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Instant Pot Jackfruit Carnitas

Instant Pot Jackfruit Carnitas

Ingredients

  • 2 (20-ounce) cans green jackfruit, packed in water or brine
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain the jackfruit, then use your fingers to pull the pieces apart so that it looks like shredded pork.  

  2. Add the shredded jackfruit, along with the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.  Secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure.  Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then switch the valve to "venting" to quick release.

  3. Give everything another stir and remove and discard the bay leaf.  At this point you can serve the jackfruit carnitas or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.  

Recipe Notes

  • Some people discard the harder core and seeds of the jackfruit.  I do not.  I find that if you do your best to tear everything up, it all cooks up nicely and you won't even notice those parts.  Why waste?
  • If you want to crisp up the edges to be even more like carnitas, you can spread the jackfruit on a parchment lined baking sheet and put it under the broiler for 10 minutes, stirring it at the halfway mark.  The edges of the jackfruit will start to brown and crisp up.