This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mission®. All opinions are entirely my own.
Instant Pot Pork Belly Tacos: The Ultimate Game Day Snack
As the excitement builds for the Big Game, the quest for the perfect game-day snack intensifies! Forget the usual suspects; this year, elevate your party spread with something truly spectacular: Instant Pot Pork Belly Tacos. Imagine succulent, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly, slow-braised to tender perfection, then crisped and coated in a delectable sweet and spicy sauce. Served in miniature, authentic street-style tortillas, these pork belly tacos are not just a snack; they’re an experience, guaranteed to be the MVP of your game day gathering. Their irresistible flavor and convenient, bite-sized format make them ideal for munching while you cheer on your favorite team.
Why Pork Belly Tacos are Your Next Game Day Obsession
Football season brings a special kind of energy into our homes. Weekends become an exciting blur of team jerseys, enthusiastic cheers, and, most importantly, incredible food. Whether it’s a casual get-together with friends or a lively family viewing party, the spread of snacks is always a central part of the experience. This year, I wanted to create something truly unforgettable, a dish that combines impressive flavor with ultimate convenience for hungry fans. That’s how these Instant Pot Pork Belly Street Tacos came to be, featuring the perfectly sized Mission® Street Tacos Corn Tortillas.
The beauty of these mini corn tortillas is their incredible versatility and ideal snack size. They’re perfectly designed for street taco style servings, making them easy to grab and enjoy in just a few bites – essential when you don’t want to miss a single play! And when filled with incredibly tender, juicy pork belly that literally melts in your mouth, they transform into an appetizer that will have everyone reaching for more. This recipe is not just about making delicious food; it’s about making game day entertaining effortless and unforgettable.
No need to be intimidated by pork belly; with the magic of the Instant Pot, achieving restaurant-quality tenderness at home is surprisingly simple. This pressure cooking method locks in moisture and infuses every bite with rich flavor, cutting down on traditional braising times without compromising on that coveted melt-in-your-mouth texture. Once the pork belly is perfectly cooked, a quick crisping session ensures a delightful contrast of textures, creating a culinary masterpiece that’s surprisingly easy to achieve.
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Essential Ingredients for Flavor-Packed Pork Belly Tacos
Crafting the perfect Instant Pot Pork Belly Tacos requires a few key components that contribute to their incredible flavor and texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need to create this unforgettable dish:
Mission Street Tacos Corn Tortillas
These mini corn tortillas are a game-changer for any taco enthusiast. Their authentic flavor, soft texture, and ideal size perfectly replicate the street tacos you’d find at your favorite food truck. They are incredibly versatile for snacking, whether you’re making quick after-school mini tacos for the kids or filling a grand tray for halftime munching. Their small stature makes them perfect for single-serving appetizers, allowing guests to customize their tacos with ease and preventing any messy spills during intense game moments. They truly are the ideal vessel for our rich and tender pork belly.
Pork Belly
Often considered the secret weapon of many delicious dishes, pork belly is essentially uncured, unsalted, and unsmoked bacon. It’s revered for its incredible richness and the way it becomes exquisitely tender on the inside while crisping up beautifully on the outside. Don’t let the thought of cooking pork belly intimidate you! Our Instant Pot method ensures perfectly braised pork belly every single time, transforming this cuts into a succulent, flavorful experience that’s surprisingly easy to achieve at home.
Taco Seasoning
A good taco seasoning is crucial for building the foundational flavor of our pork belly. You can choose to make your own homemade taco seasoning for a customizable blend of spices, or opt for your favorite high-quality store-bought version. Whichever you choose, ensure it has a robust and aromatic profile to complement the rich pork belly, adding that classic taco zest.
BBQ Sauce
The BBQ sauce is what gives these pork belly tacos their signature sweet and spicy glaze. Feel free to use your preferred store-bought brand – just make sure it’s a good one! If you’re feeling ambitious, crafting your own homemade BBQ sauce allows for ultimate flavor control. I highly recommend selecting a sauce that leans a little sweeter to perfectly balance the savory notes of the pork and the subtle spice from the taco seasoning, creating a harmonious and utterly addictive flavor profile.
Broth and White Wine
These liquids are essential for creating the moist, flavorful environment needed to tenderize the pork belly in the Instant Pot. The broth provides a savory base, while a splash of white wine adds a wonderful depth and complexity to the braising liquid, enhancing the overall taste of the finished pork. If you prefer to cook without alcohol, simply substitute the white wine with an equal amount of additional broth without compromising the tenderness.
Mastering Instant Pot Pork Belly: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Instant Pot is a phenomenal tool for preparing pork belly. Its high-pressure cooking capability drastically reduces the cooking time typically required for tender pork belly, while also locking in the juices and flavors. The result is unbelievably succulent, fall-apart tender meat with a perfectly crispy exterior – ideal for our street tacos.
- Prepare the Pork Belly: Begin by generously rubbing the taco seasoning all over the fatty top layer of the pork belly. This forms a delicious crust and infuses the meat with flavor from the very start.
- Add Liquids to the Instant Pot: Pour the broth and white wine into the Instant Pot’s inner pot. The liquid creates the steam needed for pressure cooking and adds a layer of flavor to the pork.
