This recipe for Instantpot Crispy Mojo Pork with Spicy Slaw is based on a Haitian dish I made once and fell in love with.
instantpot crispy mojo pork with spicy slaw
Years ago, I was asked to cater a wedding and the brides requested Haitian food. Since I have basically zero experience cooking Haitian food (or eating it, for that matter), I began to research the dishes that they requested, particularly Griot (pronounced gree-oh). Reading about this much-loved dish made me sad that I had lived my life as long as I had without it.
Here’s the description from the NYT recipe for it: Big chunks of pork shoulder are marinated in citrus and Scotch bonnet chiles, then simmered until very tender before being fried crisp and brown.
I mean… What’s not to love? This is basically a description of the world’s most perfect food, if you ask me. Ever since I made it for the wedding, I’ve been wanting to recreate it for the blog. Except, the NYT recipe doesn’t really need any improving upon, it’s pretty perfect.
Fast forward to now, when the Instantpot is all the rage and I have 3 pounds of pork shoulder in my fridge, but no scotch bonnet chiles or even a jalapeño. What I do have is plenty of citrus, garlic, and cumin, which is all you need to make a simple mojo marinade, which is sort of like the bare bones version of the griot marinade.
It only takes a handful of simple ingredients to make this super-tasty dish!
And when it comest to Instantpot recipes, bare bones is often where it’s at. To stick with the simple theme, I borrowed the NYT technique of broiling the pork shoulder instead of frying it. Since this cut of pork is so fatty, it crisps up nicely without the added hassle of frying. Since Griot is traditionally served with a dish called Pikliz (pick-lees), I created a super-simple slaw for a vinegary, spicy punch that pairs so nicely with the rich, fatty pork.
This instantpot crispy mojo pork with spicy slaw is made in the style of Griot, only in half the time by making it in an Instantpot, and with a simpler marinade / cooking liquid. The extra step of crisping up the outside adds incredible flavor and texture, but the pork will be delicious straight out of the Instantpot, and you are more than welcome to call it a day at that point.
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
- chopped fresh cilantro
- Spicy Slaw for serving, optional, recipe follows
- Tostones for serving, optional
- In the insert of your Instantpot, combine the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, salt, and cumin.
- Add the pork and toss to coat. (make ahead tip: You can refrigerate the pork overnight for 4-12 hours to marinate, which will make it even more flavorful, but this isn't necessary)
Make sure the rubber seal is placed inside the lid. Secure the lid and set the nozzle to sealing. Set for 45 minutes at high pressure.
After the 45 minutes are up, press keep warm / cancel and allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before turning the nozzle to venting and releasing any remaining pressure. Preheat the broiler.
- With a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the pork to a baking sheet. Set the Instantpot to saute and reduce the liquid for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened (you want there to be about 1 cup remaining). Pour into a heat-proof bowl and skim off some of the fat once it starts to cool and rise to the top.
- Meanwhile, broil the pork for 3-5 minutes per side, until crispy and browned, turning several times to get it browned on at least two of the sides. (the amount of time will depend on the heat of your broiler and distance the pork is from it)
- Serve with the reduced sauce, slaw and tostones, if desired.
Wonderful served with Spicy Mojo Pork, or with just about anything.
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- pinch salt
- 1/2 head green or savoy cabbage, shredded
- 1 small jalapeño, quartered, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, coriander and salt.
Using your hands, mix in the remaining ingredients, squeezing the vegetables as you mix to break them down a bit.
Season to taste with additional lime juice or vinegar, if desired. (might be necessary if your cabbage was on the larger side)
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I bet that would also be delicious with Beef stew meat too. YUM…
cannot wait to try this next week. perfect for whole30
Okay feel a little like an idiot, but I just got my instant pot today and no almost nothing about cooking. You say to broil the meat. Can the Instant Pot do this? If not, how do I broil, if so I’ll assume the instruction manual (which I’ve not read yet, that’s tonight!) will expand upon this?
Hi John, Don’t feel like an idiot! So the Instantpot has a saute feature which can be used before you pressure or slow cook something, but cannot broil. To do that, you’d need to turn on the broiler in your oven and place one of the racks to one of the higher positions, so it’s closer to the heat. For this recipe, I remove the meat from the instantpot once the cooking cycle is finished and transfer it to a baking sheet to broil. And I use the saute feature to reduce the cooking liquid that’s left in the insert. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions!