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I used this as a guide to make a Boston butt in my Instant Pot, see my notes for my recipe

Servings: Serves 8

Servings: Serves 8
Ingredients
  • 3 slices of bacon
  • 5 pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
  • 5 peeled garlic cloves (optional)
  • 1½ tablespoons of Alaea Red Hawaiian Coarse Sea Salt (or ~1 tablespoon of Alaea Red Hawaiian Fine Sea Salt)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cabbage, cored, and cut into 6 wedges
Steps
  1. Whether you use a stove-top pressure cooker or an electric one, the process is pretty much the same. As noted above, the only difference is that the cooking time will be slightly shorter with a stove top cooker than with an electric cooker (e.g., 75 minutes vs. 90 minutes).
  2. First things first: Drape three pieces of bacon on the bottom of your Instant Pot. Press the “Sauté “button and in about a minute, your bacon will start sizzling. (If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker instead, line it with three pieces of bacon, crank the burner to medium, and start frying your bacon.)
  3. Grab the pork roast…
  4. …and slice it into three equal pieces. I normally cut out the piece with the bone first, and then cut the two other pieces to match the first.
  5. If you’ve got some garlic on hand, use it! With a sharp paring knife, stab a few slits in each piece of pork, and tuck in the garlic cloves.
  6. With most recipes, I liberally salt my roasts like it’s raining cats and dogs. But because the pressure cooker can concentrate flavors (including saltiness), I carefully measureout the amount of salt I use. For this recipe, follow Judy Rodger’s ruleof thumb: use ¾ teaspoon of medium-coarse salt for every 1 pound of meat.(Using fine salt? Use about half that amount.)
  7. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the pork. No Alaea salt? Replace it with smoked salt or good ol’ kosher salt. I won’t tell.
  8. As you’re seasoning the pork, you’ll hear the bacon sputtering in the pressure cooker. Don’t forget to flip the slices, and turn off the heat when the bacon is browned on both sides.
  9. Place the salted pork on top of the bacon, keeping the meat in a single layer.
  10. Pour in the water.
  11. DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP. With my Slow Cooker Kalua Pig recipe, I tell folks not to add any liquid. But with a pressure cooker, you have to add some liquid for it to work properly. Check your manual to see what the minimum amount of liquid is for your particular model, and adjust accordingly. (After some digging and experimenting, I discovered that 1 cup of water is perfect for this recipe in my Instant Pot.)
  12. Next: cover and lock the lid.
  13. If you’re using an Instant Pot, select the “Manual” button and press the “+” button until you hit 90 minutes. Once the pot is programmed, walk away.
  14. If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, you won’t have to worry about pressing all those fancy buttons. Just cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then, reduce the heat to low to maintain high pressure for about 75 minutes.
  15. When the stew is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to its “Keep Warm” mode. If you’re at home, press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button to turn off the cooker and let the pressure come down naturally quicker.
  16. If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, remove the pot from the heat. In either case, let the pressure release naturally (which will take about 15 minutes).
  17. Once the cooker is depressurized, check that the pork is fork-tender. If the meat’s not yet fall-apart tender, you can always cook the pork under pressure for another 5 to 10 minutes to get the right texture.
  18. Transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl, and taste the cooking liquid remaining in the pot. Adjust the seasoning with water or salt if needed.
  19. Chop the cabbage head into six wedges…
  20. …and add them to the cooking liquid.
  21. Replace the lid and cook the cabbage under high pressure for 3 to 5 minutes. When the cabbage is done cooking, activate the quick release valve to release the pressure.
  22. While the cabbage is cooking, shred the pork.
  23. Once the cabbage is cooked, pile it on your shredded pork.
  24. This is a game-changer, people.
Notes
  • 4 to 5 lb bone in Boston butt pork roast cut into 3 equal size pieces. Sprinkle each piece generously with coarse sea salt. Heat 2 to 4 tbsp olive oil in IP on normal sauté mode. Brown each piece of pork on all sides, remove after browned. Turn IP off. Add 2 cups apple juice to IP, put pork back in IP in even layer on bottom of pot. Lock lid in place, make sure vent is set to pressure. Set on manual for 90 minutes. Turn IP off, let pressure release naturally. Remove lid and enjoy shredded or just as is.
 

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