Enjoy this tender, juicy Pressure Cooker Steamed Pork with a savory garlic soy sauce or ginger miso sauce using Instant Pot pressure-steaming method.
Pressure Cooker Steamed Pork or Mushibuta (蒸し豚) is one of our favorite ways to enjoy pork. With my Instant Pot, I simply use the pressurized steam cook function to steam the big chunk of pork collar. Once cooked, I thinly slice the meat and drizzle on the sauce – either garlic soy sauce or ginger miso sauce. Both add rich flavors to the succulent pork slices.
3 Reasons to Make Pressure Cooker Steamed Pork
1. Easy and Quick
I can’t stress enough how easy it is to make this recipe. Which makes it even more rewarding when the final dish looks so amazing! Most of the cooking time and hard work is left to the Instant Pot’s pressure-steaming. You just need to make two dipping sauces while the pork is being steamed. Or if you already have your favorite pork dipping sauce, you can definitely use that as well.
2. Enjoy year-round
This steamed pork recipe can be served at room temperature or even chilled, so add it to your meal planner in the summer or winter as a great way to enjoy a simple, clean, light pork dish.
3. Make it into an appetizer, side, or main dish
This dish makes an elegant appetizer to start your Asian-themed meal. It’s also wonderful as a topping for your warm or chilled noodles. It’s a dynamic recipe that can be served as a main dish on its own, or as a complement to others.
Best Cuts of Pork for Pressure Cooker Steamed Pork
Which cut of pork is best for this steamed pork recipe? I have tried pork belly, collar, and shoulder for this recipe, and the clear winner was pork collar.
The cut “pork collar” may not be a familiar term in the US, so you may want to request a “Boston butt” or “pork butt” – despite what its name implies, this larger cut consists of parts of the neck (collar), shoulder blade, and upper arm.
The pork collar is a moderately tough cut of pork, unlike the tender cuts like pork loin or spare rib. Hence, it’s often used for roasting, braising, stewing or even for making ground pork or sausages. Pork butt is also the most common cut used for pulled pork.
I learned about pork collar from a butcher in my favorite Korean meat shop. I explained to the butcher that pork belly was too fatty, and that pork shoulder became too dry and then shredded when I tried to cut it into slices. He highly recommended trying pork collar instead.
Pork collar was an excellent choice (a fairly inexpensive choice too). After steaming for 45 minutes, the meat was really tender and moist, and not fatty like pork belly. It also held together nicely for slicing. It was perfect for this recipe.
Why Steamed and not Boiled?
You might wonder why I steam the pork collar instead of boiling it. The steam cooks the pork while locking in the moisture, giving the meat that juicy texture and flavor.
2 Dipping Sauces to Enjoy with Pressure Cooker Steamed Pork
Although you can make many different dipping sauces for this steamed pork recipe, I recommend trying two of my favorites: Garlic Soy Sauce and Ginger Miso Sauce.
Making a great Japanese sauce does not have to be complicated. It can be simply incorporating a base Japanese ingredient like miso or soy sauce with a strong aromatic like fresh ginger or garlic. Try either or both when you make this recipe.
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- 1 ½ cup water
- 3 green onions/scallions
- 2 inch ginger (2" = 5 cm)
- 2 lbs pork collar (2 lbs = 907g)
- 4 Tbsp sake
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ Tbsp sake
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds (roasted/toasted)
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 Tbsp miso
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In the Instant Pot, place the steamer rack and put 1 to 1 ½ cups (240 to 360 ml) water.
- Cut the green onions to separate green part and white part (we don’t need in this recipe, but you can make Shiraga Negi for garnish (https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-shiraga-negi/). Cut green part into 2-3 pieces. Cut the ginger into thin slices, keeping the skin on.
- Cut the pork collar in half and place it in the heat-resistant container (I use a Pyrex glass container) and place on top of the steamer rack.
- Put green onions and ginger, and pour sake over the pork. Sake removes the unwanted smell from the meat and adds umami and flavors.
- Cover and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the steam release handle points at “sealing” and not “venting”. Press the “Steam” button on the Instant Pot to the pressure cooking steam mode. Press “plus” button to change the cooking time to 40-45 minutes (20 minutes/lb). Meanwhile you can make two kinds of the sauce.
- As soon as the cooking time has reached, you will need to use the ‘Quick Release’ method to release the pressure. When the valve goes down, you can open it and take out the steamer basket and container that has pork in it.
Transfer the pork to a dish. Save a few tablespoons of cooking liquid (in case you want to drizzle over meat or slices of meat to moisten later) and discard the green onions and ginger slices. Cover the pork with plastic wrap to keep it moist and let cool until you can touch the pork to cut into slices.
- After 15 minutes or so, you can slice into thin rounds (I discarded the fat). Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the dipping sauce immediately.
