Instant Pot Pork Stew

Instant Pot Pork Stew with Sweet Potato, Black Beans, and Greens. Chunks of pork and sweet potato in a Southwestern broth, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

I was looking for a New Year's Day pork recipe when I came across this recipe for a pork stew with sweet potatoes and Southwestern flavors. (Doesn't everyone spend their holiday vacation looking at pork recipes?) It doesn't feel "holiday" enough - I have to serve the traditional pork and sauerkraut - but it does feel like a great weeknight dinner. I pull out my Instant Pot and get cooking, and it's an instant classic. (I haven't had this many compliments about a quick weeknight meal in a while.) I have to write it up for the blog.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to Make Instant Pot Pork Stew
• Storing Leftovers
• How to Thicken Instant Pot Pork Stew
• Why is my pork tough in the Instant Pot?
• How to Keep the Sweet Potatoes from Getting Mushy
• Tips and Tricks
• Instant Pot Pork Stew Recipe
• 💬 Comments

This recipe is not a chili, though it does borrow some of the same flavors and ingredients. The jalapeno and chili powder are supporting players to boost the pork and sweet potato. (Unlike in a chili, where they are the star of the show.)

Ingredients

• Dry black beans
• Fine sea salt
• Vegetable oil
• Boneless pork shoulder
• Chili powder
• Onion
• Jalapeño pepper
• Garlic
• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Chicken broth (preferably homemade or low sodium store bought)
• Sweet potatoes
• Fire roasted diced tomatoes
• Baby kale or baby spinach
• Fresh ground black pepper

How to Make Instant Pot Pork Stew

Soak the Beans Overnight

Sort the beans, discard any stones, dirt, or broken beans, then rinse the beans. Cover the beans with 8 cups of water and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Leave the beans to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain the soaked beans.

Or: Pressure Quick Soak for 1 Minute With a 30-Minute Rest

Sort the beans, discard any stones, dirt, or broken beans, then rinse the beans. Put the beans, 8 cups of water, and 2 teaspoons of salt in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Pressure cook at high pressure for 1 minute ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot), Quick Release the pressure, then let the beans sit for 30 minutes. Drain the soaked beans, and wipe out the pot if you're using it for the rest of the recipe.

Sear the Pork Pieces One One Side, Working in Three Batches

Heat the vegetable oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium heat (sauté mode in my Instant Pot) until the oil shimmers and just starts to smoke. While the pot heats, sprinkle the pork cubes with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon chili powder. Add ⅓ of the pork to the pot and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don't crowd the pot or the pork will steam, not brown). Remove the browned pork to a bowl, add the second batch to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Repeat with the remaining pork – into the pot, sear until browned on one side, then into the bowl with the rest of the pork.

Sauté the Aromatics and Toast the Spices

Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of pork. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, and coriander. Toast the spices for 1 minute, then stir into the onions.

Everything in the Pot

Stir in the pork and any juices in the bowl, then pour in the chicken broth (and sprinkle in the 1 teaspoon of salt if using homemade broth). Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to ensure nothing is sticking. Stir in the sweet potatoes, soaked beans, and diced tomatoes.

Pressure Cook the Stew for 15 Minutes With a Natural Release

Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). When the cooking time finishes, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.

Wilt the Kale and Serve

Unlock the pressure cooker lid. Stir in the handfuls of baby kale (or spinach) and the ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Let the stew sit for a couple of minutes to wilt the greens, then serve and enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

Leftover stew is fantastic. (Letting the stew rest for a day and reheating it may be better than the day it's cooked.) This stew will keep in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months. I store it in 2-cup containers, which make the perfect size for a leftover lunch from the microwave.

How to Thicken Instant Pot Pork Stew

Most pressure-cooked stews are thin because the sealed cooking environment traps all the liquid in the pot. Not this stew. The beans and sweet potatoes release starch as they cook, thickening the broth naturally. I don't have to use a cornstarch slurry to thicken this stew.
That said, if you want an even thicker stew, you can add a cornstarch slurry. Whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, then stir it into the stew after wilting the greens.

Why is my pork tough in the Instant Pot?

It's one of two things: you're using the wrong pork cut or not cooking it long enough.

The wrong cut of pork

The best cut for pressure cooking is pork shoulder. (Pork ribs also do well under pressure, but they're not right for a stew.) If you cook a leaner cut, like pork loin, it will dry out in the high heat of the pressure cooker. Pork shoulder is full of fat and connective tissue, which breaks down in the high heat of the pressure cooker, making the pork juicy and tender. "Pork Stew Meat" at your store is probably good in this recipe, but it will be a mix of stew cuts. Pork from the round and leg is a little leaner than the shoulder, so I seek out pork shoulder for this recipe.

Not long enough

Pork shoulder is tough to overcook because of the fat and connective tissue. It gets more tender the longer you cook it. If you're still getting tough pork, try increasing the cooking time by five minutes and see if that helps.

How to Keep the Sweet Potatoes from Getting Mushy

Keeping sweet potatoes in pieces is challenging in a stew because the other ingredients (the pork and black beans) need more cooking time than the sweet potatoes. They come out very soft in this recipe but still hold their shape unless you stir the stew a lot before serving. A trick for firmer sweet potatoes is to float them on top of the other ingredients in a steamer basket. Don't stir them in with the other ingredients in the "Everything in the pot" step. Stir everything else, then gently set a steamer basket on top of everything in the pot. (It will sink a little - that's OK). Spread the sweet potatoes on the steamer basket, then lock the lid and continue the pressure cooking. This holds most of the sweet potatoes out of the pot liquid, so they don't cook as quickly.
That said, I don't bother with this step anymore - I'm OK with slightly mushy sweet potatoes.

Tips and Tricks

• Canned beans: You can substitute a drained 15-ounce can of black beans for the dried beans. (Or use 2 cups of leftover cooked black beans.)

Inspired by: Pork, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew with Fresh Greens Recipe | Pork Be Inspired - Yummly

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Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

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My other Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes

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