a dinner party or you’re preparing an elaborate meal for which the stove is already accounted. These are the moments when you look past your Dutch oven–just for a moment–and opt for ease over ritual.
The Instant Pot is new to me, and gargantuan as it may be, it really has changed the game. A new type of mysterious, magical cooking device, it’s far less romantic but undeniably functional. This instrument only requires of you the ability to chop ingredients, press buttons, and suspend your disbelief as it accomplishes in a fraction of the time what you’d otherwise spend an afternoon on. What goes on inside the Instant Pot is a combination of pressure, steam, and witchcraft that makes buttery beans in under an hour, puts your rice cooker to shame, and braises meat to fork-tender perfection in less time than it takes to finish whatever competing task drove you to use it in the first place.
Enter my Instant Pot Carnitas. In goes a big ol’ pork shoulder coated in simple spices, along with onions and OJ. Out comes intensely flavored meat that gets shredded and crisped up under the broiler. While I’m not calling this a health food (pork shoulder is quite fatty), oil and lard are notably absent from the ingredient list below—a final accolade for the Instant Pot, which uses steam and the meat’s own fats to do what would otherwise require a lot of added grease.
You’ll still catch me obnoxiously sniffing my Dutch oven as I sauté aromatics, brown meat, and simmer stock, but you’ll also find me doing many other things when life doesn’t allow for such indulgence yet still demands big flavor.
Ingredients (makes enough for an 8-person taco night)
4 pounds pork butt or pork shoulder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 big pinches Kosher salt
A few cranks of fresh black pepper
Juice from two juicy oranges
1 sweet white onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
Instructions
Combine the seasonings in a small bowl
Cut the pork into 2-ish inch cubes, trimming off excess fat
Place the pork in the Instant Pot and coat with the seasonings
Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and orange juice
Seal the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 60 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the stream release naturally.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pot and place the pieces on a foil lined baking sheet. Shred the pieces with two forks and arrange it all in an even layer on the pan. Taste it, and add an extra sprinkle of salt if it needs it.
Turn on the broiler to high, with the rack toward the top.
Pour the leftover juices through a mesh strainer and discard the onion pieces. Pour a bit of the strained liquid over the pork. The rest can be discarded or used for another purpose.
Broil the pork for 5-10 minutes until it’s the desired level of crispiness and serve immediately.
Note: Serve with tortillas and accouterments for a taco night, or use as a topping for nachos, or as the protein in a rice bowl