When Kuhn Rikon sent me their Family Style cooker to test, the first recipe that I thought of was chili. I've been eyeing that cooker for a while because of how wide it was, thinking that extra surface area would be great for browning the cubes of meat that make up chili (or a stew.)
*It doesn't take much for me to think of making chili. New pot to try out? I should make chili! Pot-luck party at a friend's house? I should make chili! Bad day at work? I should make chili! High sunspot activity? I should...well, OK, that last one is a stretch...but I should make chili!
And so, without further ado, here is my pressure cooker adaptation of pork chili.
*Don't have a pressure cooker? Check out my Ranch Hand Chili recipe.
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Pork Chili with Beans
Adapted From: Ranch Hand Chili, Cooks Country Magazine
Equipment:
- Pressure cooker, at least 6 quarts (bigger is better, like my giant Kuhn Rikon 12-quart pressure cooker
)
Pressure Cooker Pork Chili with Beans
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Pork Chili with Beans recipe - tender cubes of pork in a rich chili sauce, with beans. (I like beans.)
Ingredients
- 5 pound boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 minced chipotle en adobo peppers or 2 diced jalapeno peppers
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade) or water
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 to 4 cups cooked kidney beans (homemade or canned)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown the pork: Sprinkle the pork evenly with 2 teaspoon kosher salt. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the pork in two to three batches, depending on the size of your pressure cooker. Brown each batch for six minutes total, turning the pork halfway through the cooking time to brown it on two sides. Remove the pork to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind as possible.
- Sauté the aromatics and toast the spices: Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the pressure cooker. Saute the onions until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping occasionally to release the browned pork bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic cloves and chipotle en adobo, and saute for one minute. Make a hole in the middle of the aromatics, and add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and brown sugar. Cook for one minute, or until fragrant, then stir until combined with the onions.
- Cook the chili: Put the pork (and any juices in the bowl) into the pressure cooker, then the chicken stock, and stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pot one more time. Add the tomatoes on top, but do not stir. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, increase the heat to high, and bring the cooker up to high pressure. (Check your pressure cooker manual for how to do this - use Manual mode in an Instant Pot electric PC). Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an electric PC, or 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, and let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure at that point. Remove the lid, add the kidney beans, and simmer for ten minutes to heat the beans through. Add the apple cider vinegar, stir, then taste the chili and add more salt and pepper as necessary.
- Serve: Serve the chili straight up, or with diced onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, minced cilantro, hot sauce, tortilla chips, pickled jalapenos...whatever you like as toppings for your chili.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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| Under Pressure (exciting, I know...) |
4. Serve: Serve the chili straight up, or with diced onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, minced cilantro, hot sauce, tortilla chips, pickled jalapenos...whatever you like as toppings for your chili.
Variations:
*Beans: To add beans, or not to add beans...that is the question. And the major variation in this recipe. If you choose to add beans (not that there's anything wrong with that), you can replace the kidney beans with pinto or black beans.
Notes:
*Speed up the browning by using two pans. Instead of browning all the pork in the pressure cooker, brown one batch in a frypan and the other batch in the pressure cooker. Remove all the pork to a bowl, continue with the onions in the pressure cooker, and simmer the stock (or water) in the frypan, scraping the browned pork on the bottom of the pan into the stock. Those browned bits are where the flavor is - don't lose it! Pour the stock from the frypan into the pressure cooker when the recipe says it is time to add the stock.
*If you have the time, make this recipe a day ahead, refrigerate overnight, and reheat the next day. The extra time helps the flavors; straight out of the pot tastes great, but the extra time takes this from great to sublime.
*This recipe makes for phenomenal leftovers. Don't worry about having too much chili. I freeze it in 2 cup containers, and then I can have a bowl of chili for lunch after five minutes of microwaving.
*So, how does the pressure cooker do with this recipe? I think there's something to the "cook in a sealed vessel to trap the flavors" argument. I've made a lot of chili in my day, and this recipe made me sit up and say "wow, I can really taste the pork and spices. This might be one of the best chilies I've ever made."
*Even better - I can easily double this recipe, which I do when I'm making chili for the super bowl or some other party. I've always made those chilies in my regular pots, because my pressure cooker wasn't quite large enough for a double batch. The Kuhn Rikon Family Style
? It was made for double batches.
