Not only a delicious and satisfying dinner but a frugal win of the week! Pork carnitas made fast, made fresh, and made easy.
After spending a week in Cabo we had found the jewels of the foodie world: juice bars offering fresh local produce for less than $2 per drink, little spots on the beach where you and eat with your toes in the sand, and, of course, some of the BEST taco shops I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.
One of the best places we visited was Asi Asado. It was actually featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Since we know Guy has a knack for finding some of the primo places, we always try to pick one of his spots everywhere we travel. For Cabo San Lucas that place was Asi Asado, and THE BEST taco we had was the pork carnitas (and we had them all).
It was deep, rich flavor. Juicy and tender but not completely falling apart. There were crisp bites, melt in your mouth bites, and bites that were nearly indescribably good.
We came home determined to replicate those succulent pork tacos.
Since we were no longer on vacation though, it meant that these tacos had to be fast, mostly healthy and BUDGET friendly! Enter the FRUGAL WIN OF THE WEEK. We were able to successfully replicate these tantalizing pork flavor bombs far more easily than we thought!
Since we didn’t have 14 hours to roast the pork, we decided to try our trusty Instant Pot. Oh oh oh! We made some magic. Not only does the Instant Pot have the ability to make the pork super tender and oh so shreddable within 30 minutes, but it also has a saute setting.
Are you using your Instant Pot to it’s full potential? Because we found out this thing has some tricks!
After you let the Instant Pot do its thing and you’ve waited to let the steam dissipate, it’s time to crisp. After all, it’s those crispy pieces mixed in with the melt in your mouth bites that made these tacos so memorable.
Top a warmed corn tortilla with a heap of succulent pork and finish with some lime and a few garnishes and BAM! You’re back in Cabo! Just… without the delicious margaritas and fitting well within your budget.
Check out the recipe below!
Ingredients
- Pork roast or Boston Butt
- 1 Vadalia Onion Sliced
- 2 Tbsp Adobo
- Pepper
- 1Tbsp Garlic Powder
- Juice of 2 Limes
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- Optional Toppings: Thinly slice red onion, pickled veggies, fresh slaw, hot sauce, tomatillo sauce, cilantro
Instructions
- Place pork in Instant Pot
- Add Adobo, garlic powder, pepper and onion
- Set to 30 minutes
- Allow to depressurize on its own
- Pull pork and set Instant Pot to saute
- Add olive oil and saute until edges are crisp and brown
- Squeeze lime and add vinegar
- Toast up some corn tortillas and top with pork
- Finish with toppings of your choice and enjoy!