How to Cook Pork in a Pressure Cooker

How to Cook Pork in a Pressure cooker

• One 4-5 lb boneless pork loin – top loin roast
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small piece of an onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

It is so simple to cook a pork roast in a pressure cooker.  Place the meat in the pressure cooker, add the garlic, onion, bay leaves and apple cider vinegar.  It would probably be fine cooked in plain water if it is going to be seasoned later on.  Cover with water and cook on high for 50 minutes.  Allow the pressure to release naturally.  Remove the meat.  Scrape off any fat or unwanted tissue from the outside of the roast.  Shred with two forks.  Add some of the cooking liquid as needed for moisture.  If you do not have a pressure cooker, get one!  Or just cook with the same ingredients for 10-12 hours on low in a slow cooker.  I used to do this on my front porch in Arizona so I wouldn’t have to smell the pork all day long – yuck!

This meat is great for Barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, cafe rio salad meat, street tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, pozole, tamales, enchiladas or just about any meal that requires cooked, shredded pork.  Here is the original chart that shows cooking times using my Cuisinart Pressure cooker.

 

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As to the meat, I have been really happy with the boneless pork loin, top loin roasts sold at Costco.  In the past I used a pork shoulder roast, but lately I don’t use that roast because they have so much fat and extra tissue that I don’t want to eat.  Although the price per pound is less, you are actually getting less meat than you think once it has cooked down and been prepped for serving.  I would avoid the pork tenderloin roast as it contains little to no fat.

I usually split the meat for 2-4 meals, depending on the size of the roast.  If you want to use the meat later, place shredded meat in a quart size Ziploc freezer bag with some of the cooking liquid.  Make sure there are no bubbles and do your best to squeeze out any air between the meat.  If you shake the bag you can get most of the air to rise to the top of the bag.  The broth will keep the meat from getting freezer burnt.  If you want, you can season the meat with BBQ sauce or whatever flavor before freezing.  I like to keep my meat plain because I have no idea what I will be in the mood for a couple of weeks from now.  When ready to use, simply place the frozen bag of meat in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.  In a rush, you can use hot water on the outside of the bag to remove the meat and defrost it in the microwave.

So simple – just add water, onion, garlic and a couple of bay leaves to add a little of flavor to the pork.  Some recipes call for chicken broth for cooking but I have found this unnecessary.  I add just a little bit of apple cider vinegar to help break down the meat.  All of these ingredients are optional – all you really need is water as long as you plan on seasoning the meat later on.  Cook for 50 minutes on high pressure and allow the pressure to release naturally (this will take another 15-20 minutes.  Be sure to follow manufacturers instructions as to how much you can safely fill your pressure cooker.

Remove any of the gross stuff (pictured far left, sorry I should have cropped it out).  Place in a large bowl and shred with a fork.  In this case I used the meat to make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.  I seasoned the meat with a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce… use whatever sauce your family prefers.