Pork Roast instant pot

• servings: Serving: 2 - 4
• active time: 5 mins
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 - 2 pounds (454g - 907g) pork shoulder/pork butt meat

2 large russet potatoes (700g / ~1⅕ lb), cut into large chunks

8 large cremini mushrooms (228g / ~1/2 lb), roughly chopped

2 carrots (200g), cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons (30ml) light soy sauce

1 tablespoon (15ml) grapeseed oil or olive oil

4 cloves garlic (13g), minced

2 bay leaves

A dash of balsamic vinegar

1 cup (250ml) homemade unsalted chicken stock

Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste

Thickener

2 tablespoons (30ml) cornstarch + 2 tablespoons (30ml) cold water

Directions

Prepare the Pressure Cooker: Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button and click adjust button to go to Sauté More function). Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT).

Brown the Pork Shoulder Meat: Generously season the pork shoulder meat with kosher salt & ground black pepper. Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) of grapeseed oil in the pot. Ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot. Add in the seasoned pork shoulder meat, then let it brown for exactly 5 minutes on each side (don’t need to keep flipping the meat). Remove and set aside to rest for 5 minutes on a chopping board.

Sauté the Mushrooms: Pour 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter in your pressure cooker. Add in the chopped cremini mushrooms. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Stir to evenly coat the mushrooms with butter. Mushrooms will start releasing their moisture. Let the moisture evaporate and stir occasionally until mushrooms are slightly crisp and browned. This step will take roughly 7 – 12 minutes, but it will greatly enhance the flavor of the gravy.

Cut the Pork Shoulder Meat: While the mushrooms are sautéing in the pressure cooker, cut the pork shoulder meat into 0.5” thick slices.

Sauté Garlic & Carrots: Add in the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 20 seconds). Then, add in the carrots and 2 bay leaves, and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Deglaze the Pot: Pour a dash of Balsamic vinegar and fully deglaze the pot with a wooden spoon. Mix in 1 cup (250ml) of unsalted chicken stock and add 2 tbsp (30ml) of light soy sauce.

Pressure Cook the Pork Roast: Add the sliced pork shoulder meat with all the meat juice in the pressure cooker. Layer the potato chunks on the top. Close the lid and cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes + 10 minutes Natural Release. Open the lid carefully.

Make the Gravy: Place pork roast slices, carrots and potatoes on a large serving plate. Taste the sauce and season with more salt if necessary. Mix 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water and stir the mixture into the gravy one third at a time until desired thickness. Pour the pork roast slices, carrots and potatoes back into the gravy and mix gently to coat them with the gravy.

Serve: Serve the pork roast over your favorite side dishes or eat on its own :)

Notes

*Short Pressure Cooking Time: the High Pressure 5-minute cook time is no typo! This short pressure cooking time is due to the pork shoulder meat being cut into 0.5” thick slices. The optimal pressure cooking time depends mostly on the thickness and the cut of meat.