Pressure Cooker Tender Pork Roast
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 3 hours Yield: 6-8 servings Method: Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
TIP: If youve ever made a pork roast and at the end it was tough, the problem most of the time is that you didnt cook it for enough time. The longer you cook a pork roast, the more tender it will be. If you are using the oven or a crockpot, give it at least 12 hours of cook. And if is on the pressure cooker, you can go up to 4 hours depending on how large the cut is.
Instant Pot Pork Roast Frozen
This is a great recipe especially if you buy meat in bulk online or from local farmers like we do every year. Then whether it is fresh, defrosted or rock solid it will come out great every single time.
Without a bone it cooks faster than if you had a pork butt or frozen pork shoulder. I have had success with those as well but this is quick and easy because theres nothing to remove.
Youll need to use the pressure cook button on high if your pot doesnt have the meat/stew function. They are the same except that the latter automatically sets to 35 minutes unless adjusted.
One big tip to remember when figuring out the Instant Pot cooking times for meat is that you need a natural pressure release when done. This is important so that the inside remains tender and doesnt dry out.
Whether youre cooking pork or beef it is important for both. This allows it to become fall apart delicious just like a slow cooker would. It may take 20 minutes to 30 minutes for all the steam to release so you can remove the lid.
Be very careful once its lifted and face it away from you once it is taken off. Dont drain all that wonderful liquid though when you remove the protein, youll want it to make pressure cooker gravy.
Use just a bit of cornstarch whisked into the hot liquid to thicken it up. Push saute and allow it to bubble together for about 2 minutes and then it will be done and ready to enjoy.
Time needed: 55 minutes.
Frozen Pork Roast Instant Pot
Does The Pork Roast Dry Out
This is another reason I love my Instant Pot. Because pork is so lean, it can dry out easily, especially when it is cooked quickly. The Instant Pot seals in the moisture while cooking the roast quickly.
This means you can have a juicy, delicious pork roast on the table without having to wait all day!
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What Kind Of Barbecue Sauce Do You Use For Pulled Pork
My husband and I really like KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce in this pulled pork recipe. Its smokey and sweet, with just a little kick. However, you can use your favorite brand of barbecue sauce in your pulled pork with no change to the water content.
If you prefer homemade, my friend Alyssa has an awesome homemade BBQ sauce recipe.
When serving those with dietary needs , you can even make the pulled pork without using any BBQ sauce in the pot. Id probably add some spices or liquid smoke to the meat before cooking to infuse some flavors. Then, just remove a portion of the meat and stir in the barbecue sauce to the remaining portion.
As far as which spices, the sky is the limit! Keep things simple with a teaspoon of onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Like a spicy barbecue? Then add some cayenne pepper or chili powder.
Instant Pot Pork Butt Or Instant Pot Pork Shoulder

You can make Instant Pot Pork Roast using any of three cuts of meat: a pork butt, a pork shoulder, or a pork shoulder blade roast. You may also see a cut in your grocery store labelled as a boston butt, which works as well.
Simply put, pork butt has nothing to do with the actual butt of a pork. Each of these cuts of meat comes from the shoulder region of the pig: Imagine a pig shoulder, then segment it into an upper and lower segment. The upper segment is the pork butt the lower section is the pork shoulder.
Really, there are two cuts of meat: the upper and the lower shoulder. There are just lots of nicknames for each cut. Heres a simple breakdown:
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How To Make The Gravy
As the pork cooks, it releases lots of juices that you can use to make your gravy you only need some butter and flour and it all comes together right in the Instant Pot!
- Remove the trivet and change the Instant Pot setting to saute.
- Melt the butter in the Instant Pot. Once its melted add the flour.
- Whisk the flour and butter together in the juices until smooth. Cook the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes or until its thickened.
- Give it a taste and add salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve up slices of the pork roast with the vegetables and smother them with the rich gravy. If you have some fresh parsley on hand chop some up for garnish it adds a nice pop of color!
What Is Pork Shoulder
Pork Shoulder is the cut from a pigs shoulder, though sometimes labeled as Pork Butt or Boston Butt.
Youll usually see pork shoulder being sold as a big slab of meat with fat or fat cap. This fat adds flavor and keeps the meat tender as it cooks. It can also be sold bone-in, or boneless.
Pork Shoulder is a great cut of pork to cook in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker because its a tough cut of meat thats fatty and full of connective tissues.
So its super easy to cook as a whole or in chunks with a variety of recipes, and itll come out tender, juicy, and flavorful.
*Shopping Tip: Pork Shoulder is usually quite a bit cheaper in Asian markets . So if youre able to shop at an Asian market that sells fresh meat, you might want to check them out first.
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Trimming Your Pork Roast
Your pork roast as mentioned above is actually part of the butt or shoulder, so it will come with a large fat cap on one side. In low and slow barbecue this fat cap will render and create delicious juicy pulled pork.
However, here we are NOT cooking low and slow. We are cooking fast and hot! Therefore you will want to trim some, but not all, of that fat cap. It will not render down completely. And although fat adds amazing flavor to meat, you dont want a mouth full of pork fat.
With a sharp knife carve off the fat cap until you have about inch of fat remaining. It is ok if you cut through to the meat in some spots.
If there are other large pieces or areas of fat on the roast, trim those down too.
Slice It Up And Serve It
Take the pork out of the Instant Pot and let it rest a few minutes. Then slice it into pieces, or serve it on a platter to be sliced at the table.
I like to make gravy from the broth left over in the Instant Pot. You can do that right in the pot no need to use a separate pan. Its incredibly flavorful and makes a really great gravy.
