Instant Pot Yucatan-Style Pork Tacos
Slow-cooked flavor in a Yucatecan cochinita pibil style pork made in less time with the Instant Pot! Combined with pickled onions, cabbage, avocado, and cotija cheese, these are some fantastic tacos!
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Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces achiote/annatto paste
- 1 tablespoons peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano leaves
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mixed citrus juice - fresh lime - lemon, orange, grapefruit
- 4 to 5 pounds pork shoulder*
Tacos
- corn tortillas
- pickled onions - see Notes below for more information
- shredded cabbage
- crumbled cotija
- avocado
Instructions
- Prepare the recado rojo marinade and soak the pork - Add the recado ingredients (achiote paste through salt) to a small food processor. Pulse until very well combined. Add the citrus juices to the recado rojo in the processor. Purée until smooth. Pour into a zip bag, and add the pork. Marinate 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Cook the pork - After the pork is marinated, cut it into large chunks, and place it in the Instant Pot in a steamer basket. Add 1 cup of water. Lock the lid in place. Cook at full pressure for 45 minutes. Allow at least 10 minutes to depressurize.
- Shred the pork - Remove the pork from its juices. Use a potato masher or fork to shred the pork. Add additional meat juices as needed to moisten. At this point, you may want to allow the pork to cool, and package for freezing. I usually enjoy tacos on the day I cook it, and have 3-4 more packages in the freezer.
- Make the tacos - Prepare desired tacos toppings. Warm the shredded pork if necessary. Heat the tortillas. We use a tortilla warmer, but you can heat on a griddle pan as well. Assemble as to your heart's desire, and enjoy!
Notes
* Pork shoulder yields juicier and more tender shredded pork. I have also used pork loin which is equally delicious, but a little bit dry.
Pickled onions - I love this pickled onions recipe, but they require about 30 minutes of time because the vinegar has too cool. If time is short, I just soak thin-sliced red onions in good vinegar (white wine, sherry, champagne) or lime juic, and season with agave nectar and sea salt. I start the pickled onions while the pork cooks.
Macronutrients are an approximation only from MyFitnessPal.com and for reference purposes only. They are based on 4 ounces of the pork, 3 corn tortillas,
Nutrition
Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 22g
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com