Instant Pot Jalapeño Smothered Pork Chops. Pork shoulder chops, smothered with a jalapeño marinade, and pressure cooked to fall off the bone tenderness.
My wife cooked this recipe for jalapeño grilled pork chops in the New York Times, and I enjoyed it so much that I had to try to adapt it to pressure cooking.
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Grilling and pressure cooking give very different results, so I switched out the pork loin chops for shoulder chops. Lean loin chops can’t handle the pressure, and easily overcook. Sturdy pork shoulder chops, loaded with fat and connective tissue, need to be overcooked to tenderize them, and are perfect for pressure cooking.
Other than a pressure cooker, the other important tool for this recipe is a food processor. We want to turn the Jalapeño Marinade into a puree, and a processor makes this possible without a lot of mincing. But! Be careful when you open the food processor lid. We are mincing up a lot of jalapeños. I made the mistake of leaning over the bowl when I opened it to scrape down the sides, and I pepper sprayed myself. Let it settle for a minute, and lean back when you open the lid; you’ll thank me later.
Recipe: Instant Pot Jalapeño Smothered Pork Chops
Inspired by: Jalapeño Grilled Pork Chops - NYT Cooking
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Instant Pot Jalapeño Smothered Pork Chops
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Jalapeño Smothered Pork Chops. Pork shoulder chops, smothered with a jalapeño marinade, and pressure cooked to fall off the bone tenderness.
Ingredients
Jalapeno Marinade
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 5 jalapeños, stems removed
- 1 packed cup cilantro leaves and stems (a small handful)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- Juice of 2 limes
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Pork chops
- 3 pounds pork shoulder chops, cut ½- to ¾-inch thick (I got 4 chops)
- 1 cup water (or chicken broth)
- Sliced red onion for garnish
- Sliced jalapeños for garnish
- Minced cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Process the Jalapeño marinade: Drop the garlic cloves into a running food processor, and let them bounce around until completely minced. Add the stemmed jalapeños, cilantro, 2 teaspoons salt, and brown sugar, and mince in the food processor with 1-second pulses, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the lime juice and vegetable oil and process for a few seconds to completely combine. (If you don’t have a food processor, finely mince everything, then stir in the lime juice and vegetable oil.)
- Marinate the pork chops: Put the pork shoulder chops in a baking dish, pour the marinade over the top, and turn the chops to completely coat with marinade. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. (Or, put the chops in a zip-top bag, pour in the marinade, and smush it around to cover the chops before refrigerating, turning the bag every 15 minutes or so to even out the marinade.)
- Everything in the pot: Pour the ½ cup of water into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then loosely stack the pork chops in the pot. Pour the remaining marinade over the top of the chops.
- Pressure cook for 20 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 16 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you get impatient you can quick release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
- Serve: Unlock the pressure cooker lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Gently scoop out the pork chops – they will be fall apart tender – and transfer to a serving platter. Ladle some of the pot sauce over the chops. Top with some fresh sliced jalapeños, red onions, and cilantro leaves. Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
If you don’t have a food processor, thin slice the jalapeños, mince the garlic and cilantro, and mix all the marinade ingredients together.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
Food Processor
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Brian Micro says
Looks amazing!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks, Brian!