Pork Bistek Tagalog is actually a fraud, it is not Bistek. Technically the Filipino Bistek Tagalog recipe is done with beef but Filipinos love pork so much they just had to make a pork version of the dish. So instead of the Bistek standing for steak it is being used to describe the technique or surrounding ingredients to make the dish. Those ingredients are calamansi juice, soy sauce and onions, lots of onions. If you are not a fan of sibuyas, how you say onions in Bisaya, then move along, this is not the dish for you.
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This is probably one of the easiest Filipino dishes that Dad has hacked so far. There is very little prep and all you really need is the Instant Pot to pull it off. When Dad was formulating his bistek tagalog recipe and figuring out how to hack it to work in the Instant Pot there were 3 critical decisions that had to be made.
What Cut of Pork do you use for Bistek Tagalog?
The first decision for how to cook bistek tagalog was what cut of pork to use. When looking at a bistek tagalog recipe most of the time Dad found they called for using pork chops, which Dad considered. Dad's issue with pork chops is that they can tend to be a little dry since they don't really have any intramuscular fat. What does dad mean by intramuscular fat?
Intramuscular fat is fat that is throughout the muscle and not just on the outside of the meat. Think of a ribeye steak compared to an eye round roast. The roast has a "fat cap" on top of the meat vs the ribeye which has fat marbled throughout the steak. This marbled fat helps keep the meat moist and tender.
Dad also wanted to be different, part of the reason he is making a pork bistek tagalog recipe. So, off he went to the grocery store in search of the perfect cut of pork for his Bistek Tagalog. The first thing that came to mind was country style ribs. Despite the name these are not actually ribs, they are cut from the loin close to the shoulder. Country style ribs are pretty meaty and have a good amount of marbled fat.
Dad almost went with the country style ribs. They would be an excellent choice if you can't find Dad's number 1 pick for Bistek Tagalog, pork blade steak. This "steak" is cut form the pork butt roast and will normally have the blade bone surrounded by meat from different muscles. It can be a bit tough if you tried to just grill it up, but in this preparation it is perfect. The blade steak has plenty of marbled fat and the addition of the bone will add depth to the juices produced from the pressure cooking.
Should Bistek Tagalog Have Garlic or Not?
With the cut of pork decided the next big question was garlic or no garlic. When Dad was doing his research he noticed that it was about a coin toss as to whether or not the recipes used minced garlic or not. Dad being Dad, immediately wanted to add garlic. However, he paused to remember the Bistek Tagalog he gets from his local Filipino Store. That dish doesn't seem to have garlic in it, and Dad really likes it. So no garlic.
If you have checked out any number of Dad's recipes you will notice that 2 ingredients seem to show up a lot, garlic powder and onion powder. Dad uses them like they are required by law. In this instance, Dad decided to use the garlic powder to season the meat. This would add that garlic flavor that the other recipes were going for without having bits of garlic in the sauce.
How Long to Cook the Pork?
The last question remaining was how long to cook the pork for. Dad knew that putting the onions in with the pork for the pressure cook was a no go. The onions would basically liquify, like they do in his Instant Pot Beef Bulalo recipe. Since the goal of the dish is fork tender meat, Dad figured that 18 minutes would work. This is actually how long Dad cooks his Instant Pot Spare ribs and those are fall of the bone tender so it should be perfect.
But I don't have Calamansi!
Don't worry if you aren't lucky enough to have a calamansi tree or a family member with one. You can substitute 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for the 3 tablespoons of calamansi in the recipe. It won't be exactly the same but the dish will still be delicious!
How to Cook Bistek Tagalog In the Instant Pot.
With his questions answered and a plan in place, Dad got to cooking. Like Dad said before, this is an easy dish, great for a beginner Instant Pot user. You season the pork with the spice mixture and then brown them using some olive oil. After the pork is browned you add in the water, soy sauce and calamansi juice.
Cook on the manual setting for 18 minutes. When the Instant Pot is done let it set for 10 minutes before releasing the pressure. This is called a NPR or Natural Pressure Release. The NPR will help keep the meat tender.
After that all you need to do is remove the pork and juices and set them aside so you can cook the onions down. Cook the onions until they turn translucent and then add back the pork and all the juices. Stir everything up and let it simmer for a bit. You can adjust the taste here if you like. The dish did come out a little lighter in color and a tad bit less salty than the Bistek Dad is used to. You can add some soy sauce here if you like if you want. For more step by step and detailed instructions refer to the recipe card below or watch the video.
Bistek Tagalog Recipe - Pork Bistek In the Instant Pot
Equipment
- Instant Pot - Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb Pork Shoulder Blade Steak
- 2 White Onions
- 3 tablespoon Calamansi Juice Substitute 2tbsp lime and 1tbs lemon if needed
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Coriander
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Water If you want a saltier stronger flavor substitute equal amount soy sauce.
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Estimate, may need more or less.
Instructions
- If using fresh calamansi cut and juice them until you get 3 tablespoons of juice. If you are not using them you can skip this step.
- Peel and slice both onions into rings.
- If you have a spice shaker add all of the spices except the coriander to a spice shaker and mix. If you do not add them to a bowl and mix them together.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and the Normal setting and then coat the bottom of the inner pot with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Allow about 5 minutes for the oil to heat up. If it starts to smoke its ready. When the oil is hot add in one of the blade steaks. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture on top of it.
- After 3-5 minutes coat the pork with olive oil and flip it. Season it again with the spice mixture.
- After 3-5 minutes flip the pork one more time. Let it sit for about 30 seconds and then remove it and set it aside.
- Repeat the same process with the second blade steak, seasoning and browning it on both sides. Once done, remove it and set it aside.
- Add the water, soy sauce, calamansi (or lemon lime mixture) and coriander. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up the bits from browning the pork.
- Place the trivet inside and then put both pork steaks on top of the trivet.
- Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual and 18 minutes.
- After the Instant Pot beeps allow for a 10 minute NPR (Natural Pressure Release). After the 10 minutes release the remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot.
- Remove the pork and set it aside and then remove the trivet.
- Using a good oven mitt, take the inner pot out and pour the liquid out into bowl.
- Coat the bottom of the inner pot with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and set the Instant Pot to Sauté and the Normal setting.
- Allow about 1 minute for the oil to heat and then add in all of your sliced onions and any remaining spices you have.
- Cook the onions until they turn soft and translucent, about 7-8 minutes.
- Remove the bones from the pork steaks and roughly chop the meat up.
- Add the pork and all of the juices to the inner pot with the onions.
- Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and serve or keep on Keep Warm until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
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