First, check the level of fat in the broth. If theres a large layer of fat on the top of the broth, strain it off first. You dont want greasy gravy! Turn the saute mode back on. Once the liquid is boiling, add a slurry of cornstarch . Whisk it until its thickened.
You can then serve your pork roast with potatoes and carrots, or with mashed potatoes. Pour the gravy over the top to finish the dish.
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What Is A Pork Butt
It’s not what you think. The pork butt is a cut of meat from the front of the pig, in the shoulder area. It’s called a butt because butchers three hundred years ago packaged the meat in barrels that were called butts.
Pork shoulders and butts are nice cuts of meat, but they need to be cooked at a low temperature for a long period of time in order to become tender and juicy.
The Instant Pot speeds up the process of cooking of cooking pork shoulder significantly, as you can go from start to finish in about an hour and have a fork-tender roast.
How To Prepare A Roast For The Pressure Cooker
Cooking a roast in an Instant Pot is quite easy and should take you little more than 10 minutes of prep time.
We hope youre excited to get going with cooking your family a perfect roast and that youre feeling more confident now. Until next time!
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What Kind Of Pressure Release To Use For Instant Pot Pulled Pork
With long cooking meats, a natural pressure release is always best to lock in the flavor and prevent the meat from drying out. If you are in a hurry, Ive found that a 10 minute natural release, followed with a quick release gets similar results.
Learn more about natural verse quick pressure release in my post.
How Much Liquid Do You Put In An Instant Pot For A Roast

Pour 1/2 cup beef broth or water around the sides of the meat and turn the Saute mode OFF. Place the lid of the Instant Pot on and turn the dial to the sealing position. Make sure the rubber seal is in place inside of the lid.
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Instant Pot Pork Loin
Instant Pot Pork Loin Juicy and delicious Pork Loin Roast topped with garlic, butter, and herbs, and cooked to a tender and succulent perfection in the Instant Pot! Make dinnertime way less hectic with this easy Instant Pot Pork Loin recipe. A satisfying dinner on the table and clean up is a snap!
A Low Carb and Keto-Friendly Recipe.
Can I Freeze This
Yes, you can freeze any leftover pork roast. You can store this in freezer bags or containers, then thaw in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave and youll have another easy dinner! You may need to add a splash of water to prevent the meat from drying out when reheating.
- Cook Time:1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time:1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield:4 to 6 servings
- Category:Dinner
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Brown Pork Loin In Instant Pot
First, press Saute button to Sauté More function to heat up Instant Pot.
It will switch to ON on the screen.
Wait until it says HOTon the screen .
*Pro Tip: You can prepare the remaining ingredients during the preheating and browning processes.
Roughly mince the garlic, then slice the onion.
*Pro Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be to induce a Maillard reaction.
Now, add 1 2 tbsp olive oil in the Instant Pots inner pot. Ensure the whole bottom is coated with olive oil.
Pat dry the pork loin with a paper towel.
Then, season one side of the pork loin with kosher salt and black pepper.
Place the pork loin in Instant Pot .
Brown the first side for 4 minutes.
Then, season the other side of pork loin with salt and black pepper.
After 4 minutes, flip over and brown the other side of pork loin for another 4 minutes.
Finally, set aside the browned pork loin.
Can I Leave The Browned Bits On The Bottom Of The Instant Pot
No. After searing the roast, some browned bits will be stuck to the bottom of your Instant Pot. This is normal. However, you need to scrape those up before pressure cooking begins.
This is because the browned bits stuck to the bottom get really hot when pressure cooking starts. This heat signals to the unit that something is burning. You can then get a burn notice from the Instant Pot and it will shut itself off.
To prevent this burn notice, after searing the roast, add liquid to the Instant Pot. Let it come to a simmer. This softens and loosens the stuck bits.
Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned stuck bits so that theyre floating in the liquid. From there, you can proceed with the recipe.
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How To Cook Pork Loin In The Instant Pot
Difference Between Pork Tenderloin & Pork Loin
Pork loin and pork tenderloin are not cut from the same part of the animal. They actually look really different from each other. Pork tenderloin is thin and small. A pork loin is wide. Therefore, theres a significant difference in how you cook each of them. Check out Pork Cuts: A Visual Guide. If youre in a hurry or feeding just a few people, choose pork tenderloin. For special occasions or larger crowds, a pork loin roast is better despite taking longer to cook, since its less expensive per pound.
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Pressure Cooker Pork Loin Roast Recipe
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A pressure cooker pork loin roast recipe that results in tender and juicy meat every time. And its a faster cooking method than using the oven or slow cooker.
Now that Im getting more comfortable using the electric pressure cooker, Ive been using it more to make simple main dishes. I use it to quickly cook whole chicken and turkey breast.
Ill admit that I was a little intimidated to use the Instant Pot when I first bought it. Now, I have two of them. One is a 6 quart model and the other is a larger 8 quart model.
I made this pressure cooker pork loin roast recipe using the 8 quart so there was plenty of room. The great thing about having two electric pressure cookers is I can use one for the main dish and the other for the side dish.
And Im learning that its so much more convenient to use the Instant Pot instead of turning the oven on. Plus, the food cooks a lot quicker under pressure.
In fact, food cooks so fast that when I was just starting to learn how to use the pressure cooker, I often overcooked everything. So be sure to check out the recommended cooking times if youre a beginner.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the food cooks as the pot is building pressure and its also cooking as the pressure is released. So the cooking time is longer than whats set in the program.
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