- Place the Pork Belly: Carefully place the seasoned pork belly into the Instant Pot, ensuring the fatty, seasoned side is facing upwards. This position helps the seasoning infuse evenly and prepares it for crisping later.
- Secure and Cook: Lock the lid firmly into place on your Instant Pot. Set the steam release valve to the SEALING position. Cook on HIGH pressure for a full 80 minutes. This extended cooking time is key to achieving that incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Preheat Oven and Pan: As the Instant Pot cooking cycle approaches its end (roughly 10 minutes remaining), place butter in a cast-iron pan and put it in the oven. Preheat your oven to a blazing 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The cast iron pan will get scorching hot, perfect for crisping the pork belly.
- Natural Release and Vent: Once the Instant Pot timer goes off, press the “Cancel” button. Allow for a 10-minute natural pressure release. This crucial step helps the meat absorb juices and prevents it from drying out. After 10 minutes, carefully turn the valve to VENTING to quick release any remaining pressure.
- Crisp the Pork Belly: Open your preheated oven and retrieve the hot cast iron pan. Pour in the BBQ sauce, spreading it evenly. Then, very carefully transfer the tender pork belly to the cast iron pan, placing it fat side down. If desired, baste the upward-facing side of the pork belly with more BBQ sauce for an extra layer of flavor and glaze.
- Bake to Perfection: Return the pan to the oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until the pork belly’s fatty skin is wonderfully crispy and caramelized. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.
- Slice and Serve: Remove the pork belly from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing it into bite-sized cubes. Serve these delectable pork belly cubes immediately on your Mission Street Tacos Corn Tortillas with all your favorite toppings. Aim for approximately 1 ounce of the rich, flavorful meat per tortilla for the perfect bite.
Don’t Forget the Chips and Salsa for a Complete Spread!
No game day party is truly complete without a satisfying bowl of crispy tortilla chips and a delicious dip! Alongside your irresistible pork belly street tacos, make sure to set out a generous serving of Mission® Thin & Crispy Tortilla Chips. These chips are a personal favorite because they strike the perfect balance between delicate crispiness and a hearty crunch, much like the freshly made chips you’d expect at an authentic Mexican restaurant.
What makes them even better is their simple, high-quality ingredients – just four of them, including sea salt, and they are certified gluten-free with no artificial colors or flavors. This makes them a fantastic, wholesome option for all your guests. While they are incredibly delicious straight from the bag, for parties, I love serving them with a quick and easy creamy salsa verde dip. To make this crowd-pleasing dip, simply combine salsa verde and sour cream in a 1:1 ratio. It’s a total flavor win and incredibly effortless, making it the perfect cool and tangy counterpoint to the rich, savory tacos.
Vote for Your Favorite Snack in the Mission Snack Showdown!
From January 1st to February 3rd, 2019, you have a fantastic opportunity to participate in the Mission Snack Showdown! Cast your vote daily for your favorite game day snack. Each week leading up to the Big Game, exciting new snack matchups will be featured, giving you plenty of chances to weigh in. By voting for your ultimate game day snack, you’ll also automatically submit a daily entry for a chance to win amazing prizes perfect for your watch party. Plus, every single vote you cast also enters you for a chance to win the coveted grand prize!
More Game Day Recipe Inspiration
Looking for more delicious game day ideas to round out your spread? Check out these other fantastic recipes that are perfect for entertaining:
- BBQ Pork Quesadillas
- Beer Braised Beef Enchiladas
- Easy Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Chicken Taco Braid
INSTANT POT PORK BELLY TACOS
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10
(approximately 3 tacos per serving)
15
mins
1
hr
40
mins
1
hr
55
mins
Instant Pot Pork Belly Tacos
Kat Jeter & Melinda Machado
Print Recipe
Ingredients
-
32
Mission® Street Tacos Corn Tortillas -
2
pounds
pork belly,
skinless -
3
tablespoons
taco seasoning -
½
cup
broth -
¼
cup
white wine -
2
tablespoons
butter -
1/4
cup
BBQ sauce
Instructions
-
Rub the taco seasoning onto the fatty top layer of the pork belly.
-
Add the broth and wine to the Instant Pot inner pot and place the pork belly with the taco seasoning facing up.
-
Lock the lid into place and set the valve to SEALING. Set it to HIGH pressure for 80 minutes.
-
As the cooking time nears the finish line (about 10 minutes left), add butter to a cast iron pan and place it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
-
When the timer goes off, press cancel on your Instant Pot and do a 10-minute natural release. After 10 minutes, turn the valve to VENTING.
-
Open the oven and get your cast iron pan ready. Pour in the BBQ sauce, then carefully transfer the pork belly to the cast iron pan with the fat side facing down. Baste the side facing up with more BBQ sauce if you like.
-
Cook for 20 minutes or until the pork belly is crispy on the outside.
-
Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.
-
Slice into cubes and serve on Mission Street Tacos Corn Tortillas with your favorite toppings. Approximately 1 ounce of meat per tortilla.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving:
3
tacos
Appetizer, Main
American
