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    Home » All Recipes

    Mexican Pork Stew

    Published: January 3, 2021Updated: February 20, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See Our Full Disclosure Policy for More Information

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    Cooking Methods
    • Pressure Cooker
    Recipe Time :40 minutes mins
    Servings: 8

    Recipe Rating

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    Mexican Pork Stew in a blue bowl

    I'm in love with this Mexican Pork Stew! Simply, in love! It's hearty and filling, with the perfect combination of flavors to satisfy any craving for Mexican food.

    Mexican Pork Stew in a blue bowl

    Now, let me say this: I am certainly not claiming that this is any sort of authentic Mexican Stew or Pozole in anyway. It's not. I simply threw ingredients into a pot during a live cooking show in my Facebook Group, Simply Cooking with Louise, and it was so amazing. The first thing I thought to call it was Mexican Pork Stew, so that is what I named the recipe.

    This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Perhaps I should have called it Southwestern Pork Stew, because it certainly reminds me of a delicious pork stew with a Southwestern flair.

    No matter what you want to call it, I'll bet you'll love it when you call it dinner!

    Find What You Are Looking for Quickly Collapse Table of Contents
    1 Frequently Asked Questions
    2 What is the Best Type of Pork to Use?
    3 What is the Thin Liquid in this Recipe?
    4 How Can I make this Mexican Pork Stew if I don't have a Pressure Cooker?
    5 How to make Mexican Pork Stew in the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot
    6 Mexican Pork Stew

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I double the recipe?


    Yes, you can double the recipe in any size pressure cooker over 6 qts. Do not add the beans until all the other ingredients are in the pot to make sure you don't go above the max fill line. You can add the beans after the PC time and just use the sear/sauté to warm them up in the stew. Your time to pressure will be longer with a full pot, so decrease the PC time to 3-4 minutes and keep the natural release the same. If any of the liquid is spewing out when you do the release, close the vent and wait another few minutes.

    Does the this Mexican Stew freeze well?


    Honestly, it's never lasted long enough to freeze for us, but it should be just fine frozen! Let it cool completely before freezing to prevent ice crystals from forming.

    Can I use a different meat other than pork?

    Yes, absolutely! You could use chicken in place of the pork and not have to make any changes. You could use beef and as long as you cut it up into small chunks, it should be very tender no matter what type of beef you use. You can even use ground beef.

    What is the Best Type of Pork to Use?

    Honestly, you can use whatever type of pork you like, but I used a tenderloin because it cooks quickly under pressure and is tender and delicious.

    You can use leftover pork chops cut into cubes, leftover shredded pulled pork, or even leftover pork loin or pork tenderloin. As long as the seasonings aren't too overpowering on the pork you cooked, it will work just fine.

    If you wanted to use leftover pork that has already been cooked, you can certainly do that, and you can skip the sauté in the beginning since your pork is already cooked. You will also want to add about ¼ cup of additional thin liquid since you won't have the juices from the pork like we do when we use raw pork.

    You can add water, chicken broth, or extra pineapple juice and the stew will be just fine.

    If you wanted to use a pork shoulder that hasn't been cooked, then you would need to cook the pork shoulder in the spices first. The pressure cook time depends on the size of the pork shoulder and also depends if you cut it up into large chunks or leave it whole.

    It usually takes about 90 minutes on high pressure to cook a 3-4 pound pork shoulder whole. If you cut it up into large chunks, you can decrease that time to between 45-60 minutes.

    The pork shoulder will give off a lot of juices, so you will want to remove all but ½ cup before making the stew or it will be too liquidy.

    If you wanted to use a pork loin that hasn't been cooked, it should cook the same as the pork tenderloin as long as you cut into 1" cubes. I'm not sure if it will be as tender, but you can increase the PC time to 10 minutes and that should tenderize it more.

    What is the Thin Liquid in this Recipe?

    Whenever pressure cooking, we need thin liquid to produce the steam needed to put the pot under pressure. However, the thin liquid can come from many different things and does not always have to be water or broth.

