Instant Pot Braised Pork Tacos
Servings 5 servings
Ingredients
- 30 - 36 4-inch corn tortillas
- 5 - 6 radishes (thinly sliced)
Pork:
- 4½ pounds pork butt
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 oranges (cut in half)
- 1 lime (cut in half)
- 1 cup water
Pickled Onion:
- 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1/8 - ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tablespoon salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Cilantro Onion:
- 1 small white onion (cut into small dices)
- 3 tablespoons cilantro (finely chopped)
Instructions
- For the pickled onion, add sliced red onion to a medium heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over until fully covered. Let it sit for 10 seconds. Drain and place onion back to the bowl.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine vinegar, lime juice, 1/8 cup sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Cook until sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust with more sugar if needed. Pour the mixture over the onion. Set aside and let it cool completely.
- For the cilantro onion (optional), combine onion and cilantro in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- For the pork, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Trim and remove some of the fat (leaving about 15% of fat). Cut the pork into 2-inch cubes. Place them inside the instant pot.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic salt, dried oregano, brown sugar, dried basil, ground coriander, cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Add the spices over the pork and rub evenly. Squeeze orange juice and lime juice over the pork. Place the 3 halved oranges and halved limes cut sides down on top of pork. Add 1 cup of water. Cover and lock the lid of the instant pot. Make sure the pressure release valve is at the “sealing” setting, not “venting”. Set cook time for 40 minutes.
- When cooking is done, the "keep warm" button will be on. There are two ways to do it. You can either release the pressure naturally by doing nothing, about 20 - 30 minutes or you can release pressure slowly or carefully by opening the vent. Make sure you read the manual book to know how to do it safely.
- Open the lid and transfer the meat to two large serving plates. Separate the fat and broth with an oil separator or large spoon. Transfer the broth to a small pot. Reduce the broth over high heat for about 15 minutes.
- Pull apart the pork with 2 forks. Taste and season with salt if needed. Once the broth is ready, add a few tablespoons of broth over the pork. Toss and ready to serve.
- Meanwhile, start on the tortillas. Reheat them up over the open flame on the stove over medium heat until slightly brown, but still soft on both sides. Watch carefully because the tortillas can be burnt easily. Transfer the cooked tortilla to a tortilla warmer or a plate with an aluminum-foil-cover.
- When everything is ready, put tortillas on serving plates and top with pork, radish slices and either onion toppings. Serve immediately with your favorite hot sauce if you have one.
Notes
- This recipe is for 5 – 6 people. But you can still make the full amount for 2 people. Save the rest for leftover to make pulled pork sandwiches or burrito bowls.
- When you are making this dish, keep in mind that instant pot/pressure cooker requires extra time to build up pressure and release pressure. It takes about 10 minutes to build up pressure before cooking and it takes about 20 – 30 minutes to release pressure after cooking. This is on top of that 40 minutes of actual cooking time.
- Our favorite hot sauce is Los Calientes from the show Hot Ones. We finished our first bottle in less than 2 months.