Pork Carnitas Taco Freezer Meal Kit

One thing I love about taco freezer meal kits is that they can be so versatile! 

Want vegetarian tacos? Pulled pork tacos? Shredded chicken tacos? Done, done, done. Just pack everything up in their separate bags or containers and store it in the freezer for a day when you have a taco hankering. 

Why go to the trouble of making a freezer meal kit?

Putting together a freezer meal taco kit also frees you up to have a little fun on the night of. You can whip up a batch of salsa, or get creative with handmade tortillas. Since the rest of the work putting the taco packets has been done already, you’ve got the extra time! 

It’s also handy to be able to make a freezer meal kit that covers all your bases, so if you’ve got someone at dinner who doesn’t eat meat, the vegetarian taco option is there if they need it. 

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A few words about the Instant Pot Pork Carnitas

I make these pork carnitas in the Instant Pot since doing so is usually much faster. 

The pork cooks in about 30 minutes under high pressure, so coupled with the time it takes the Instant Pot to come to pressure and do a natural release, you’re looking at about 45 minutes to an hour of cook time. 

Read: DIY Freezer Meal Kits Will Save Your Weeknight Dinner

If you don’t have an Instant Pot or you’re looking to make the pork carnitas in the slow cooker, then cook for about 4 hours on high and 6 on low, until the pork can be easily shredded. 

Other substitutions you can add to your freezer meal taco kits:

It doesn’t have to be exactly what I have below. Play around with your freezer meal kits to adjust them to your favorite taco flavors! 

  • Roasted, cubed sweet potatoes
  • Shredded chicken
  • Grilled fish
  • Grilled shrimp
  • Shredded beef

Read: Here’s What You Need to Know About Batching Sheet Pan Meals for the Freezer

Instant Pot Pork Carnitas

Ingredients

Protein

boneless pork shoulder or butt4 pounds

Produce

lime juice.25 cup
orange juice.25 cup
red onion1 small, thinly sliced

Dry Goods

light pilsner-style beer6 ounces
apple cider vinegar.25 cup
white sugar1 tablespoon
table salt.5 teaspoon

Instructions

There’s nothing quite like a full taco kit from the freezer and giving it a quick thaw before throwing together and easy dinner? Instant Pot pork carnitas take a fraction of the time that stovetop carnitas does, and quick pickling of red onions last surprisingly well in either the fridge or the freezer. They lose a bit of crispness but retain all their flavor.

  1. Instant Pot: Place all ingredients in Instant Pot and secure the lid. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, then do a quick pressure release. Shred the pork using two forks before serving.
  2. For Crockpot: Place all ingredients in crockpot and secure lid. Cook on low for 5 hours or until pork easily shreds apart when pulled with a fork. 

For Quick-Pickled Red Onion: 

  1. Whisk liquid ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar and salt have dissolved. 
  2. Pour over the top of the sliced onions and let sit for 1 hour. 
  3. If freezing, remove onion slices from pickling mix before storing in its own container with a tight-fitting lid or ziploc bag.

Prep Plan

Prep it for later:
1. Pack corn tortillas, cooked pork carnitas, and pickled red onion in individual bags.
Stores for up to 3 months in the freezer

You’ll need:
1 bag or container of tortillas
1 bag or container of cooked pork
1 bag or container of pickled red onion

Prepare from prepped:
1. Store bags or containers together and thaw in the fridge overnight before heating up the pork, or thaw under cold running water before heating and serving.