Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is a common sight in the Upper Midwest, where it's often prepared in a crock pot with a sweet and sour sauce and served on a hamburger bun. It's usually just called "barbecue," not to be confused with the smoked meats of other regions. The 1950s church cookbook passed down to me has a few barbecue recipes, which can include basically any meat. While I've eaten this style plenty of times, I happen to have gone a different direction with my pulled pork. My style is loosely Mexican-flavored, although it's not intended to be authentically Mexican. I started making my version a few years ago with the traditional 3-hour dutch oven method. It was a natural fit for my first Instant Pot recipe.

I've had an Instant Pot for a while, but have only recently started experimenting with my own recipes. It's the first pressure cooker I've used. The idea of sealing it up and letting it do its thing can be a little intimidating for someone who usually cooks on the fly. This is also why baking cakes is always a bit stressful for me, although I've gotten much better over time. I most commonly use the Instant Pot to make rice, which it does well. It can also shine when making stews and braised meats that usually take a few hours to cook. There is a lot written about the Instant Pot on the internet. What I often find frustrating about the recipes I find is that they aren't precise enough about the settings. High or low pressure and quick or natural release can make a huge difference. Since the Instant Pot doesn't operate by feel like regular cooking, I will be much more precise about it than my other recipes. That being said, the ingredients here are easily substituted and the ratios are variable. If you don't want to use beer, just use more chicken stock.

This recipe is closely built on my original one from 2018. The cut used is still Boston Butt. This is a great value cut of pork if you're willing to put the work into it. You can certainly roast it whole, but you can also break it down into useful parts. I start by trimming off the large amount of fat from the skin side. These can be rendered into lard or mixed into sausage or dumpling filling. Next, I slice off large strips of meat for char siu. If you like, these can then be cut up into smaller chunks for stew or kebabs. Once all the easily cut off pieces are done, I'm left with the shoulder blade and the less-accessible meat. I then cut the remaining meat off the bone, but you don't need to completely clean it off. These pieces will be much more irregular than the initial strips, so they work well for grinding. The pork I used in this post was from this trimming. The remaining shoulder blade with a little meat left on it can then be used to make soup. 

Ingredients

• 3 lb. boneless pork butt
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz. beer
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 1 Tbs. ground paprika
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 chipotles in adobo sauce, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 Tbs. adobo sauce (from the chipotle can)
• 1 orange, cut into 6 wedges
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Lime wedges to taste (about 1/2 lime)
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Cut the pork into large chunks, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches on each side. It does not have to be precise. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Set the Instant Pot to sauté on the "more" setting. With a little vegetable oil, sear the pork chunks in batches. Avoid crowding the pan. 

Cook each piece until browned. Flip and brown the other side. Set each piece aside when done. Add vegetable oil as needed.

Turn the setting down to "normal." Sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. 

Deglaze with beer and scrape up the fond. Add cumin, paprika, oregano, bay leaves. chipotles, and adobo sauce. Squeeze out the orange wedges and throw in rinds. Nestle the pork chunks back into the pot. Top up with chicken stock, about 1 cup. The pork should be mostly covered, but does not need to be fully submerged. 

Seal the Instant Pot and set to pressure cook with high pressure for 30 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot and allow the pressure to naturally release fully before opening. 

Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a bowl. Discard the orange and bay leaves. Skim grease from the liquid as much as you care to. Set the Instant Pot to sauté on the "more" setting and reduce by about half. While the liquid reduces, use two forks to shred the pork. 

At this point, you have some options. To serve immediately, pour the sauce over the pork. Squeeze in some lime juice and salt to taste. Alternatively, for crispy pork, spread out on a sheet pan and broil, then add sauce and lime. To freeze, transfer to quart-sized Ziploc bags, fill, and flatten. To defrost, simply place the entire "brick" in a saucepan and heat gently until warm.