Instant Pot Banh Mi Sliders
Let your Instant Pot do the work with these Instant Pot Pulled Pork Banh Mi Sliders! While a pork shoulder typically takes all day to become fork tender, the Instant Pot cooks it in 90 minutes! The pork is shredded and placed on slider buns with quick pickled veggies and a spicy mayonnaise - perfect autumn evening or game day food!
There are some food experiences that are 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.
Shredded Pork Shoulder in the Instant Pot
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 for these Instant Pot Banh Mi Sliders.
What makes a really good banh mi sandwich?
So what really makes a banh mi sandwich a banh mi sandwich? This Vietnamese sandwich is really known for delicious pork, pickled veggies, and mayonnaise on a crusty roll. In this recipe for Instant Pot Banh Mi Sliders, 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 Lund’s 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, jalapenos, and fresh cilantro is so delicious!
You could certainly make these banh mi sliders into regular sized sandwiches, but I chose to serve them on slider buns. I'm a big fan of sliders, like in my Big Mac Sliders or Italian Sliders! If you want to make them a little more authentic, use a chewy baguette.
Making these into Instant Pot Pulled Pork Banh Mi Sliders makes them perfect for little ones, big parties, appetizers, potlucks, and game day. They will surely be a hit!
Like this recipe? Check these out too!
Slow Cooker Banh Mi Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Korean Beef Burrito Bowls
Instant Pot Banh Mi Sliders
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 lbs 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
- ¼ cup sugar
For the spicy mayo:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Korean chile paste Gochujang, or Sriracha
Toppings:
- Cilantro chopped
- Sliced jalapenos
- Slider buns
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on to saute 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, broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and garlic.
- Once pork is browned, turn off saute 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 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 jalapenos.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
