Ingredients In Instant Pot Bbq Pulled Pork
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Pork
- Pork shoulder ;Again this is an important cut to use for this dish as it holds up well to our chosen method of cooking without drying out.
- Olive oil ;This is the oil we will use to sear our meat to ensure we lock in flavor and develop a nice crust.
Dry rub
- Seasoning ;The old faithful, salt and pepper.
- Spices ;Cumin, chili powder,;smoked;paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper.
Sauce
- BBQ sauce ;Store bought works just fine as a base for our sauce today.
- Ketchup ;We want some sweetness and some acidity today.
- Honey ;This will help create a finger licking glaze on our pulled pork.
- Apple cider vinegar ;We want to ensure our sauce is nice and tangy, white vinegar can be substituted if thats what you have on hand.
- Garlic ;Use as much or little as you like.
- Brown sugar ;This sugar will create a great depth of flavor as those molasses notes melt into our meat.
- Liquid smoke This is a flavor secret weapon to trick our taste buds into thinking our pulled pork has been in a smoker all day.
- Worcestershire sauce ;Some great savory umami flavor will be delivered to our dish through this sauce.
- Broth ;Low sodium chicken broth to control our sodium and give our recipe some liquid which is essential to cooking with in an Instant Pot.
How To Shred The Meat
The BBQ pork chunks will be very tender, making it simple to shred the meat. You can pull the pork on a large cutting board or in a mixing bowl. I find the mixing bowl to be less messy.
The pork might look a little dry at this point, but dont worry. Were going to fix that next!
The braising liquid from the instant pot is perfect for adding moisture to the bbq pulled pork tenderloin, but before you just ladle it out, you want to thicken it a bit.
Adding a cornstarch slurry will make the braising liquid saucy enough to cling to the pulled pork. Thats what were looking for.
What Can You Make With Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Use your pulled pork for making:
- salads or lettuce wraps
- or anything else that you need delicious, tender, juicy pulled pork for!
Whenever I make pulled pork, I always make more than I need for one recipe and plan my meals accordingly that week.; Its super handy to have cooked and ready to go meat in the fridge when I come home from work and I have to feed my family.
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Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe Tips:
- We like to toast the burger buns before serving with the pulled pork.
- Leftover pulled pork can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cooked pulled pork can also be frozen for up to 2 months, wrapped airtight.
- To reheat pulled pork, heat the pork and sauce together, covered, in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Or, you may place the pork and sauce in a microwave-safe dish and warm in your microwave.
Ingredients For Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
- 3 ¼ pounds pork shoulder , cut into 2 2 ¼ inches cubes
- 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, roughly sliced
- 1 2 tablespoon peanut oil
- Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste
Chicken Stock Mixture
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Thickener
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch + 3 tablespoons cold water
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What Is Pulled Pork
If youve never had pulled pork and have no idea what it is, its pork that has been shredded into strands. Popular in the south with BBQ sauce. The best way to make it, in my opinion, is with a smoker or slow-cooked on a grill, BUT that can be a lot of effort for everyday cooking, I like to make pulled pork in a slow cooker or now an Instant Pot .
Most pulled pork is made using a pork shoulder . Ive started using pork tenderloin, which is leaner and a smaller cut of meat so it cooks up quick.
When making pulled pork in a slow cooker or Instant Pot you really dont need a lot of ingredients or prep so its simple to make even for beginners!
You can sauté the pork before pressure cooking or slow cooking, but I dont, and really not necessary in my opinion. Not to mention who really wants extra cleaning?!
Only a few quick and easy ingredients needed
Recommended Tools For This Instant Pot Pulled Pork:
- DUO80 8Qt 7-in-1 Instant Pot There are many versions and any of them will work, but this one that both Debbie and I have and we love it.; Its the biggest one that they have which makes it perfect for bigger roasts, ribs, and bone broth.
- Ultra 8Qt 10-in-1 Instant Pot; This is the newest version.; To be honest, it doesnt matter to me that it can do 3 more functions, but what does matter is that with the Ultra version, you can adjust the pressure more, pressure cook for 6 hours , it has a really nice new display, it has a sterilizing function that would be helpful for baby bottles and such, and quite a few other nifty upgrades.; Its a little more $$ but that might be ok if it you would use the extra functions.
