Instant Pot Pork Shoulder

My poor old slow cooker had seen better days, so I started looking around for a replacement. I kept seeing Instant Pot posts in social media and heard from Ashley at #macroed that I would LOVE it since it’s fast and does so many things.  Then, it was suddenly the Daily Deal on Amazon and I took it as a sign that it should be in my kitchen. I’m so glad I did. It’s already so handy-dandy. Before I used it, I hadn’t even thought about how pressure cooking saved energy and didn’t heat up your kitchen the way a slow cooker, on for 9 hours, would. (or the oven) And, it’s FAST. It’s also not got some chemical coating inside that’s going to chip off into your food and wreck your hormonal balance or contribute to your cancer chances.

You’ll be seeing some more Instant Pot recipes and ideas here, but here’s the first one. At the box the other day, Cassie said I needed to “share that week’s family night dinner pork recipe for the Instant Pot – it was so good!” She’s right, so before I let myself watch the second episode of Supernatural, I’m going to post this recipe. (How did I miss this show all this time? The first one really hooked me in!)

I used 3 lbs of pork shoulder. We have a happy local pig process 1-2 times a year, but I’m sure you can find some nice pork from your sources. I cut out the bones and also cut off the biggest parts of the fast along the edges and put the meat into the Instant Pot.

I added:

1 small white onion, chopped

1 TBSP Garlic Gold Nuggets (or 2-3 cloves fresh garlic)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp smoked sea salt from Salt Traders (this time it was the Cherry Wood – our fav)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup bone broth (or chicken stock)

I locked down the lid and cooked it on high for 45 minutes.

While it was cooking, I was worrying that it wouldn’t work, or it wouldn’t be good, because it was going to be the pork Carnitas protein for family night dinner soon afterward. BUT, it all turned out ok, because that pork was TENDER and DELICIOUS. I ran two forks through it to shred it.

I laid out:

sun-dried tomato tortillas

shredded colby jack cheese

organic sour cream

avocado slices

romaine lettuce

organic tomatoes

salsa

Everyone made their own, the way they liked them, and said we should have this again when Ger gets home from the GRID season! I even forgot to take a photo! (Maybe because Kyler is so cute I just focus on her….#newgrammy)

This is an easy way to feed a crowd, OR to do some serious meal prep for your week. The leftover pork was perfect the next morning with over-medium eggs and buttered coffee.

Fat – 20, Carb – 1, Protein – 27     #getmacroed (Are you tracking yours?)

9 servings – 3 lbs of pork shoulder – you can adjust the recipe down or even freeze some for later.