Pressure Cooker Pork Roast Recipe. Use your electric pressure cooker to save time on this classic family dinner. That’s saving time without sacrificing texture or flavor. A perfect dinner ready in half the time it takes to oven braise.
A pork shoulder roast may be the simplest cut of meat to cook. You can season the heck out of it. And due to its generous marbling it’s easy to prepare using any form of heat. Grilling, smoking, oven roasting … and yes, even pressure cooking. It’s a forgiving cut of meat.
Sear, sear and sear. You can even even achieve that crispy crust when using a pressure cooker.
Just make sure you sear the meat well before cooking under pressure. And of course that famous melt in your mouth tender meat is guaranteed with a pressure cooker pork roast.
What is a Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt?
Starting from the front of the pig: Pork shoulder, also called pork butt or “Boston butt” is generally sold as a five to ten pound boneless roast at the grocery store. But they can be sold bone in.
I look for boneless when cooking a pork roast for dinner, and bone in when slow cooking to shred for Shredded Pork Tacos or pulled pork sandwiches. That bone will always add flavor, but ruins the look of the roast when displayed for a dinner entree that needs to be attractively sliced. Like this pressure cooker pork roast.
What is A Picnic Shoulder Roast?
Shoulder cuts are divided into two categories. The top shoulder is called the “Boston butt,” while a cut from the lower shoulder and leg is called an “arm picnic” shoulder.
A picnic shoulder is fattier, has more connective tissue, but high in flavor. It’s also a good cut to roast to use for shredded pork recipes. This cut would work good in Hatch Green Chili.
Low and slow are the norm for cooking these cuts, unless, of course, you want a quicker solution with delicious results. Let’s take a look at this pressure cooker pork roast recipe.
Almost any cut of meat will benefit from browning before braising. And I highly recommend you do so. Here’s why. Searing creates Maillard Reaction. (pronounced my-ard)
What is maillard reaction?
Maillard reaction creates flavor and changes the color of food. Simply stated, it’s responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It’s a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
How to achieve maillard reaction for pork roast.
There’s a bit more to it than simply throwing a chunk of meat in a hot skillet. You should pat meat dry before searing. And salting meat about 45 minutes in advance will also draw out moisture in the meat. Excess moisture will interfere with browning.
Culinary School taught me to heat a French steel pan over medium high heat, adding oil as soon as the pan was hot.
Add meat when oil is shimmering, don’t over crowd. Use tongs to turn the meat once it easily releases from the pan. Searing meats in this manner makes it taste roasted instead of boiled. Be careful with searing, you don’t want to burn the outside of the meat.
The Instant Pot is a great tool for one-pot cooking including the function to sear meats before continuing the cooking process. And it works quite well.But I actually prefer to brown meat in a separate skillet stove top to control a higher heat level.
Pressure Cooker Pork Roast Recipe
Beautifully seasoned, this is a recipe that can easily be prepared for your Sunday family dinner, or as a showcase main course for any holiday gathering.
If you’re looking to switch up your Easter buffet, this pork roast would be a great alternative to Easter Ham.
Rosemary, along with a lineup of seasonings we commonly use here On The Ranch. Coriander, cumin, and chili powder blend surprisingly well with caraway and fennel. Ginger, cloves, thyme and Dijon join in the party, with a grand finale of ultra-fragrant rosemary sprigs.
You’ll find this lineup absolutely brimming with exciting flavor.
It all comes together easily once you blend the spice mix and sear the meat. Then let your pressure cooker take over to finish the job.
I have both a Cosori Electric Pressure Cooker and an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker. I’ve included instructions for pressure cooker pork roast for both machines.
Rosemary Braised Pork Roast In The Oven
Don’t have a pressure cooker? This recipe can easily be adapted for oven roasting. Just follow the instructions below through the searing process, then:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Set the meat on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees.
- Continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the roast reads 185 degrees F, about 4 hours. Remove the pork from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Slice and serve.
I hope you give this pressure cooker pork roast a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience.
And if you have a favorite Instant Pot pork roast recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
What to serve with Braised Pork Roast
- Oven Roasted Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes
- The Most Remarkable Tossed Salad
- Green Vegetable Medley
- Chile Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Bourbon Frosting for dessert.
And if you’re looking for more pork recipes, don’t miss my Pork Category. You’ll find lots of mouthwatering recipes. Including one of the most popular pork recipes on my site for Crockpot Country Style Pork Ribs.
Pork tenderloin is one of America’s favorite choice for an easy and delicious pork dinner. Take a look at my recipe for Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin. It’s a “how to” and a tasty recipe all in one post.
And if you love big-showy roasts, don’t miss my Prime Rib Roast Recipe. It’s a fool-proof method for cooking a perfect standing rib roast.
Rosemary Braised Pressure Cooker Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 pound boneless pork shoulder cut in half
- 2 Tablespoons coriander seeds toasted
- 2 Tablespoons cumin seeds toasted
- 1 Tablespoon caraway seeds toasted
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb sliced
- 1 large onion sliced
- 4 garlic cloves smashed and finely chopped
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- 2 cups dry white wine
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 bundle fresh thyme use twine to tie 4-5 sprigs together
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- To toast seeds. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot add the seeds. Cook, shaking pan until seeds are fragrant. It just takes a few minutes. Be careful not to cook too long, they’ll burn, ruining the flavor.
- Grind the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and caraway seeds until finely ground. You can use a grinder, or a mortar and pestle. I purchased an expensive coffee grinder that I use for grinding whole spices.
- Make the spice mix by combining the ground seeds, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Season the pork with all of the spice mixture
- Sear the pork roast halves stove top. Heat a large fry pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the pork roast. You may need to work in batches if your pan isn’t large enough. Brown pork roast on all sides. About 10 – 12 minutes total. Remove to a plate.
- Select the Saute function on the pressure cooker. When the pot is hot, add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Saute the fennel, onion, and ginger in the pressure cooker. Cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook about 15 seconds or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pot by adding the white wine. Add mustard and cook for 1 minute, scraping the bottom bits.
- Add the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and chicken stock along with the pork shoulder and any juices that have collected on the plate. Press Stop/Cancel on the pressure cooker.
- Secure the lid on the pressure cooker, making sure the pressure release valve is in the lock position.
- For the Instant Pot: Select High Pressure and set timer for 90 minutes. When beep sounds, use a natural pressure release to release pressure (approximately 20 minutes). When valve drops carefully remove lid.For the Cosori Electric Pressure Cooker, select Meat/Stew, adjust the time to 1 hour and 45 minutes, and press On/Start. Natural release for 15 minutes when done cooking. Release any residual pressure that may be left in the machine and carefully remove lid.
- Remove pork roast to platter. Slice. Place some of the rosemary leaves around the pork. Serve with roasted potatoes and broccoli.
Notes
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Set the meat on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees.
- Continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the roast reads 185 degrees F, about 3 1/2 – 4 hours. Remove the pork from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Slice and serve.
