Instant Pot Pork Shoulder

If you’re looking for a new delicious main dish to add to the dinner rotation, then this Instant Pot Pork Shoulder is a great option.

Thanks to your Instant Pot, you’ll have a delicious dinner that the whole family loves ready to eat in less than 40 minutes! It’s super quick and easy to make.

This recipe uses only simple ingredients but is packed with flavor. It’s easy to see why it’s such a hit whenever we make it.

Why This Recipe Works

This Instant Pot Pork Shoulder recipe is comforting, juicy and tender. The onion and garlic make it so perfect in taste that anyone can fall for it. And the Instant Pot ensures that the pork is perfectly cooked, melt-in-your-mouth tender every time.

Recipe Ingredients

Pork shoulder – you can also use pork butt, which is a very similar cut. It is better to use a boneless pork shoulder or pork butt for this recipe since you will need to cut the pork into slices.

Ginger – I recommend using fresh ginger for this recipe. It should be peeled first and then grated on a microplane or chopped into small pieces. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can also use grated ginger that comes in a tube or jar, or 1 tsp. of dried ginger.

Onion – I use a yellow onion or Spanish onion, but any type of onion works (i.e. white onion, red onion,  Vidalia onion etc.)

Green onion – also known as scallions. You can also use chives in this recipe.

Olive oil – you can also use vegetable or canola oil.

How to make Pork Shoulder

Gather your ingredients:

Season pork shoulder with salt and pepper on both sides.

Sauté pork for 5 minutes on both sides.

Take out the pork shoulder on a plate, cut into thick slices and set it aside.

Add onion, ginger in the instant pot and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add in garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

Pour ½ cup of water in the instant pot, deglaze, mix and turn it off.

Add soy sauce and pork slices back into the instant pot.

Close the lid of the instant pot. Set the instant pot to “Manual” at high pressure for 6 minutes, then release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes.

Bring the liquid to a simmer and place the pork shoulder slices in a serving bowl.

Add green onion.

Slowly add the cornstarch slurry to the liquid until the desired consistency has been reached.

Add pork shoulder slices back into the sauce.

Serve and enjoy with your favorite side dish!

Recipe Notes

• If possible, try to season the pork with salt and pepper about an hour ahead of time. This will help the pork absorb the seasoning better and will also create a better crust when searing the pork on sauté mode, since salt draws out the moisture.
• I like to get a few extra green onions and finely chop them to use for a garnish. It adds nice color and flavor.

How to Serve

This Instant Pot Pork Shoulder recipe is fairly rich, so I like to serve it next to a light tossed salad with a simple vinaigrette. For a heartier meal, it’s also great served with fried rice or a vegetable side like potatoes and carrots.

More Recipes Like This

If you’re a fan of comfort food like this pork dish, try these other comforting Instant Pot recipes too:

Instant Pot Jerk Pork (special way to make pork shoulder)

Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie

Instant Pot Chili Con Carne

FAQ 

How do you peel fresh ginger?

The easier way to peel fresh ginger is using the back of a spoon.

You can also check this video guide:

Is the white part of a scallion edible?

Yes! The green part is a little softer and more mild while the white part tastes more like a regular onion, but both parts are definitely edible and can be used in this recipe.

Pork recipes

Instant Pot kalua pork

Instant Pot Chile Verde

Instant Pot Spanish Pork Stew

Boneless Pork Ribs in Oven

All the Pork Recipes on Corrie Cooks