Instant Pot Pork Al Pastor & Rice Casserole

We’ve adapted the traditional Mexican dish to create this family-favourite Instant Pot pork Al Pastor and rice casserole. Pork shoulder meat is marinated with chipotle chillies, herbs and pineapple and pressure cooked in the Instant Pot for that perfect tender and succulent result. The meat is paired with rice, beans, corn and cheese and finished in the oven for a must-try casserole.

Find step-by-step photo instructions below the recipe. Don’t forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment! 

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Before we get to the recipe, here is some useful info on pork al pastor and our casserole ingredients. You can click on the Jump To Recipe button above to skip this part.

What is pork al pastor?

You might be familiar with tacos al pastor or pork al pastor, both refer to the way in which the pork meat is prepared and cooked. Al pastor comes from central Mexico and the authentic method involves marinating the meat in dried chiles, spices, achiote, and pineapple, then grilled on a vertical spit, often with pineapple skewered on top so that the juices can drop down on the pork while it broils. The meat is then shredded into strips and is typically served on tortillas with pineapple, onions, and cilantro.

What does Al Pastor mean? The name refers to the preparation method, which means “shepherd style.” This post by the Pioneer Woman has more on the history of this dish.

Which cut of pork is used for Al Pastor?

Al pastor is generally made with boneless pork shoulder. Once marinated, the meat is skewered tightly on a vertical spit and grilled shawarma style.

For our recipe, we used diced pork shoulder cooked in the marinade in the Instant Pot. The meat is then shredded and finished in the oven in the casserole dish. It’s not the authentic al pastor cooking method but the meat still comes out super succulent and full of flavor.

What does Al Pastor taste like?

With the ingredients used in the marinade, you’ll taste sweet, spicy, smoky and tangy flavours which work very well with pork. The traditional recipe calls for achiote and other chilies, but we used just the chipotle chilies, plus some cumin and paprika for simplicity. All of these are easily available in most supermarkets. 

The casserole also features pre-cooked rice (you can use those 2-minute rice packets for ease and convenience), canned black beans, sweet corn and cheese (any melt-friendly type).

INSTANT POT PORK AL PASTOR INGREDIENTS

Pork shoulder pieces are marinated in a mixture featuring the following ingredients:

• Pineapple – we used fresh pineapple, diced and core removed, that has been pureed with a blender. If you want to use canned pineapple, make sure it’s unsweetened. You can also use pineapple juice. 
• Seasonings – garlic, salt, pepper, sweet or mild paprika, cumin and dried oregano. Easy, you probably already have all of these! 
• Smoky chillies – we are using chipotle in Adobo sauce for our chili and smoky flavor; these come as whole chili peppers in a sauce or as a puree. If using whole peppers, dice them or mash with a fork to make a puree. 
• Stock – chicken stock works best in this recipe, you can use bone broth or stock cube here.

CAN I USE CHICKEN OR BEEF IN AL PASTOR CASSEROLE?

You can! Chuck steak or chicken breasts/thighs can easily be marinated and cooked in the same way. 

CONDIMENTS FOR PORK AL PASTOR CASSEROLE

If you were to have tacos al pastor, you would typically have diced pineapple, fresh cilantro and some raw onions on top of the pork. Salsa verde is also a typical condiment. For our pork and rice casserole, we finish the dish with pineapple grilled on top of the dish and cilantro, onions and tomatoes with a little lime juice are added just before serving. Sour cream is a very nice addition, too! 

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MORE TEX MEX INSTANT POT RECIPES

• Instant Pot Mexican Beef Rice Casserole (For Nachos Lovers!)
• Vegetarian Instant Pot Burrito Bowl With Avocado Crema
• Instant Pot Chicken Tacos With Pineapple Salsa
• 20+ Instant Pot Mexican Recipes (Muy Deliciosas!)

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HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT PORK AL PASTOR CASSEROLE

Here are step-by-step instructions for making vegetable lentil stew in the Instant Pot. We made it in the Instant Pot Duo Classic & Nova 6-quart pressure cooker.

Step 1. Prepare the marinade ingredients and cut the pork shoulder removing any excess fat (leave a little bit of fat on). Puree the pineapple and mix with the spices, garlic and chipotle in adobo sauce puree. 

Step 2. Mix the pork in the marinade and leave it for at least 1 hour in the fridge. The longer you leave it, the more flavorsome the meat will be. 

Step 3. To cook the pork, add 1 cup of chicken stock to the Instant Pot, then add the pork and all of the marinade on top. Stir gently to combine. Secure and lock the lid. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual on high pressure for 35 minutes or press the Meat/Poultry button (Normal). Once cooked, allow the pressure to release naturally and if in a rush, use the quick release after about 10 minutes of NPR. 

Step 4. Remove the pork to a bowl and reserve the cooking marinade broth. Shred the meat with a fork. 

Step 5. Start layering the casserole. Add a few cups of pre-cooked rice and pour a cup of pork cooking broth on top (this will flavor the rice). Top with canned black beans and sweet corn. 

Step 6. Follow with the shredded pork and pour another 1/2 to 2/3 cup of the cooking broth on top. Finish with grated cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar etc) and pineapple cubes. 

Step 7. Bake the casserole in a hot oven (430 F / 220 C) for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden and the pineapple is slightly caramelised. In the meantime, prepare diced tomatoes, cilantro and raw onions for condiments. 

Serve in bowls topped with extra tomato, cilantro and onions and sour cream. You can also serve salsa verde on the side. 

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