Instant Pot Cuban-Style Pork Tacos
This is my interpretation of Cuban pork made in my Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting. It's simple, it's delicious, and the leftovers make great Cuban Sliders.
Equipment
- 1 Electric Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker 6 quart
- 1 Food Processor 8 cup
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, fat trimmed optional
- 2 large oranges, juiced (about 3/4 cup) (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 4 large limes, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup olive oil or neutral oil
- 1-2 jalapenos, deseeded, roughly chopped
- 7-8 garlic cloves, smashed & roughly chopped (see notes)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, about 1 cup, ends trimmed, & roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon of dried oregano (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnishes & Fixings:
- corn or flour tortillas
- diced avocado
- chopped fresh cilantro
- flaked sea salt
- korean chili flakes or regular chili flakes
Instructions
- Trim the excess fat off of the pork if you wish and cut into 4-6 large chunks. Place the meat into a zipper bag and set aside.
- Toss the orange juice, zest, lime juice, oil, garlic, jalapeno, and herbs into the food processor and pulse/blend until smooth. You will still see the herbs, as long as the marinade has no large pieces of garlic & jalapeno, it is done.
- Pour the marinade into the bag with the pork, push as much air out as you can and seal.
- Refrigerate for 24-48 hours. 48 hours is best.
- When you are ready to cook, toss all the pork and liquid into the bowl of your pressure cooker or crockpot. Slow cook on HIGH for 8-10 hours OR pressure cook on HIGH for 45, then natural release for at least 20 minutes. (see notes below)
- After it is done cooking, take the pork out (removing excess fat) and place into a large foil pan. Pre-heat your broiler and broil for about 3-5 minutes, keeping an eye on it to prevent burning. The goal here is to add a little crispiness to the tender meat to recreate some of that roast flavor that can be found in traditional Cuban Pork.
- Remove from the broiler and give it a stir.
- Serve on warm tortillas topped with diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, and a sprinkle of chili flakes and sea salt flakes.
Notes
*Instead of orange AND zest, you can use 1 cup of fresh ripe pineapple.
*If you don't have fresh you can use 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
*If you don't have fresh garlic, 1 tablespoon of granulated (not powdered) garlic does work.
*If you are not using a slow cooker: set the pressure to keep warm after cooking is completed and it will keep it at a food safe temperature as it releases pressure. I have left mine to sit for up to 2 hours after cooking and it's AMAZING! More time to infuse those flavors.
Nutritional values are estimates only. Ingredients may vary.
Servings and cooking times are estimates only.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tacoCalories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 16gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 213mgPotassium: 319mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 131IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg
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