Instant pot sweet pulled pork

stant Pot Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 8 -16 servings

Author Si Foster, A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4-7 lbs boneless pork shoulder butt or boneless pork rib meat*, cut into large chunks, large visible chunks of fat removed
• Menudo spice mix or make your own (see post for instructions)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups cold water
• for sauce
• 3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar light or dark to taste
• 1 - 16 oz can red enchilada sauce*
• 1 4 oz can chopped green chiles not drained
• 1 12 oz can Coke Pepsi or Dr Pepper

Bountiful kitchen

Instructions

1. Place 3 tablespoons spice mix in a large gallon size Ziplock bag. Shake until meat is coated.
2. Turn Instant Pot to Saute mode.
3. Add one tablespoon olive oil.
4. Place meat in pot when hot and brown on both sides. If you are in a hurry, skip this step and omit the oil in the pot.
5. When meat is browned on both sides, Add water around sides of meat.
6. Place the lid on the top of the pot (make sure the sealing ring is in place inside of the lid) and lock into sealing position. Turn the setting to Manual or High Pressure and set the timer for 50 minutes. Make sure the lid is set to the Sealing position.
7. After the timer goes off, allow the pot to manually release the pressure for at least 45 minutes.
8. Carefully remove the lid from the pot when all of the pressure is released.
9. Remove the meat and set on a cutting board. Allow to cool for a few minutes. When cool enough, pull any remaining visible fat off of meat and set aside. Discard any fat. Shred meat with a fork.
10. Remove the remaining juice from the pan and place in a small bowl.
11. Whisk the enchilada sauce, chopped green chiles, brown sugar and one can of soda together in the Instant Pot. . Place the shredded meat back into the Instant Pot and turn the setting to Saute. Heat just until sauce boils and the meat is heated through, then turn the setting to keep warm mode.
12. If you would like to thicken the sauce a bit, whisk one tablespoon of cornstarch into a cup of the liquid removed from pan after the meat was cooked and add back to the Instant Pot with meat and enchilada sauce. Continue to heat up until thickened.
13. Serve on top of tortilla chips, tortillas, or a bed of rice. All Cafe Rio style recipes listed and linked on post.

Recipe Notes

-If using Boston butt, or pork butt, count on about 1/2 of the total pounds before cooking being discarded (after cooking). The fat will need to be picked off and thrown away.
-I use both homemade and canned red enchilada sauce for this recipe. I believe homemade is best, but it's very difficult to taste the difference between homemade and canned when the brown sugar and green chiles are added! The link for my homemade sauce is on this post under the last paragraph "secret tips from former employees". It takes about 5 minutes to make.
-As stated in the post, I did not marinate the pork in the sauce before cooking. My slow cooked method posted previously recommends marinating, but this recipe does not.

Pumpkin Sausage Soup

this soup is so easy and so good- a new fall favorite for sure!


Ingredients

1 12 ounce package sausage
1/2 cup Onion
1 garlic clove
1 Tablespoon italian seasoning
1-2 Cups fresh mushrooms chopped
1 -15 ounce can pumpkin
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 heavy cream
1/2 Cup water
1 tsp red pepper flakes


Directions

Brown sausage, drain, then add onion, garlic, italian seasoning and mushrooms and sauté until done.

add pumpkin to the mixture and mix well.
stir in broth and simmer 20-30 min.

stir in heavy cream and water simmer on low another 15 minutes. add salt and pepper to taste.

Pecan crusted pork

I'm too lazy to write out this recipe but it's a favorite. When my parents come into town I take the opportunity to put them to work and try a complicated, delicious meal and let me tell you, it was worth all the work. It was amazing. Perfect fallish recipe. Would probably not add as much brown sugar to the sauce but then again all the flavors married really well. 

We served it with sautéed zucchini and mashed potatoes. 

Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder

I cut this recipe out of the magazine a couple of years ago and finally made it tonight and it was delicious!! super simple and full of flavor with a kick.

From: Real Simple

 

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2  cup  brown sugar
• 1 to 2  tablespoons  chili-garlic sauce (found in the Asian aisle of the supermarket)
• 1  tablespoon  grated fresh ginger
• 1  teaspoon  Chinese five-spice powder (optional)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 1/2  pounds  pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1  cup  long-grain white rice
• 1  medium head bok choy, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
• 2  scallions, sliced

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, five-spice powder (if using), ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cook, covered, until the pork is tender, on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time) or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
2. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
3. Meanwhile, skim off and discard any fat from the pork. Gently fold the bok choy into the pork and cook, covered, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

Spicy Pulled Pork

from: mom


2 C. brown sugar
4 T. minced garlic
2 T. Tabasco sauce
4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin

mix together and cover boneless pork roast. Wrap roast in 4 layer of tin foil and bake at 285* for about 8 hours or cook all day in crock pot.

Sage-and-Pecan Pork Tenderloin Cutlets

From: Southern living

Ingredients

• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons seedless blackberry preserves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 TBS sugar
  
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 3/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• Fresh spinach leaves (optional)
• Garnish: fresh blackberries

Preparation

1. Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 6 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in blackberry preserves, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in salt and sugar.

2. Remove silver skin from pork tenderloin, leaving a thin layer of fat covering meat. Cut pork into 8 slices. Place pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and flatten to a 1/4-inch thickness, using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet.

3. Stir together breadcrumbs, pecans, and sage in a shallow bowl.

4. Dredge pork in breadcrumb mixture, dip in beaten eggs, and dredge again in breadcrumb mixture.

5. Cook 4 pork slices in 2 tsp. hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 8 minutes or until done, turning every 2 minutes. Repeat procedure with remaining pork and oil. Serve pork over fresh spinach, if desired. Drizzle with vinegar mixture; garnish, if desired.