Braciole di maiale in agrodolce nell’Instant Pot

Ingredienti

• 4 (808g) boneless or bone-in pork chops (, pounded)
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) peanut oil or olive oil
• 2/3 cup (100g) canned pineapple chunks
• 1 (140g) green/red bell pepper (, chopped)
• 1 (100g) small onion (, chopped)
• 3 (13g) garlic cloves (, minced)
• 3/4 cup (188ml) cold water
• 1/4 cup (60g) ketchup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) white vinegar
• 1.5 tablespoon (21g) white sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15g) tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.3g) white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25g) kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25ml) sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce
• 2.5 tablespoons (22.5g) cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) cold water

Preparazione

1. 1

   Tenderize Pork Chops: Use the backend of a heavy knife or meat tenderizer to pound both sides of pork chops with all your might (see below photos as reference).

2. 2

   Marinate Pork Chops: Marinate with ½ tsp white sugar, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp sesame oil, and 1 tbsp soy sauce for at least 30 minutes. If you are marinating for 1 1/2 - 8 hours, place them in the fridge.

3. 3

   Prepare Instant Pot Pressure Cooker: Heat up pressure cooker over medium heat (Instant Pot: use Sauté Normal Function). Ensure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT). This prevents pork chops from sticking to the pot.

4. 4

   Brown Pork Chops: Add 1 tbsp (15ml) peanut oil. Ensure to coat oil over whole bottom of the pot. Brown 2 marinated pork chops for roughly 75 - 90 seconds per side (don’t constantly flip them). Remove and set aside. Repeat for remaining pork chops.

5. 5

   Sauté Onions & Garlic: Add chopped onions, a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper if desired. Cook onions for roughly 1 minute until softened. Add minced garlic cloves and sauté for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

6. 6

   Deglaze: Add ⅔ cup (188ml) cold water and deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom.

7. 7

   Pressure Cook Pork Chops: Add ¼ cup (60ml) ketchup, ¼ cup (60ml) white vinegar, 1.5 tbsp (21g) white sugar, 1 tbsp (15ml) soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15g) tomato paste, and 1 tsp (5ml) Worcestershire sauce. Stir and mix well. Place pork chops + all meat juice in the pot. Pressure cook at High Pressure for 1 minute, then 10 minutes Natural Release.

8. 8

   Make Sweet & Sour Sauce: Remove pork chops. Press Cancel button, then Sauté button to heat up the sauce. Add ⅔ cup (100g) pineapple chunks and chopped green/red pepper. Stir and cook for a minute.

9. 9

   Thicken Sauce: Mix 2.5 tbsp (22.5g) cornstarch with 3 tbsp (45ml) cold water. Mix it in one third at a time until desired thickness. Taste the sweet ‘n sour sauce and season with more salt, sugar, or vinegar. For reference, we added 2 pinches of kosher salt. Turn off the heat. Add pork chops back in and coat them with the delicious sauce.

10. 10

    Serve: Drizzle sweet ‘n sour sauce over pork chops, then enjoy!