Description
Instant Pot Pork Shoulder Chops with Apples and Onions. Tough pork shoulder turns melt-in-your-mouth tender under pressure, with a sauce of apples and onions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds pork shoulder chops, cut ½- to ¾-inch thick (I got 4 chops)
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 medium onion, sliced thin
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup beer (preferably a brown ale, or substitute apple cider)
- 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade, or use store-bought low sodium chicken broth)
Instructions
- Brown the pork shoulder chops in batches: Set an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker to Saute mode adjusted to high (medium-high heat in a stovetop PC.) Add the teaspoon of oil and heat until shimmering. While the oil is heating, sprinkle the pork chops evenly with 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt. Once the oil is heated, brown the pork chops on one side in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes each. (My pork chops were large enough that I had to do them one at a time). Move the browned chops into a rimmed platter, and repeat until all the chops are browned on one side. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining fat in the pot.
- Sauté the onions, simmer the beer: Add the onions to the pot, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and sauté, occasionally stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Pour in the beer, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol. While the beer is simmering, scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure nothing is sticking.
- Layer the apples and pork into the pot: While the onions are sautéing, toss the sliced apples with the thyme, brown sugar, and pepper until evenly coated. Once the onions are done, layer the pork chops and onions in the pot. (I had 4 large chops, so I put in a chop, scattered ¼ of the apples over it, and repeated until all the chops and apples were in the pot.) Pour in the chicken broth or water.
- 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.)
- Transfer to a platter, defat the sauce, serve: Unlock the pressure cooker lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Gently scoop out the pork chops and apples - they will be fall apart tender - and transfer to a serving platter. Pour the sauce into a fat separator and let it settle, then pour a little of the defatted sauce over the platter of pork. Serve, passing the rest of the defatted sauce at the table. Enjoy!
Notes
Don’t have granny smith apples? Any tart apple that is recommended for baking will do.
Want to skip the brown the pork step? If you’re in a hurry, sure, you can do it. But it adds a lot of flavor to the recipe, and renders some of the fat in the pork. I highly recommend taking the time to do that step.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American