Recipe: Chinese-Style Pulled Pork

Chinese-Style Pulled Pork, just waiting to be paired up with some Thai-Style Cole Slaw

Chinese-Style Pulled Pork is a natural for the Instant Pot, cooking to melting tenderness in just an hour. We started with this recipe but added a sweet-and-sour element plus star anise which gives it the funk of a HK noodle dish. The natural accompaniment is, of course, a cole slaw with Asian flavors like this one. Makes enough to feed a crowd, 12 servings or so.

Ingredients:
1 pork shoulder, approx 4 lbs, cut in half (if it has a blade bone that’s a natural point of separation)
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chicken stock or water
1/2 cup soy sauce
¼ c Chinkiang vinegar or unsweetened rice vinegar or white vinegar
¼ c Shaoxing wine (optional)
¼ c oyster sauce (optional)
¼ c brown sugar
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 t powdered cumin
2 t paprika (use smoky Spanish paprika if you have it)
1 t five spice powder
3 heads star anise
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 T cornstarch

Method: pat dry the pork roast and salt and pepper liberally. Add oil to the inner bowl of the Instant Pot and heat on Sauté setting. Brown the pork in two batches, turning so all sides come into contact with the oil and get a crispy sear. Remove to a plate and add onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté till fragrant then add cumin, paprika, five spice and star anise and heat till fragrant, stirring frequently. Turn off Instant Pot.

Add liquids and brown sugar and stir to dissolve sugar. Add pork and seal; pressure cook on high for 60 minutes with natural release.

When done, pork will be falling apart tender. Remove the pieces carefully to a chopping board and chop into bite size pieces, discarding bone and outer layer of fat. Strain solids out of the cooking stock and return it to the Instant Pot. Use Sauté setting to reduce somewhat. Remove a small amount of stock to a cup and mix with 2 T cornstarch till thoroughly emulsified without lumps. Add more liquid from the stock to create a smooth slurry, then return this to the Instant Pot and thicken, stirring constantly. Pour over reserved pork in a bowl and serve, over rice or in a Chinese style pulled pork sandwich with Asian cole slaw on a bun.