Pork Shoulder in Salsa Verde
Tender shredded pork shoulder braised in salsa verde until it falls apart, then piled into warm tortillas. A high-protein, not spicy Mexican-style filling made entirely in the pressure cooker.
- Total
- 80 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 50 · Rest 15
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Braising
- Savory
- No rush
- Mexican
- Pressure cooker
Instructions
-
Cut the pork shoulder into 4 cm chunks and pat them dry. Season all over with the salt and black pepper.
~10 min
Cutting into uniform chunks ensures even cooking, and patting dry helps the surface brown instead of steaming.
-
Set the pressure cooker to the sauté setting and add the oil. Brown the pork in two batches, about 4 minutes per batch, until each side is golden. Transfer the browned pork to a plate.
~4 min
Browning in batches avoids crowding, so the pork sears and develops flavorful fond rather than steaming.
Browning the pork in batches builds a deep fond that the salsa verde deglazes, so do not skip it even if it adds a few minutes.
Searing Pat meat dry and work in batches to keep the pan hot; a common mistake is crowding, which steams the meat and prevents a golden crust.
-
Return all the pork to the pressure cooker, pour in the 400 ml salsa verde and the 120 ml water, and stir to coat. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the valve.
~40 min
Pressure cooking tenderizes the pork quickly, and natural release prevents the meat from toughening.
Braising Braise gently with liquid and let the meat cook until it shreds easily; avoid boiling hard, which can toughen the meat.
-
While step 3 cooks
While the pork cooks, warm the tortillas in a dry pressure cooker insert set to sauté for 20 seconds per side, then stack them in a clean cloth to stay soft.
~5 min
-
Open the cooker and shred the pork with two forks. If the sauce is thin, set the cooker to sauté and simmer for 5 minutes until it coats the meat.
~5 min
Shredding with forks increases surface area, and simmering reduces the sauce so it clings to the meat.
If your salsa verde is already thick, skip the simmer in step 5; the pork should be glossy and just coated, not swimming.
Braising Braise gently with liquid and let the meat cook until it shreds easily; avoid boiling hard, which can toughen the meat.
-
Let the pork rest in its sauce for 15 minutes so it soaks up the salsa verde, then serve in the warm tortillas.
~15 min
Resting lets the pork reabsorb juices and salsa verde, making it more flavorful and moist.