- Silicone Tongs you will need some of these to get your hot meat out of the instant pot when its done.; They are also pretty handy for holding onto the pulled pork while you shred it too.;;This is a set of 3 different sizes.
If youve tried this instant pot pulled pork recipe then dont forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.; We love hearing from you!
We love to see your creations!; Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on;
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How Do You Make Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is a very simple dish to make at home, and there are a few ways to make it even more quick and easy.
Pulled pork recipes start with basic seasonings that you probably already have at home.; I like to use a mixture of brown sugar, salt, garlic and onion powder, paprika, pepper, and cumin.
Once you have seasoned your meat, you will mix up your wet ingredients.; I prefer to use broth over water for added flavor.; Use your favorite type of barbecue sauce, and then a bit of apple cider vinegar.; The vinegar not only adds great flavor, but, the acid helps to tenderize the meat as it cooks!
After you have seasoned your meat, and mixed up your wet ingredients it’s time to get cooking!
This recipe, in particular, is for the Instant Pot.; If you don’t have an instant pot, I highly recommend that you try out my Crockpot Bourbon Bacon Pulled Pork and you can find the recipe for that right HERE.
What Liquid To Use
Liquid in your instant pot is necessary or else things will stick, burn and not be tender or moist.
You have some options here.
We chose to use 1 cup of water, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 tsp liquid smoke. When pressure cooking in an IP, because you need to have liquid in the pot.;
If you dont want to use water, then use chicken or beef broth or bone broth. That will also bump up the flavor of the pulled pork.;
You can leave out the vinegar, or use white vinegar instead.
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Tips On Cooking Shredded Pork
Cut the pork roast into smaller pieces rather than cooking it as one large piece, the meat will cook quicker and be more tender.
I make sure my pork is boneless, that way I can cut it easily. I have had occasions where I have purchased pork with the bone in and just cut around the bone as best I could to make the pieces smaller.
I used to cut it into 4 large chunks, now I cut it even smaller and find the meat is more tender and I dont need large strings of meat so cutting it smaller is now my go-to method.
Here Are Some Of My Favorite Ideas:
- Top a baked potato with a pat of butter and bbq pulled pork to have pulled pork potatoes!
- Char some tortillas, add pulled pork and some slaw to have pulled pork tacos!
- Jazz up breakfast by scrambling some eggs, adding pulled pork and cheese!
- Add some pulled pork to macaroni and cheese
- Top a burger with pulled pork the sky is the limit!
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How To Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork Tenderloin
Instant Pot Carnitas Ingredients
- Boneless Pork Butt or Pork Shoulder: You can use a pork butt or pork shoulder that is between 3 and 5 pounds.
- Seasoning Blend: A combination of dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Orange Juice and Lime Juice: These make the cooking liquid that flavors the pork and allows the Instant Pot to pressurize. This is all of the liquid that you need to add to the pot, since the pork will also release a lot of juices as it cooks.
- Onion and Garlic: These add more flavor, and the chopped onion almost melts into the juices as it pressure cooks.
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Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
Pressure cook the pork for 60 minutes on high pressure. If you are using pork tenderloin, cook it for 45 minutes on high pressure. When the cook time ends, let the Instant Pot sit for 15 minutes to naturally release most of the pressure. A natural release makes the meat more tender, and the pork will continue to cook during this time.
After 15 minutes, carefully turn the steam valve to venting and allow the rest of the steam and pressure to escape. Carefully open the lid of your Instant Pot and shred the pork. If desired, you can thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. See the full recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Pulled Pork Bbq Sauce
If you use BBQ sauce on your pulled pork in an instant pot, the first step is to cook the meat, and then when its all done, and shredded, then you can mix the sauce in with it.;
If you are worried about the sauce being cold right out of the refrigerator making your pulled pork cold, then a trick you can do is to pour your BBQ sauce into a saucepan and warm it up on the stove before pouring it over the meat.
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Amazing Instant Pot Pulled Pork
The most popular recipe on my entire site, The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, is now converted for the pressure cooker! If you love the original then make sure to try out the quick and easy Amazing Instant Pot Pulled Pork!
