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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Instant Pot Red Chile Pork
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
Ingredients
Shredded Pork
- 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
Red Chile Sauce
- 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
Instructions
Shredded Pork
- Cut the pork into 3-4" cubes and place them in the Instant Pot. Place the onion, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper in with the pork and use a spoon to stir everything and coat the pork.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam valve. 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.
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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did You Make This Red Chile Pork in an Electric Pressure Cooker?
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nancy says
this shredded pork recipe is so juicy and tender!!! i love this recipe
Emily says
Thanks, Nancy. I appreciate the review.😊
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
I feel like this would be wonderful in soft tortillas or on nachos. Tender and full of flavour!
Emily says
I can tell you from experience it is! I hope you get a chance to try it soon.
Lilly says
SO SO GOOD!!!
Elizabeth Swoish says
So delicious and tender! I cut the amount of red chilis in half because I am sensitive to spice and it was perfect!
Emily says
That's great, Elizabeth. I'm so glad you found a way to still enjoy this recipe!
Jeannie says
so flavorful! perfect for another round of rice…
Emily says
Oh yes, great idea! Enjoy.
Gina Abernathy says
I love all of the ingredients and the flavors are wonderful!
Emily says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Jamie says
I love all the spices in this! My family loves it!
Emily says
Thanks for giving it a try Jamie. I'm so glad you and your family liked this pork.
Swathi says
Instant pot red chili pork looks yummy. My kind of meal.
Emily says
Thanks, Swathi!
Mae says
Making this today, and I'm going to use it for nachos. Perfect football game day food!
Emily says
Totally perfect for gameday, enjoy!
Brianna says
Made this for game day and it was devoured!
Emily says
Amazing! Thanks for the review!😁
Leslie says
Love this recipe!
Michelle says
We made this for tacos. Everyone loved it! Thank you.
Emily says
Awesome! You are so welcome!
Jessica says
This was great! The pork was so tender and it's so flavorful!
Emily says
Thanks for trying it, Jessica! I'm so glad you liked it.
amanda says
This was so easy to make and turned out great for tacos. Thanks!
Emily says
Tacos are the best! Thanks for the review.
Andrea says
Wow, this pork has so much flavor! Love how easy it is to make and how versatile it is. Yum!
Emily says
Yes! That's exactly what I hope people will get from this recipe.
Michele says
This red chili pork had so much flavor. We made tacos, and they were delicious!
Emily says
I think everyone makes tacos with this pork and I'm glad you did too!
Tayler Ross says
I made this pork for dinner last night and the whole family loved it! Can't wait to try it again!
Emily says
It's always the best when everyone likes it!
Angela says
The Instant Pot is great for cooking pork shoulder. I love the flavors in this recipe and the leftovers were even better!
Emily says
I agree, I loved the leftovers even more too.😁
Sue says
It's nice to know i can use a variety of dried chilies, i get so confused in the grocery store! This looks amazing and I can't wait to try it.
Emily says
Lol, I agree. You really can't go wrong with what you choose, they all have great flavor.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
I love pork cooked this way and the flavours are gorgeous. I am making this and filling up the freezer!
Emily says
Such a good idea, thanks, Amanda!