Instant Pot Pulled Pork Banh Mi Sliders
Another must-try recipe from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate: Everything you love about spicy, flavorful banh mi sandwiches, transformed into an easy Instant Pot meal. Great for parties and potlucks!
There are some food experiences where it’s just better to let the restaurants do the cooking. I love cooking Asian cuisine, but there’s something about many of the dishes that are just impossible to recreate in my own kitchen. Until a few years ago, I thought the banh mi sandwich was one of those, but then I made them in my slow cooker and haven’t had to order one at a restaurant ever since.
Since I’m on an Instant Pot kick lately, I decided to give it a shot in my pressure cooker. I wanted to see if the Instant Pot could, in fact, make tender, shreddable pork shoulder as well as my slow cooker. The verdict? It sure can! It does, admittedly, take longer than many Instant Pot recipes that I’m used to, but it doesn’t take all day. I cooked it for 90 minutes after cutting the pork shoulder into three large chunks and it was perfectly tender.
So, what really makes a banh mi sandwich a banh mi sandwich? The pork marinade is pretty simple, consisting of soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, ginger and garlic. While I have gone to Asian markets to find fish sauce, I found it at my Lunds & Byerlys store this time and was ecstatic to not have to make an extra grocery store stop with my toddler and infant sidekicks.
While the pork is amazing on its own, the toppings are what makes a banh mi special. The combination of tangy quick pickled veggies (which you can make while the pork is cooking), spicy mayonnaise, jalapeños and fresh cilantro is so delicious.
You could certainly make these into regular sized sandwiches, but I chose to serve them on slider buns. If you want to make them a little more authentic, use a chewy baguette.
Making these into sliders makes them perfect for little ones, big parties, appetizers, potlucks and game day. They will surely be a hit!
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Banh Mi Sliders
6 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3-pound) pork shoulder, cut into 3 chunks
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
For the pickled veggies:
2 carrots, shredded
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
⅓ cup sugar
For the spicy mayo:
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Korean chile paste (Gochujang), or Sriracha
Cilantro, chopped
Sliced jalapeños
Slider buns
Directions
- Turn Instant Pot on to sauté function.
- Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the pork shoulder to the instant pot and cook until brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, apple cider vinegar, ginger and garlic.
- Once pork is browned, turn off sauté function.
- Pour sauce over pork and cover with lid. Cook in the pressure cooker on high for 90 minutes.
- While the pork is cooking, make the pickled veggies and the spicy mayonnaise.
- For the veggies, place the carrots and cucumber in a mason jar. Add the vinegar, sugar and water to a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, pour mixture over the veggies. Let it sit at room temperature until ready to use.
- For the spicy mayonnaise, mix together the mayonnaise and chile paste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Once the pork is done, let the pressure naturally release.
- Remove the lid and shred the pork with two forks.
- Assemble the sliders with the pork, pickled veggies and spicy mayonnaise. Top with cilantro and jalapeños. Serve and enjoy!
Tip: I order my Korean chile paste online, but it can also be found at Asian markets. You can substitute Sriracha instead, with similar results. Refrigerate any leftover pickled veggies.
