Cuban Style Shredded Pork with Black Beans and Yellow Rice
Instant Pot Cuban Pork
Repin this recipe for future reference!
My husband is from Tampa and he’s a fan of Cuban food. In particular the roasted pork with black beans and yellow rice. I really wanted to come up with a way for him to get the meal he wanted without derailing myself. And the shredded pork is like “stupid easy” to make and the beans and rice really aren’t that difficult either.
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If you have an Instant Pot, you can have this meal done in about an hour. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you should! It’s such a time saver! But seriously. This could also be done in a slow cooker, but it will be more like 8 hours than one.
This is an E meal on Trim Healthy Mama, which means lean protein. So you really need to use a pork tenderloin here, unless you want a crossover. The pork alone is a Fuel Pull, but it goes really well with the beans and rice. Don’t know what E meals and crossovers are? Read this intro to Trim Healthy Mama!
Shredded Pork
2.5-3lb pork tenderloin
16 oz jar Marzetti pepperocini’s
1/2 medium onion or 1 small, cut into large pieces
1 tsp salt
Place the pork tenderloin in the instant pot, dump in the pepperocinis (juice included), onion chunks and salt. Select “meat” setting and set at 40 minutes. Yeah, that’s it. So easy. Shred the pork when it’s done cooking and the pressure releases.
Sometimes I put some on a baking sheet and broil it for 5 minutes if I want to give it a little crisp. It’s so full of moisture this should not dry it out. But this step is completely optional!
While your pork is cooking, go ahead and make the black beans and yellow rice.
Cuban Black Beans
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP dried, minced garlic, or 1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
In a 2 quart pot, add the beans, broth, onion, vinegar and seasonings. Give a light stir and cook on medium at least 30 minutes, but preferably closer to an hour. After the first 30 minutes, lower the heat to low until ready to serve. Don’t let the liquid cook out.
Yellow Rice
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 1/2-4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
I really like to use a rice cooker for this, but if you don’t have one, just follow the directions on your rice package. Dump all the ingredients into your rice cooker (or pot) and turn it on, or cook on the stove top according to the instructions.
And that’s it. My husband loves this meal. And I love that it’s so easy to prepare!
And if you have leftover pork, it’s fantastic for Cuban sandwiches!
All 3 of these recipes are absolutely amazing! I made them for dinner last night. The pork is so flavorful and delicious! I have a new found obsession with turmeric rice and this is by far the best recipe I’ve made! Thank you for the wonderful recipes!!! They will definitely be made in our house again!
So glad you enjoyed them! They are a favorite here too! If you have any pork left over, be sure to try the Cuban sandwiches also.
This was delicious! It was my first time using my instant pot and I really had no clue what I was doing. I guess I did it right though, because the meat was cooked and tasty.
I used my rice cooker, which I’ve used successfully for years, but next time I’ll have to add more liquid to this recipe, because my rice burned/stuck on the bottom and the rest was crunchy.
The flavors were totally superb! I fed three adults and there’s enough for at least one more meal (I’ve got the left over rice soaking up the liquid from the beans in hopes that there won’t be a crunch factor with the leftovers.) I also have enough meat to make us all Cuban sandwiches, and then I’m sure I’ll have some to freeze.
Great recipe! Thanks!
Did you use the 3 1/2 cups of water/broth or 4 cups? I think it varies by climate. I’ve found I need 4 cups of liquid for 1 1/2 cups dry rice in my climate, but others do well with 3 1/2 cups. Also, some people use the rice cookers that are like little pressure cookers, which keep all the moisture in, whereas the rice cooker I use lets a little steam out while cooking.
I’m glad you liked the meal overall though! We love to use the meat for Cuban sandwiches also! Sometimes I make this meal just so I will have extra for sandwiches!
I used almost 4 cups, and I do have the rice cooker that lets a little steam out. The meal was really good! I just think I need to add s little more liquid to my rice. The rice put in with the beans overnight and then with a little of the meat added to it was fabulous the next day!
I’ve also made four delicious Cuban sandwiches on WWBB and will make one again tomorrow, and I still have 1/2 of the meat left over to freeze for later!
I love these recipes and will be making them again and again!
For the rice, do you first cook the rice according to directions then add all the other stuff or do you add the other stuff while cooking the rice (it would be on the stove)
I mix it all together before cooking and then cook. Otherwise, the seasonings wouldn’t be properly distributed. I use a rice cooker, but you can certainly do it on the stove!
Hello. I didn’t see it asked so here I go. I love Latin/ Mexican foods. My husband does not like spicy anything. How can I minimize the heat in this? Less peppers? Less pepper juice? Different peppers? Thank you!
Hi! I don’t really think this is that spicy as it is, but using mild peppers should give you the least amount of heat. I usually use medium heat, but they do come in mild. The pepper juice (mainly vinegar) really adds more of a tangy taste than heat. The peppers themselves aren’t that spicy and can easily be picked out, especially if you use the whole peppers instead of sliced.
How many people does this serve? I will be cooking for 8.
I believe this would serve 8, especially if you have a salad or other veggies on the side. I have a husband and 4 kids (ages 3-11) and we always have leftovers.
Hello. I have a couple questions:
1) After the 40 minutes, do you wait for a NR or do you do a QR?
2) Are the peppers and onions served with the pork or discarded with the juices?
Thank you. This looks like something I can actually do and have it turn out well.
Hi Cindy!
(1) I do the quick release.
(2) It’s really your choice! My husband likes them, and he also likes to add a little of the juice to his pork and rice once it’s on the plate. I don’t really like the peppers myself. But like I said, personal choice!
I hope you try it out and let me know what you think!
Delicious! It’s in our rotation. Thank you!
Can I do this with Chicken Breast and with homemade black beans? What would be the cooking times? Can’t wait to try it!
I don’t see why you couldn’t do it with chicken. If your chicken is thawed I would try 25 minutes. You could probably do about 4 chicken breasts. As far as the beans, if your beans are already cooked, I would treat them as the canned beans and use about 4 cups.
I’m a Tampa native and have eaten Cuban food for years and I can tell you this is better than I’ve had in most restaurants. The entire family loved it and we’ll be fixing this dish again and again.
Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!