    In this recipe, several ingredients provide the liquid we need to put the pot under pressure. The juice from the crushed pineapple and the fire roasted tomatoes along with the juices from the pork create enough thin liquid to allow the pot to come under pressure.

    If you are using already cooked pork that won't release the juices like raw pork does, then simply add ¼ cup of water or chicken stock or extra pineapple juice and it will be fine.

    How Can I make this Mexican Pork Stew if I don't have a Pressure Cooker?

    You can make this on the stove or in a slow cooker if you don't have a Ninja Foodi, Instant Pot, or other electric pressure cooker, it just takes a little longer!

    Stovetop Directions:

    Hydrate the dried Ancho chili in warm water for about an hour or so. Don't discard the liquid, you can use it in the stew if you want.

    Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot and add in the pork chunks and onions mixed with the seasoning blend. Sauté on high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the pork has browned.

    Add in the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and break them up some. Deglaze the pot with the juice from the crushed pineapple AND 1-2 cups of thin liquid. This can be chicken stock, or a combination of water/chicken stock and juice from the canned corn or the liquid from hydrating the ancho chili.

    You need the extra thin liquid because you will have evaporation during the simmering process. I would start out with 1 cup and check on the stew after about 30 minutes and see if it needs more liquid.

    Drain the corn & black beans. Add them to the pot along with the remaining ingredients.

    Bring the pot up to a boil for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to a simmer for about 30-45 minutes. When the pork is fully cooked and tender, the Mexican Stew is done.

    Serve & Enjoy!

    Slow Cooker Directions:

    Cube up the pork and dice the onion. Combine the pork and onion with the seasonings and sauté in olive oil for 3-5 minutes in a frying pan if your slow cooker doesn't have a sauté feature.

    Transfer to your slow cooker. Add in the remaining ingredients, plus 1 cup of additional thin liquid. This thin liquid can be from the can of corn and some broth or a combination of water, stock, broth.

    You need the extra cup because there will be more evaporation slow cooking than there is pressure cooker. You can always add more liquid towards the end of cooking if it's needed, but I think 1 cup will be plenty.

    Set the slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. When the pork is fully cooked and tender, the Mexican Stew is done. Serve & Enjoy!

    How to make Mexican Pork Stew in the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot

    This is a dump and cook recipe that requires very little prep, so it's ready to serve in no time at all.

    The Prep

    Cube the pork tenderloin into 1" pieces, cut the onion into 1" dice and place in a large mixing bowl. Combine the seasoning blend with the pork and onion.

    seasoning pork and onions for stew

    Drain the liquid from the canned black beans and the canned corn.

    Sauté

    Add about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil (or any oil you like) to the inner pot and turn the sear/sauté on high. When the pot is hot, add the pork/onion mixture and sauté for 3-5 minutes, flipping the pork over to brown evenly.

    browning pork for stew

    If you are using a stainless steel pot, you may want to adjust your heat down one step.

    Once the pork is browned, add in the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and break them up. Or you can cut them into pieces before adding into the stew.

    Deglaze the pot with the juice from the crushed pineapple. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen anything that may be stuck to the bottom. Add the remaining can of crushed pineapple to the pot and stir.

    adding chipotle peppers and deglazing the pot with pineapple juice

    Add the drained corn and black beans and the can of fire roasted tomatoes with the juice. Add in the dried Ancho pepper and stir.

    adding remaining ingredients before pressure cooking

    Place the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Set the pressure on high for 5 minutes. When the time is up, allow the pot to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.

    Stir, Serve, & Enjoy!

    finished mexican pork stew

    Some toppings I enjoy are, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, tortilla strips, and sour cream.

    adding toppings to mexican pork stew

    If you love Stews and Soups as much as I do, check out these other incredible recipes that are made right in your pressure cooker or slow cooker!

