Let's face it. We all love pulled pork, but don't always have the 12 to 16 hours to sit around the smoker making perfection from a beautiful pork butt. Sometimes we want to be a bit lazy and try some different flavors, yet still attain that shredded pork satisfaction. At this point in time, the Instant Pot pressure cooker wave has engulfed just about everyone so don't act like you don't have one, even if it is secretly tucked away collecting dust somewhere. Believe it or not, they are great for making pulled pork in just under 2 hours! Today's recipe, Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork, fuses the convenience of pressure cookers with the amazing flavors of Asia. Start dusting off that pressure cooker and get ready to be amazed by the simplicity and deliciousness of a few ingredients and little imagination.....Let's get cooking!
I have found over time, especially since starting this website, that when cooking a meal the best first step is to go ahead and knock out all the prep work and have a killer mise en place. What is mise en place? Well, simply put, mise en place is getting all your shit together ready to go. Chop, dice, slice, and measure all the ingredients you will be using and have them readily available to make cooking easier and convenient. That being said, I had a super nice mise en place for this recipe so check out my brag photo below, hehe!
Anyway, the first actual cooking step we want to accomplish is searing off the pork shoulder. Since I decided to do this recipe completely in the Instant Pot, I ended up having to cut my pork shoulder down into a few chunks so they would fit better, but you can also just use a larger pan at home and sear it whole depending on what size pressure cooker you will be using. If you are one of my favorite home chefs out there, this is where you will pull out the jar of bacon fat from the fridge to use as your searing agent. Otherwise, pour in a few tablespoons of cooking oil, crank the Instant Pot to Sauté Mode, and sear off your pork on all sides.
Once your pork is seared, temporarily remove and set it aside while we start creating the "Thai-influenced" sauce for this recipe. While still on Sauté Mode, pour in some chicken stock and deglaze the bottom of the pan. Use a flat wooden spatula and really get that delicious fond scraped off the bottom and into the liquid. Cancel the Sauté Mode and add the remaining ingredients to complete the cooking liquid, which we will later use to create a gravy.
Now that the hard part is done, add the seared pork back to the Instant Pot. You can use a trivet if you like, but it is not necessary. I think having the pork down in the cooking liquid helps incorporate it more into the meat itself for deeper flavor and a somewhat softer finished texture.
Place the lid back on your Instant Pot and set it to Pressure Cook Mode for 90 minutes. Since the liquid is already hot, it should only take a couple minutes to build pressure and actually start cooking. Once the time is up, allow the pressure to naturally release before removing the lid. Don't get impatient and try to manually release the pressure. Those 20 minutes or so it takes to naturally release seem to help the hot flavor vapors penetrate the meat itself making it not only shred easier but also keep things moist and tender!
Things are starting to look pretty good, eh? Remove the pork from the liquid into a separate container and shred it. Thanks to pressure cooking, it will essentially fall apart on its own as you try to remove it, but you can use a fork or some tongs to finish shredding the rest.
Now we are going to make a gravy sauce with those leftover cooking liquids. Use a ladle or spoon and transfer about 1/4 cup of liquids to a separate bowl. Add some corn starch and create a slurry by stirring until it completely dissolves. Turn the Instant Pot back to Sauté Mode one last time and pour the slurry mixture into the remaining cooking liquids. Stir continuously for a few minutes while everything tightens and forms a thick sauce or gravy.
That's all she wrote, folks! The shredded pork alone has a great mild flavor thanks to the liquids that cooked it, but drizzle some of that gravy sauce over and your mouth will be thanking you after every bite. It really kicks up the flavor and truly gives that Asian flair to the pulled pork. Since this recipe was cooked in a pressure cooker, you have 90 minutes to make any sides or anything else to serve alongside the pork. Besides rice, this THAI COLESLAW really completes the meal with minimal extra effort. Give it a try and let me know what you and your family thought of this meal. It's essentially hands off as the Instant Pot does 90% of the work for you so use that free time catch on some television, read a book, or even sneak a few glasses of "mommy/daddy juice" in before the kids notice! No matter how you choose to spend the free time I have created for you, thanks for getting in the kitchen and making delicious meals....Just Keep Cooking!
INSTANT POT ASIAN PULLED PORK
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