- Combine the ingredients for Garlic Soy Sauce in a bowl or liquid measuring cup.
- Cut the green onion into thin slices and add to the sauce. Add the crushed garlic (or minced garlic) to the sauce. Whisk all together. Transfer to a serving bowl.
- Grate the ginger.
- Combine the rest of Ginger Miso Sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Hi Nami… your recipe it`s very interest… and very very yummy…
can i make this whith rice cooker (it has not metal bowl…-and how??..same procedure???)..
and one more question…. can i make pork with less fat like the leg????
thank`s very mach for all…..
best regards….
Hi Chris! Does your rice cooker has a steam function, then yes you can. Assuming that it reaches 100C it should be same as my pressure cooker. You can make less fat area, but it tends to be drier and it might be harder to cut into slices. I had trouble with that. But if you’re not presenting at a party etc… I think it is delicious and works just fine! 🙂
We steam karré (Boston Butt) in our IP often, but never thought of doing it Japanese style. Adding the sake sounds great, now I just have to find some. The sauces look wonderful and I like that the ingredients are easy to find. Thanks for a great inspiration and post.
Hi Ron! Sake for Japanese cooking plays very important role to remove the unwanted smell of the meat, adding umami and sweetness from fermented rice, and tendering the meat as well. 🙂
Love this recipe Nami! I just recently got an Instant Pot, and I’m only now starting to play around with using it as a pressure cooker, so I’m excited to add this recipe to the list of recipes I’d like to try with it! Also love how there’s not much handling of raw meat – as a vegetarian, I don’t really enjoy cutting up raw meat, so I’m always happy when I find recipes that cut most of the meat after it’s been cooked.
Hi Shannon! Ah I see. I cut in half as I wasn’t sure if it would fit my glass container, but if you can find a container that fits, you actually don’t need to touch (but with a pair of tong). Congrats on getting IP! Electric pressure cooker is such a great kitchen gadget for busy people. 🙂
Good to know, thanks Nami! 🙂
Would pork shoulder be a good sub for this cut as I don’t think I have any access to get pork collar.
Also I am not fond of wrapping hot meal with plastic wrap because of the plastic leeching concern. Would using parchment paper or even aluminum foil work too?
Thanks for another easy and yummy looking recipe.
Hi Jos! Yes, you can, and I have used pork shoulder to test this recipe. As I mentioned in the post, it is much harder to cut into a nice round shape with shoulder. It’ll be more shredded (or parts will shred as you try to slice), but if you don’t mind that, it’s great cut to enjoy with this recipe.
Sure, anything to keep the moisture! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Really interesting post! I learned some things I didn’t know. I don’t have an Instant Pot, but really need to get one — I’ve never pressure cooked anything, and really like the idea. Thanks!
Hi John! I also never used pressure cooker until I got the IP. I was too scared of my mom’s stove top pressure cooker that makes hissing sound. 🙂 An electric pressure cooker is much easier and safer to leave the kitchen/house and I love that cooking time is shorten. As I am a last minute person when it comes to dinner preparation, slow cooker didn’t work for me (when I start preparing dinner will be midnight haha). I never imagined I would be using pressure cooking! Write an email to IP, I’m sure they are happy to send you one (that’s what I did). 🙂
Hi Nami
Can I make this in a regular pressure cooker? Sounds delicious! I love trying your recipes And love it that I can get the ingredients easily here in Japan. ( no sour cream, Swiss cheese…..:) thanks always!
Also what would that cut of meat be called in Japanese:)
Hi Carrie! Oh yeah, no sour cream in a regular supermarket… Yes, you can make it with regular stovetop pressure cooker. Same cooking time, but operate as you normally do with your pressure cooker. The cut of pork is 豚肩肉 (buta kataniku) – the one I used or 豚肩ロース肉 (butakata ro-su niku) which might shred easily when you slice. 🙂
Excited to try this!
Hope you enjoy this recipe, Esther! I love these dipping sauces!
I must thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this site.
I am hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well.
In fact, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal website
now 😉
Hi Brianne! Thank you for your kind words. I’m excited that you started your own blog. Best luck to you! 🙂
Good morning.
As I am allergic to alcohol, is there a substitute liquid to be used in place of the sake?
Thank you.
Hi Dennis! I used sake not only flavoring, but also to mask the gamey meat smell and tenderize the meat etc. Unfortunately, there is no good non-alcoholic option to substitute. So skip that 4 Tbsp sake. But use water for the use of sake in the sauce.
Just wondering, why do we need to save a few tablespoons of cooking liquid?
Hi Diana! I edited the recipe and added the explanation in the recipe. I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. It’s for drizzling over meat or slices of meat to moisten later in case it’s getting dried etc.