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Ninja Foodi Recipe: Crispy Pork Carnitas

These crispy delicious pork carnitas are made in the Ninja Foodi in less than 1 hour. Pressure cook them to tender and crisp them up all in one device.

pork carnitas in ninja foodi insert


 

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I recently became the owner of a Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker with Air Crisper. What’s that you ask? It’s a magical device that Ninja has bestowed upon us. It’s a pressure cooker. It’s an air fryer. It’s a pressure cooker and an air fryer all combined in one device.

I’ll be doing a full and thorough review on the Ninja Foodie soon. Until then, I’ve been testing it out on different recipes to see if it really works as expected.

I’ve made the following so far….
  1. Chicken Wings from frozen
  2. Chicken pot pie
  3. A whole roasted chicken (twice)
  4. And this pork carnita recipe

All of these have turned out wonderful. I wanted to go ahead and post this pork carnita recipe as it was one of my main determining factors of making the purchase.

I was in the market for a second pressure cooker and this one caught my eye. I love cooking meats in my pressure cooker but sometimes I want that extra crisp. I could always use my pressure cooker and then place my meat in the air fryer or oven…but if I can get it all done in one place, then why not.

Will the Ninja Foodi replace my Instant Pot and Air Fryer?

For me personally, it won’t…but it’s staying for sure. I’m not in love with the Air Fryer basket on the Ninja Foodi as there is no long handle. 

I wanted two pressure cookers anyway and my Instant Pot does a mighty good job on pressure cooking, so I’ll keep it too. 

Ninja Foodi Pork Carnita Recipe

Of all the recipes I’ve made thus far, this is already one of my favorites. I love making shredded pork for multiple uses…tacos, burritos, rice bowl, sandwiches, etc.

I usually make it in a slow cooker or my pressure cooker but I always have to transfer the pork to the oven to really get it crisp. That’s an entire day of cooking…which I don’t have much time for.

ninja foodi carnitas in ninja foodi ceramic insert

This Ninja Foodi method allowed me to get it all done in less than an hour.

Here’s the video of me making this recipe in full. I’ll be making some more Ninja Foodi recipes to share as well. As always, Enjoy 🙂

Looking for more Ninja Foodi Recipes? Try these out:

Ninja Foodi Shrimp Boil

Ninja Foodi Fish and Grits

Air Fryer S’mores

Ninja Foodi Zucchini Fritters

Looking for more Air Fryer Pork Recipes? Try these out:

Air Fryer Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Air Fried Jamaican Jerk Pork

Air Fried Japanese Tonkatsu (Air Fried Boneless Pork Chops)

These Carnitas are great with this Homemade Salsa Recipe.

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ninja foodi pork carnitas in the ninja foodi
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4.90 from 57 votes

Ninja Foodi Recipe: Crispy Pork Carnitas

These Crispy Pork Carnitas are made in the Ninja Foodi in less than 1 hour. Pressure cook them to tender and crisp them up all in one device.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword ninja foodi recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 335kcal
Author Tanya

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs pork butt chopped into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 orange cut in half
  • 1 yellow onion peeled and cut in half
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

Instructions

  • Place pork, salt, oregano, and cumin in Ninja Foodi pressure cook insert. Combine making sure the seasonings are covering the pork.
  • Take the orange and squeeze the juices over the pork. Put the squeezed orange in the insert, along with the onion, garlic cloves, and ½ cup chicken broth.
  • Cover the Ninja Foodi with the pressure cooker cover, ensuring the valve is set to seal. Set the Ninja Foodi to High Pressure and cook for 20 minutes.
  • Once the 20 minute timer is complete, do a quick release by switching the valve to vent. Once all the pressure is released, open the lid and remove the orange, onion, and garlic cloves.
  • Set the Ninja Foodi to satué and select md:hi. The liquid will begin to simmer. Allow the liquid to cook until it reduces, about 10-15 minutes.
  • Once the majority of the liquid has reduced, press stop on the Ninja Foodi and then close the Ninja Foodi Air Crisp lid.
  • Select Broil and adjust the time to 8 minutes.
  • Once complete, use the crispy delicious meat in tacos, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, etc. Top with cilantro or any of your favorite toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 838mg | Potassium: 909mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 22.9mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3.1mg
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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
4.90 from 57 votes (17 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Kim Moakley

Wednesday 24th of January 2024

This was absolutely perfect !!! The best I have ever had I must say !!

Tanya

Thursday 25th of January 2024

Thanks, Kim! So happy you liked the carnitas.

Lara Moreno

Sunday 25th of September 2022

Perfectly done, I used pre cubed pork which wasn’t fatty enough next time shoulder or butt. Thank you!

Mireille

Saturday 5th of March 2022

I don't comment much online regarding recipes, but I had to on this one. This is incredible. We've had this so many times and it's very easy for me Let's go together and my partner is in love with this dish.

I usually do a 4 pound boneless pork butt, cut in 2 inch cubes, Double the spices to accommodate double the meat (or triple if I do 6 lbs), double or triple the onion and garlic if doing 4 or 6 lbs (I chop the onion and mince the garlic and never remove it), stick to the 1/2 cup chicken broth (I use Better than Boullion) and always just use 1 orange.

This recipe never fails unless I changed the meat to a leaner pork. Some worked OK but when I viewed loin it was just too dry.

Thank you so much for this recipe. I make it every few weeks minimum. Absolutely delicious and this is coming from someeone who typical doesn't like pork!

Mireille

Wednesday 4th of January 2023

@Tanya, Hello. I'm still making this recipe often....and began experimenting with McCormick Grill Mates Mojito Lime Seasoning. Try it! Its delicious. Adds a little "zing"

vickie

Friday 20th of May 2022

@Mireille, Thank you for this! For 4Lbs does that mean the cook time is doubled as well? TYIA!

Tanya

Sunday 6th of March 2022

Thanks so much for the feedback Mireille! So glad you like the recipe :)

ELK

Thursday 12th of August 2021

I made this tonight on a bit of a whim and it was DELICIOUS! I’m relatively new to the Foodi but this was so easy. Cooked up a batch of Spanish rice in the foodi before cooking this and that combined with the meat impressed my Mexican boyfriend (who’s also a chef)! He loved it, I loved it, and we have leftovers for the rest of the week! Thank you for the great recipe!

Barbra

Friday 2nd of July 2021

I found your recipe and video instruction last year over the Fourth of July weekend! It was so easy to make and a hit with everyone that tried it. I’ve made this meal, following your recipe, on several occasions since and currently making a huge portion to enjoy throughout this years 4th of July weekend celebration! I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for sharing 🙏 Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