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Despite the pandemic, we’ve been able to try out some new recipes to keep things lively, especially when it comes to the food that we are eating. Coral and I had won a pressure cooker from a lively game of White Elephant this past Christmas and had up until now not taken advantage of its use.

Pressure cookers are nice because you can get juicy and tender meat in much less time than it would take in an ordinary slow-cooker with a difference of minutes instead of hours. This gave me the motivation to try my hand at making tacos as it had been a while since I had gotten good Mexican food despite living out in San Diego.

Ingredients

Meat and Marinade

• 3 pounds pork butt cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1/4 cups white vinegar (i used rice vinegar)
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used entire tiny can)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons ground achiote or sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil as needed
• 1 pineapple cut into chunks
• 12 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Toppings

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup pico de gallo salsa
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Cooking Steps

1. Combine pineapple juice, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers, chili powder, cumin, salt, turmeric, paprika, and black pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Place pork pieces in large lidded container and pour sauce over the pork, ensuring that all pieces are covered with sauce. Seal the container and marinate for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Using a multi-functional pressure cooker, select Saute and add vegetable oil. When the oil is hot add chunks of marinated pork and brown on all sides, reserving the extra sauce, for about 5 minutes. If your pressure cooker is smaller, you may need to perform the browning in batches.
4. After browning is complete, turn off saute mode and add all the pork into the pressure cooker. Pour the reserved sauce over the pork. Close and lock the lid to the pressure cooker. Selecting high pressure according to your manufacturer’s instructions, set the timer for 35 minutes.
5. Release the pressure using the natural-release method according to your manufacturer’s instructions for about 10 minutes. Then, release the remaining pressure using your manufacturer’s quick release method for about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove lid once the pressure has been released.
6. Setting an oven rack 5 inches from your heat source, preheat your oven’s broiler. Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
7. Place the pork chunks in a bowl and use a fork to shred the pork.
   
8. Move the pork onto the baking sheet and spread it out evenly. Add pineapple chunks to the baking sheet alongside the meat and place the baking sheet in the broiler. Broil until the meat and pineapple are beginning to get a little brown, which should take around 5 minutes. Afterwards, remove from the oven.
   
   
9. Using a spoon, drizzle the reserved sauce from the pressure cooker over the meat to moisten and add more marinade flavor.
10. Heat the tortillas in a sauce pan and serve with chopped red onion, pico de gallo salsa, avocado, and cilantro. Squeeze some lime juice on the tacos for a finishing touch.
    

Notes

Although only mild, for less spiciness, halve the chili-peppers added