Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with this mouth-watering recipe for Carnitas in Al Pastor Sauce from Saucy Lips co-founder Natalia Salazar! Using her mom’s traditional recipes for rich, slow-cooked meals as inspiration, Natalia has a few tricks up her sleeve to get dinner on the table fast.
As a Hispanic, I grew up with guisados—those rich, slow-cooked meals my mom would spend hours perfecting in the kitchen.
Now that I’m living in the U.S. with two kids and my job, I don’t have time to cook like she did. But with her Saucy Lips Al Pastor Sauce, I can bring those same bold flavors into my kitchen, without spending hours.
In just 5 minutes, I prep everything and let the sauce do the magic. Whether you use an Instant Pot like me, a slow cooker, or the stove—this sauce transforms the dish.
While it’s cooking for 45 minutes, I make some cauliflower rice and fresh salsa, So when 5 o’clock chaos hits, dinner’s ready.
What brings me joy is that, even with my busy life, I can still share the authentic flavors I grew up on with minimal effort.
Try this recipe with Althea Brown’s Plantain Wraps or Whole Food for 7’s Cilantro Lime Slaw!
Ingredients
Carnitas
- 1.5 lbs pork carnitas (pork shoulder or butt) cut into chunks)
- pouch of Saucy Lips Al Pastor Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the bowl
- 1 1 head of cauliflower riced
- fresh cilantro chopped
- sliced avocado
Pineapple Salsa
- 1 cup pineapple diced into cubes
- 1 small onion diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- juice of 2 limes
Equipment
- Instant Pot or digital pressure cooker
Instructions
- HEAT olive oil in your pressure cooker on the sauté setting. Add the pork cubes and sear for about 4 minutes per side until browned.
- SEASON the pork with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the Saucy Lips Al Pastor Sauce over the pork, ensuring the meat is well coated.
- CLOSE the lid of the pressure cooker and set it to high pressure. Cook for 45 minutes.
- WHILE the pork is cooking, make the pineapple salsa. Add the diced pineapple, onions, and chopped cilantro to a bowl. Add the juice of 2 limes and season with salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
- IF you’re making cauliflower rice from scratch, now’s a good time! Simply grate or pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles rice, then sauté it lightly in a pan. Otherwise, I recommend microwaving a pre-riced cauliflower bag from the frozen section for convenience.
- ONCE the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes.
- OPEN the lid and shred the pork using two forks, mixing it well with the sauce.
- ADD a base of riced cauliflower to serving bowls, then with the shredded pork, pineapple salsa, fresh cilantro, and sliced avocado.
- SERVE and enjoy!