One of the most asked questions I get is how to convert slow cooker recipes for the pressure cooker and vice versa. So over the last few months I’ve been working on testing them out so that I can provide you the information you need to get a delicious meal on the table. Whether you prefer the Instant Pot or the slow cooker, my goal is to provide you simple to make recipes using wholesome ingredients that you will love making and serving to friends or family. This Amazing Instant Pot Pulled Pork is a slightly modified version of the original slow cooker version and turns out amazingly tender in the pressure cooker. I made this multiple times during the holiday season for parties and dinners and it was a hit every time.
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Cooking Time
Course: Main course
1. 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2. 2 teaspoon paprika
5. ¼ teaspoon cayenne
6. 2 teaspoons garlic powder
7. 2 teaspoons onion powder
;8. 1 teaspoon salt
9. 2 cups BBQ sauce, divided
10. 1 ¼ cup chicken or beef broth
11. 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
12. 3 pound boneless pork roast
13. 2 tablespoons olive oil
14. cup apple cider vinegar.
All ingredients can be added to your shopping list.
Step by step instructions
1. Mix together the cayenne, cumin, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Season the cubed pork with the spice mixture and set aside.
3. Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, together with the hot pepper sauce , 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of the BBQ sauce in a large bowl.
4. Turn your instant pot to the sautesetting.
5. Add the olive oil and allow it to get hot.
6. Add half of the cubed pork to the hot oil and saute for just 5 minutes. Make sure it turns brown on all sides.
7. Now remove the browned pork to a plate and repeat the same process with the other half of the cubed pork.
8. Turn off the pot. ;Use the remaining ¼ cup of beef broth and a wooden spoon to scrape off the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
9. Add all of the meat together with the BBQ sauce mixture to the instant pot.
10. Close the lid and set to sealing.
12. Carefully remove the meat from the instant pot and shred. ;After youve done that, add the rest of the barbeque sauce and serve on buns.
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What To Serve With Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
- Load up your pulled pork sandwich with some homemade coleslaw too. We have a recipe for a great keto coleslaw on our site.
- Macaroni and cheese is a favorite with pulled pork at our house.
- Cauliflower Mac & Cheese is an even healthier, yet yummy side dish.
- Baked beans are another favorite with pulled pork.
- A green tossed salad is always a winner with all foods.
- Potato salad.
- Macaroni salad.
- French Fries or Jicama Fries.
- Onion Rings. Take a look at our recipe for keto onion rings, which is one of our most popular recipes.
Pressure Cook Pork Shoulder Cubes
Add cubed pork shoulder with all the meat juice in the pressure cooker.
*Pro Tip:;Skin on vs Skin off ;Keeping the skin and fat cap on will keep the nearby meat very moist. Make sure to have the skin side facing up when;you put it in the pressure cooker.
However, the sauce will be very oily when you leave the skin and fat cap on. But, you can use a fat separator to remove the oil from the sauce before serving.
Close the lid and pressure cook at:
- Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 28 minutes, then 15 minutes Natural Release
Release the remaining pressure by turning the venting knob to venting position. O
pen the lid carefully.
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How To Shred Pulled Pork
Can add some more time if the meat isnt shredding easily?- meat should shred easily after the cook time. Leaner cuts may not shred as well. If this is the case, you can try adding increments of 10 minutes onto the cook time.
I used my stand mixer to shred the pork instead of forks. Its quick and easy, but be sure and remove as much fat from the pork as possible before shredding it in the mixer.
Is It Pork Butt Or Pork Shoulder
So what do your buy at the store to make pulled pork: pork butt, pork shoulder, or Boston butt? Bone-in or boneless?
Buying any of these options will result in the same flavorful pulled pork. Butt, shoulder and Boston butt are pretty much the same thing.. confusing, isnt it!?
All three are actually cut from the shoulder, hence pork shoulder. The pork butt, also known as Boston butt, comes from the same area but is a little higher on the foreleg.
Buying boneless or bone-in is up to you. Both will cook perfectly fine in your Instant Pot. Since you will be cutting the pork butt into cubes, you could cut the bone out if you prefer, but it is not totally necessary.
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