Instant Pot Paksiw na Lechon are leftover meat from a whole roasted pig, lechon kawali or pork roasted in the oven that is simmered in vinegar, liver sauce and spices.
Paksiw na Lechon meat is moist and tender in a slightly thickened savory sauce with subtle sweetness.
For an easier version, use Mang Tomas sauce instead of making the liver sauce from scratch like my mom would do it.
In the Philippines, it is common for Filipinos to celebrate special events with a whole roasted pig. It becomes the centerpiece of a long buffet of delicious dishes and chopped before everyone gets to the table.
Moist meat attached to the skin are usually the first to go. Everyone prefers the crispy crunchy skin with tender meat. It is delicious with or without the liver sauce as along as it is properly roasted.
I am quite picky when it comes to bringing home leftovers. When ordering a whole roasted pig, it is best to have a person assigned to chop the meat into pieces and served in a platter or placed directly in one’s plate.
It would be chaotic if you have your guest slicing their own piece of meat. First, you want everyone to have a piece of the skin and second, you know that the leftover did not have everyone’s hands over it. If that is the case, you will not find me taking any leftovers.
What Parts of Roasted Pig is cooked for Paksiw?
All the leftovers including the head. Before cooking, remove meat attached to the bones. Don’t discard the bones, it will be added to the meat when simmered in vinegar and spices. The bones will add so much flavor to the sauce. When the dish is cooked, remove all the bones before serving.
In the Philippines, one can easily make paksiw na lechon when craving strikes. They can buy cooked lechon per kilo while in other parts of the world, it is a different story.
Here in the US, if you are located in a city with many Filipinos it is possible to find a store that sells lechon. Seafood City is one and other Filipino stores might sell it only on the weekend. It is best to call them first to check for availability.
Don’t fret, you can still have a taste of these delicious paksiw na lechon using leftover lechon kawali or pork roasted in the oven.
In fact, just make it with uncooked pork. It doesn’t have to be leftovers. In our household, the only piece of lechon kawali you will find are tiny bits of meat that dropped on the table.
Some Tips
This post is paksiw na lechon using leftover pork lechon or lechon kawali but I am giving you other ideas in case lechon (roasted pig) is not available in your area.
Paksiw na Lechon is best consumed a day after cooking. It is much tastier when meat has blended well with the sauce.
If you plan to make lechon kawali it is quicker to tenderize the meat in an instant pot but if you don’t have one, you can always make it on stove top but it will take a bit longer to cook. Either way, they are delectable.
Pork belly is commonly used to make paksiw na lechon but if you can get a hold of pork shoulder roast that works too. In fact, I prefer to use that cut because it is less fatty and fat is well distributed.
My local grocer sells it with the skin which is great. We usually take the fat out while eating, so pork belly is not my preferred meat when making this dish. Plus it is more expensive than pork roast.
Mang Tomas is available in Asian or Filipino stores. I usually use the spicy version but the regular one will do. Their spicy version is not even hot so if that is your only choice – get it!
Using Your Instant Pot
When my instant pot was new, the first few recipes I posted were very detailed. But with very long recipe instructions people thought it was too complicated to cook with the instant pot.
Instead of having a detailed instant pot cooking instructions in the recipe, I have moved it in my blog.
Here are few things to note before using your instant pot.
If you are new to using your pot, please read the manual for your safety and to familiarize yourself with the different features. My instructions does not replace the manual.
Before cooking, be sure to attach the condensation collector at the rear of the pot.
Don’t use the instant pot lid unless you are using the pressure cooker.
When using the pressure cook program, turn the steam release handle to SEALING.
Once pressure cook is done, there are 2 ways to release pressure – natural release or quick release. If you are in a hurry, you can use the quick release but be very careful as it can burn you. Please read the manual for your safety.
I prefer to wait for natural release. It will take 10 minutes or more for pot to cool down and for float valve to drop down. It is now safe to open the lid. With a pot holder, turn the steam release handle to VENTING, then open the lid.
Instant Pot Paksiw na Lechon Recipe and Video
Video coming soon!
Recipe
Instant Pot Paksiw na Lechon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork lechon or lechon kawali
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorn
- 4 pieces bayleaf
- 1 19.40 oz bottle Mang Tomas lechon sauce , for less sauce use only ⅔’s of bottle
- 1 ½ cups broth or water
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup dried banana blossoms
- fish sauce or salt to taste
Instructions
- Set instant pot to SAUTE for 30 minutes. Place all the ingredients in the inner pot.
- Uncovered and without stirring, bring to a boil to about 5 minutes.
- Cover with a regular pot lid and continue cooking for about 20-25 minutes or until pork is tender.
- Check the consistency of sauce if you need to add a little bit of broth or water.
- Note: If SAUTE program has expired, the display will show L000, L001 etc. press CANCEL. Reset it again to continue cooking, then cancel program once you are done cooking.
- Sauce have slightly thickened. Season with salt or fish sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can cook this dish on stove top following the instructions above. Eliminate instructions regarding instant pot.
- If using uncooked pork belly or pork shoulder roast, same procedure as above but set PRESSURE COOK to 25 minutes instead of SAUTE.
Nutrition
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