    Quick Chili

    Taco Soup

    Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

    Chicken Noodle Soup

    • Quick Chili in the Ninja Foodi
      Quick Chili
    • taco soup in a glass bowl
      Taco Soup
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    • homemade chicken noodle soup in a glass bowl
      Chicken Noodle Soup
    Mexican Pork Stew in a blue bowl

    Mexican Pork Stew

    Recipe By: Louise
    Simple and Quick One-Pot Meal that is super easy to make and absolutely delicious!
    4.73 from 18 votes
    Add to My Favorites Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Time to Pressure & Natural Release 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 273 kcal

    Equipment

    • Pressure Cooker
    Turn this on when cooking to prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1½ pounds pork tenderloin
    • 1 large Onion
    • 1½ teaspoon fine grind sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 2 Tbsps Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce about 2 peppers with 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce
    • 1 dried Ancho Chili
    • 15 ounces canned corn drained
    • 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes with the juice
    • 15 ounces canned black beans drained
    • 20 ounces canned crushed pineapple with the juice

    Instructions
     

    • Cut the pork tenderloin into 1" chunks. Dice the onion into 1" pieces. Mix up the seasoning blend. Combine the pork chunks, onion, and seasonings in a large mixing bowl. Mix to coat the pork and onions with the seasonings.
    • Drain the corn and the black beans.
    • Heat the olive oil on high sear/sauté and add the pork and onion mixture. Sauté the pork and onions for about 3-5 minutes.
    • Add the chipotle peppers with adobo sauce and break them up some. Deglaze the pot with the juice from the crushed pineapple and make sure to scrape the bottom to loosen anything that may be stuck on the bottom of the pot.
    • Add the remaining crushed pineapple with juices and stir. Add in the drained corn, fire roasted tomatoes with the juice, drained black beans. Add in the dried Ancho chili. Give a good stir and tuck the ancho chili pepper down in the liquid.
    • Put the pressure lid and turn the valve to seal. Set the pressure on high for 5 minutes. When the time is up, allow the pot to natural release for 10 minutes and then relese the remaining pressure.
    • Stir, Serve, & Enjoy!

    Video

    https://youtu.be/bXSdMFUnJQU

    Notes

    Stove top and slow cooker directions are in the written post. 
     
    Nutritional values are provided as a courtesy and thesaltedpepper.com makes no guarantees of accuracy. We do our best to ensure they are accurate, but many factors influence nutritional values that are beyond our control. Different brands of items have different nutritional values, so it is always best to do your own independent nutritional analysis based on the items you are using in a recipe if you require a high level of accuracy. Thesaltedpepper.com will not be held accountable for any errors in the displayed nutritional information.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 23gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 821mgPotassium: 679mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 256IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Southwestern Pork Stew
    Course Dinner, Soup
    Cuisine American
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG

    Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.

    Picture of Louise.

    She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.

    Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.

    Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.

    Ninja Foodi 101

    Simply Cooking with Louise

    Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.

    She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information

    I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE COOKING UP IN YOUR KITCHEN! TAG ME @THESALTEDPEPPER ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WHEN YOU MAKE A DISH!

    BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE SALTED PEPPER RIGHT HERE ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sandy

      August 10, 2022 at 7:56 pm

      Absolutely love this dish and ALL of your other recipes! You’re recipes have made cooking enjoyable for me. My husbands favorite of yours is the red beans and rice one! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!

      Reply
      • Louise

        August 11, 2022 at 9:52 am

        That's so great to hear!

        Reply
    2. Michael K

      December 28, 2021 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      I was in the mood for some good chili and all your previous recipies turned out better than great. Instead of making your other chili recipes I tried this one and WOW, I think you have 'ruined' regular chili for me. The depth of flavors from hints of spicy, smoky, the juicy pork, the pineapple. Wow, simply amazing! I'll definitely be making this again, and don't know if I'll get around to your other chili recipes . Simply DELICIOUS!

      Reply
      • Louise

        December 30, 2021 at 7:16 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it! That recipe came from a complete mishap and I love it, too!

        Reply
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