January 17, 2022

Instant Pot Red Chile Pork

Name: Instant Pot Red Chile Pork
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 130 min
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 4 pounds pork shoulder or butt; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 bay leaves; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoons cumin; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 8 dried chile pods ((California, Guajillo, or New Mexico)); 4 cups reserved pork broth; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 teaspoons cumin; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 4 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon kosher salt

This Instant Pot Red Chile Pork recipe has a sauce that adds so much flavor to shredded pork and is perfect in tacos, tamales, burritos, and more. Make this recipe in the Instant Pot or an electric pressure cooker for easy and delicious Mexican-inspired meat.

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How to Make Instant Pot Red Chile Pork

First, Cook the Pork in an Electric Pressure Cooker

Cut the pork into 3-4″ cubes and place them in the Instant Pot. Place the onion, garlic, and spices in with the pork and use a spoon to stir everything and coat the pork.
Pressure cook on HIGH for 90 minutes. Once complete, allow the steam to naturally release, this will take about 20-25 more minutes.
Carefully open the lid and drain the liquid from the pork, reserving the broth for the sauce. Use tongs to shred the pork and leave it in the Instant Pot on WARM while you make the sauce.

raw pork with onions and spices in the instant pot — pork before cooking

cooked pork in the instant pot — pork before cooking

Next, Make the Red Chile Sauce

Rinse the dried chiles and remove the stems and seeds. Place the chiles in a saucepan with 4 cups (or however much you have) of the reserved pork broth. Simmer for 20 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat.
Place the chiles and broth in a food processor or blender. Add the oregano, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic and process until smooth.
In the same saucepan used to cook the chiles, add the vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Add the flour and salt and cook for 1 minute to create a roux.
Strain the chili sauce from the blender over the saucepan using a spatula to push the sauce through. Discard any solids that don’t go through. Cook and stir the sauce for 10 minutes.

dried chilie cooked in a pan — dried chiles and pork broth

cooked dried chiles in a food processor — dried chiles and pork broth

Mix the Red Chile Sauce with the Pork

Pour the red chile sauce into the Instant Pot with the shredded pork. Stir to coat the pork. Serve immediately or allow the pork to cool completely before storing covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the pork for up to 6 months.

red chile sauce with pork in instant pot — Pork w/ red chile sauce

red chile pork in the instant pot — Pork w/ red chile sauce

What Chiles to Use to Make Red Chile Pork

There are many different varieties of dried chiles out there and you can use almost any variety you want. I used a combination of California dried chiles and Guajillo dried chiles because I wanted to add a little more depth. Another easy-to-find variety is the New Mexico dried chiles. I find my dried chiles online, in the Mexican/Hispanic aisle at the grocery store, or at my local Mexican grocery store.

What to Use this Pork For

I made this pork originally as a filling for tamales. Since I had leftovers so I also made tacos, nachos, and breakfast burritos.

More Mexican-Inspired Instant Pot Recipes to Check Out!