Pull out your instant pot for this Vietnamese inspired Five Spice Pulled Pork recipe! Simply sear, pressure cook then simmer the pork shoulder until tender, juice and perfectly shredded. Add to homemade bahn mi sandwiches, tacos, bowls, lettuce wraps and more!
⭐Why Make this Five Spice Pulled Pork⭐
- Fast + Easy: Once you combine the pork spices and liquid flavourings then trim the pork of excess fat you’re ready to start cooking. Total cook time (including warm up & cool down!) is about an hour.
- Incredible Flavor: This five spice pulled pork will perk up every last taste bud with this medley of sweet, salty, spicy and savory flavors!
- Versatile Enjoyment: Use this as an excuse to make your own homemade bánh mì sandwiches, rice bowls, spring rolls, tacos and more!
Key Ingredients & Flavors
Vietnamese food is great when it comes to combining sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors in a way that just works.
The Sauce:
- Sweet – brown sugar
- Sour – rice vinegar
- Salty – soy sauce and fish sauce
The Pork:
- Pork Shoulder – Trim off excess fat and skin if needed and cut into large chunks.
- Five Spice Powder: A Chinese spice blend of five spices meant to represent the five main flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savory.
- Cayenne & Garlic: Cayenne for a little extra spice – though keep in mind that this isn’t a particularly spicy recipe. Garlic for a little more of the bitter/savory flavor.
FYI: What’s in Five Spice?
Five Spice may vary slightly depending on where you get and who’s making it, but typical spices include: cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, whole cloves and Sichuan peppercorns.
Recipe Steps
Pre Cook Prep
- Sauce: Combine soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and water.
- Spice: Whisk five spice, garlic and cayenne.
- Pork: Add spices to pork and toss to coat.
Instant Pot – Before you seal and pressure cook:
- Sear: Use the sauté function to brown the outside of the pork. Work in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
- Deglaze: Add the sauce to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the burnt on bits.
- Combine & Cook: Add all the pork pieces back to the pot and mix into the sauce liquids. Cover, seal and set to cook.
Why Sear the Meat?
Color = Flavor
Searing (browning) the pork first is a simple way to add more flavor to your final dish. You’re essentially caramelising the meat making for a richer flavour.
Shred & Simmer
- Depressurise: After cooking, let the pot naturally depressurise about 15 minutes or so before opening.
- Shred & Simmer: Remove the pork and shred in a separate bowl or plate. Meanwhile, set the pot to sauté to to simmer and reduce the liquids into a thicker sauce.
- Combine: After about 10 minutes of simmering, add the pork back to the pot. Mix together and that’s it!
Serving Suggestions
- Banh Mi Sandwiches or Tacos
- Crunchy vegetables: Add fresh, sliced cucumber, carrots, etc.
- Vietnamese Pickled Carrots & Daikon – essential in bahn mi and many Vietnamese recipes!
- Rice: Good gluten free bread can be tricky to find, but you can still enjoy a bahn mi inspired rice bowl with all the classic flavors mixed together.
Hungry for More?
Instant Pot Recipes
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Vietnamese Five Spice Pulled Pork recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Recipe
Vietnamese Five Spice Pulled Pork (Instant Pot)
Yield:
about 5 cups shredded pork
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Additional Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
50 minutes
Sweet, salty, savory and spicy - this Vietnamese inspired pork with five spice hits all the right notes! Serve in bahn mi sandwiches, rice bowls, tacos, spring rolls, burritos and more!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp five spice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 ground black pepper
- 2-3 lbs pork shoulder, trim off excess fat and cut into large cubes
- 3 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or tamari (45ml)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce (45ml) - ensure gluten free
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar (45ml)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar (42g)
- 1 cup water (240ml)
- 2-3 tbsp cooking oil (30-45ml)
Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.
Instructions
- Whisk five spice, garlic powder, cayenne and pepper in a small bowl.
- Add pork pieces to a large bowl then toss with the mixed spice blend until well coated. Set aside.
- In measuring jug or medium bowl combine: brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and water. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Add the oil to the Instant Pot and press the "Sauté" button to begin warming it up. Once hot, add a few pork chunks to the pot. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side to sear the meat. Once browned, remove pork and set aside on a plate or bowl. Repeat with the remaining pork.
- Pour the soy sauce mixture into the empty pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen up any burnt or browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the pork back to the pot. Stir then push the pork down in an evenly layer so it's mostly submerged by the liquids.
- Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to stop the sauté function. Secure the lid and make sure the steam valve is set to closed. Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 20 minutes.
- After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch to keep warm. Let it continue to naturally depressurise 10-15 minutes before releasing the steam valve. Once the steam has been fully released remove the lid of the instant pot. Use a slotted spoon to temporarily remove the pork from the pot. Transfer to a plate or bowl and shred. Set aside.
- Press the "Sauté" button and bring the pot to a simmer. This will help reduce the liquids down to make for a thicker sauce. Simmer about 10 minutes to boil off some of the excess liquid then stir the shredded pork back into the remaining sauce.
- Stir in fresh herbs or sliced chilies if desired and serve. Add to bahn mi sandwiches, tacos, rice bowls etc.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 5
Serving Size:
1 cup Calories: 472Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 120mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 38gThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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