What Is Chinese Five-Spice?
The distinct flavor of this dish comes from Chinese five-spice powder, a classic blend that usually includes star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, cloves, and cassia (a culinary relative of cinnamon). The exact mix and ratio of spices can vary from mix to mix—the one I like is from Oaktown Spice Shop. This recipe converts Elise’s fantastic recipe for Slow Cooker 5-Spice Pulled Pork to the pressure cooker. I only had to make a few changes to make sure it would come out with the same great flavor in my Instant Pot, but in a lot less time. First, sauté the ginger and garlic to help fully infuse their flavors in the finished dish. Cooking also helps mellow these pungent spices. I also added a little extra water to the total cooking liquid, which is needed in order for the pot to build up enough steam to pressurize. Don’t worry that the sauce might be too thin—we’ll simmer the sauce after cooking the pork to help thicken it up.
Ways to Use This Pulled Pork
This pulled pork serves a crowd and makes a great entrée for a party buffet table. It’s also a versatile staple for all sorts of weeknight meals.
Pile it onto hamburger buns (mini buns for sliders, or regular-sized for sandwiches).Spoon it over rice or greens, stuff it into tacos and burritos.Use it to make traditional Chinese pork steamed buns.
For larger pressure cookers: This recipe is made for a 6-quart pressure cooker. If you are using a larger, 8-quart pressure cooker, increase the amount of water from 1/3 cup to 1 cup. When the pork has finished cooking, you will need to reduce the sauce for an additional 10 minutes or so.
2 1/2 teaspoons Chinese Five-Spice Powder 3 to 3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into large chunks (3- to 4-inch pieces) 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons dry sherry 1 tablespoon cooking oil (I like avocado oil) 5 cloves garlic, minced 2-inch (1-ounce) piece ginger, minced
To serve:
2 scallions, sliced thinly Hamburger buns or slider buns
Secure the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure that the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position. Cancel the “Sauté” program on the pressure cooker, then select the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” setting. Set the cooking time to 55 minutes at high pressure. (The pressure cooker will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure and then the actual cooking time will begin.) (If you don’t have a fat separator, let the cooking liquid stand for about 10 minutes until the fat floats to the top, then use a to skim as much fat as possible from the surface.)