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Ranch Hand Chili (non-pressure cooker version of this recipe)
Pressure Cooker Beans
Instant Pot Pork Stew
My other pressure cooker recipes
Adapted from:
Ranch Hand Chili: Cooks Country Magazine
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Bob P.
I was trying to find a good recipe to use up a 2.5 lb package of pork tenderloin. Chili? Hey, why not? I cut the ingredients in half to match the weight. Trimmed the excess fat from the tenderloin and cut it into 1/2" cubes. Followed your directions using an 8 quart Ninja Foodi. Had to add some vegetable oil since the tenderloin is much less fatty than a shoulder roast... better for my waistline but may have cost some flavor. Used a combination of red kidney beans and pinto beans. Outstanding! This could become a habit. Next time, it gets a whole can of chipotle in adobo sauce and maybe some chopped green pepper. Wahoo-o-o! Thanks for a great one.
Mike Vrobel
You’re welcome - thanks for sharing the pork tenderloin experience!
Josh S
Hands down some of the easiest and best chili I've ever made.
Mike Vrobel
Great!
jr bailey
made this two days ago,gggrrreatest chili with beans ever used 7 lb shoulderand 1 extra cup of chic bbroth and pinto beans thanks a bunch j.r. in Iowa
Jane Ellen
Can you tell me about toasting the spices? What does that do for the recipe, exactly?
Mike V
Toasting the spices brings out their flavor - I found that it smooths them out and deepens the flavor, compared to spices that are just added to hot water. My guess is one of two reasons:
1. Some flavor compounds are activated by heat, and you can't get above 212°F (250°F in a pressure cooker) when you're cooking in water. Toasting the spices exposes them to higher heat, bringing out those flavors.
2. Some flavor compounds are activated by oil, and toasting the spices (with a pan with nothing but onions, garlic, and oil) lets the oil pull out the flavors before the water is added - the water will keep the oil and spices away from each other, because there's so much of it.
Richard Ryan
Just had to report that I made this recipe in my Instant Pot this past weekend, and I'm embarrassed to report that between my wife and myself we pretty much ate the entire batch by Sunday night. I did have to modify the spice (cut chili powder & cumin in half, used sweet yellow pepper) or my wife wouldn't have been able to eat it, and cooking is only fun for me if someone else is enjoying it.
Every bite had a bit of pork, and caused us to exclaim "Oh, this pork is so tender," or "Oh My God this is delicious." Absolutely amazing recipe (new favorite way to use pork shoulder), and will be picking up another big pork shoulder on my next BJ's trip.
Thanks Mike!
Rich
Chris L
So Mike, there's a chili cookoff at my office next week and I want to make one of your pork shoulder chilis. Which one's your current go-to for pork, the pressure cooker recipe or the original dutch oven "Ranch Hand" (or something different)? I'll likely make it over the weekend so cook times aren't a factor, just taste & texture.
(Also, any thoughts on the questions from 2013? lol )
Mike V
I make the pressure cooker version if I need 4 quarts or less, or this version if I need lots more (like I'm going to for the Super Bowl next weekend):
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/2013/10/pork-chili-with-beans-for-a-crowd.html/
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner
You're welcome. Enjoy!
Sarah
Stumbled upon your blog when I got my instant pot. Made this chili and it was delicious! I added the rest of the adobo sauce for heat. The pork was fall apart tender. Thanks for all the pressure cooker recipes I am planning to work my way through them.
Chris Lukowski
I'm thinking of making this for a Halloween party and I was comparing it to the recipe for your Ranch Hand Chili, which I've made before. There is a lot less liquid in this recipe for starters (28oz can of tomatoes + 1 cup water vs 56oz tomatoes + 3 cups of water for ranch hand), and less flavoring agents like chipotle, onions, and garlic. Is that strictly because the PC has no evaporation and/or intensifies flavors? Also, since it doesn't simmer for 3 hours, will that lead to a less thick chili than Ranch Hand? Finally, when you mention 5lb of pork shoulder, is that with or without the bone removed?
Mel Hall
My dude, this was the easiest and best chili recipe we've had in a really long time. My husband and I enjoyed making it together and our little family nearly finished the whole thing in one night! Awesome! Thank you sir.
Mike Vrobel
You’re welcome!