Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO3200
“Two Tacos” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

A few days ago I bought a 3.75 lb. pork butt at the supermarket, and that means it’s time for carnitas tacos! Ever since we got our Instant Pot, making carnitas has become super-easy. It’s actually not difficult to make carnitas even without the pressure cooker, but with it, it’s really simple.

I’ve experimented with a few different recipes, but this time I wanted to go basic. The recipe is basically salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and half a cup of beer. Cut the pork into 2-inch cubes, more or less, put everything into the Instant Pot, and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

After it’s done, transfer the meat into a large bowl and use two forks to shred the pork. Give it a taste to make sure it’s salted to your liking, and the meat is ready to be eaten! But, if you like it a little crispy, you can put the meat into a hot skillet and brown it up. That’s my preferred way.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO400
“Taco Ingredients” Cedar Park, 2019

For toppings, we had onion, cilantro, avocado, lime, lettuce, jalapeño, and salsa. Add to that some rice and beans, and you have the classic taco meal. It was yummy!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO400
“Taco Plate” Cedar Park, 2019

I hope you had a nice day!

またね〜

I Made Beef Stew in the Instant Pot

"Beef Stew" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
“Beef Stew” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight I made a basic beef stew using our Instant Pot. It turned out pretty good! It doesn’t have a very complex flavor, but its simplicity is the key to its beauty. We had some homemade crusty French baguette for dipping in the rich broth, which was just perfect. (Thanks Mariko!)

I found the Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe at the Life Made Sweeter website, and made a couple small adjustments, by omitting the celery (yuck) and adding some canned peas right at the end. Prep was very easy, but I think it’s better to brown the meat using a pan on the stove since you can finish browning the meat in much less time than it takes using the Instant Pot’s sautee function. However, if you want to save yourself from washing another pan, then you can use the Instant Pot for all the cooking.

I think I’ll search for a stew recipe with more spices, but this one is good to keep in the recipe book(marks). Simple and satisfying. ☺

I hope you had a great day!

またね~

Funny Gift and Carnitas

"Glowy Loo" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/80 sec, ISO6400
“Glowy Loo” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。

Today’s photo is of our toilet all aglow in brilliant LED light. My brother gave us this little clip-on, motion-sensing light that gently cycles through the spectrum of colors when it detects someone approaching the toilet. Pretty cool huh? 😀

This evening I made some of the tastiest and tenderest carnitas ever using the Instant Pot. (sorry no photos!) It was really easy, took only 90 minutes, and was so juicy! I bought some 12″ tortillas for burritos, and also some small corn tortillas for tacos, and we had cabbage, serranos, jalapeños, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado. A bit of hot sauce and sour cream, and the burritos/tacos were amazing! Of course, we also had refried beans and Mexican-style rice.

If you have an Instant Pot and want to give the recipe a try, you can find it on their website: Instant Pot Carnitas

I hope you had a nice weekend!

おやすみ