Instant Pot Pork and Hominy Stew (Quick Posole)

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This flavorful pork stew comes together in one pot with minimal hands-on time, so you can do other things while dinner cooks itself. 

My family first found this pork and hominy stew in a slow-cooker issue of Martha Stewart Magazine in 2013, and I adapted it for our family’s tastes and to make it in a pressure cooker.

It has been a family favorite ever since!

Since I make this hearty pork stew all winter long, I’ve updated the post with new photos and tips to help you make it at home!

This is one of my family’s favorite Instant Pot Soups!

If I’m feeling fancy and have the time, I’ll serve it with my Green Chile Cornbread. Otherwise, we stick to tortilla chips. 😊

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy Pork & Hominy Stew.

• Vegetable oil: This is my go-to for browning meat. It ensures your meat doesn’t stick to the bottom of your cooking pot and helps you develop the fond (aka all the browned, flavorful bits at the bottom of your pan).
  
• Coarse salt: The larger, coarse salt actually makes your meat less salty than traditional table salt. Plus it helps the meat release moisture and
  
• Boneless pork shoulder: This cut of meat is tough and layered with fat, which makes it a perfect choice for the Instant Pot.
  
• Onion and garlic: These build a classic flavor base; sautéing really makes a difference and we don’t recommend skipping this step.
  
• Chili powder: Traditional posole recipes have a wide variety of spices, including cumin and oregano, as well as different types of chiles. For convenience (and a lower heat level), we’ve opted to stick with just chili powder.
  
• Chicken broth: If you want to speed up the time it takes for your pot to come to pressure, you can hold out a cup of the broth and add it at the end.
  
• Canned hominy: We have a lot to say about hominy below.
  
• Cornstarch and water: This part is optional if you prefer a thinner soup. Mixing the cornstarch and water well is essential to ensure your stew thickens without lumps.
  
• Favorite toppings: Again, there are so many different ways to top posole. I recommend trying a few different options and customizing it to your favorites.

How to Make Instant Pot Pork and Hominy Stew

This Pork and Hominy Stew (aka pozole or posole) is SO MUCH EASIER when you make it in an Instant Pot! The best thing about it is that instead of simmering the stew for 8+ hours, this dish has a 30 minute cook time, with all of the same rich flavor! 

First, you’ll need to brown the pork and sauté the vegetables and spices.

1. I like to brown the pork before cooking. It adds a TON of flavor and it doesn’t add too much time to the process.
2. By cooking the onions and garlic right after browning the meat, they soak up that amazing flavor. Be sure to watch you pan closely and add a little water or broth if the bottom starts getting too dark brown. (Once it turns black, the flavor will be ruined.)
3. Be sure to scrape up all the browned bits onto the bottom of the pot. You want all that flavor in your soup AND scraping up the browned bits helps you avoid the burn notice.

After browning, you simply add the pork to the pot and pressure cook for 30 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.

⏲️ Note: With all the liquid in the pot, it will take a while to come to pressure—between 5 and 15 minutes depending on the model of pressure cooker you’re using.

After you’ve released the pressure, it’s time to shred your pork.

If you have time to spend, the pork will shred a little easier if you let it rest for 10 to 20 minutes before shredding. (I rarely have the patience, but it is much easier to shred if you do.)

I also rarely have the patience to shred the pork with two forks or bear claws. Those methods work well for pulling out any fatty bits and making your pork perfect before I serve it.

If you like a thinner, more traditional soup rather than a thicker stew, you can skip the cornstarch slurry at the end of the cooking process. 

Then, just return the shredded pork to the pot, add the hominy, and season to taste.

FAQ about Hominy

If you haven’t tried hominy before, you’re in for a treat with this recipe! Here are a few of the frequently asked questions we get about the hominy in this recipe:

How to Know When the Pork Is Done 

When you remove the lid of your Instant Pot, I recommend checking to make sure that the meat is fully cooked.  I like to use an instant-read thermometer. Make sure the internal temperature of the pork registers at least 145°F in the thickest part. 

Tip: When reheating the pork, you should reheat to a temperature of 165°F.

Doubling or Halving the Recipe

You can double or cut the recipe in half if you’re feeding a larger or smaller crowd. Just be sure not to fill your pressure cooking pot past the fill line. 

If you’re worried about being close to the fill line in a double batch, leave out a few cans of broth. You’ll still have more than enough

Serving Suggestions

I serve this stew with lime wedges, diced avocados, and a dollop of sour cream. You can also fill it out with shredded cabbage and thinly sliced radishes and peppers.

(Also, my kids like this best with melty shredded cheese and tortilla chips so you can go that route too.)

On the side, I recommend Buttermilk Cornbread from Barbara Bakes

Storing Leftovers 

I love this soup most on the second day when the hominy has had a chance to soak up more of the flavors from the broth.

Store leftover pork hominy stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

❄️ You can also freeze the stew for up to three months. When you’re ready to serve, defrost the soup in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stove, in the Instant Pot or microwave. 

More Instant Pot Stew Recipes

Stew is the IDEAL meal to make in pressure cookers like the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi! After you make this amazing Pork & Hominy stew, add one of these Instant Pot Stew Recipes to your list to make in the future:

• Old-Fashioned Instant Pot Beef Stew is a hearty recipe that tastes just like mom used to make.
• This Swedish Kalops Beef Stew recipe features a rich beef gravy that’s allspice and
• Deer Valley Beef and Wild Mushroom Beef Stew is creamy Instant Pot stew recipe featuring delicate wild mushrooms, based on the stew served at the famous ski resort.