Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe:
As far as meat, I typically use a pork loin roast.; You can also use a pork shoulder if that is your preference.; A lot of people worry about a pork roast becoming tender enough.; As long as you use the right method and ingredients, it turns out absolutely perfect every time!
My general method has always been to slow cook pulled pork, like in the recipe I linked to above.; But, since I’ve become a huge fan of my instant pot, I wanted to try cooking it that way.; Happy to say it turned out great!
If you have time you will add your rub to your cubed pork roast, seal it in a bag, and let it marinate for a good 30-60 minutes before cooking for maximum flavor.; When I make pulled pork in my crockpot, I find that marinating isn’t necessary because all of those flavors slow cook together for hours.; However, for instant pot pulled pork, marinating really is the way to go.
Next, you will heat up your oil right in your pot, sear the meat in batches until browned on all sides.; It won’t need to be cooked through at that point.
Then, you will want to use a small amount of beef broth to deglaze the bottom of your pot.; If you don’t you may end up with that dreaded “burn” warning during cooking.
To deglaze, you’ll simply pour the broth right into the bottom of the instant pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape all of those brown bits off.; This also adds great flavor to continue seasoning your meat as it cooks.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
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.
How To Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Making this pulled pork in Instant Pot recipe is a breeze.
Make the dry rub
Add the brown sugar and spices to a large bowl and mix together.
Prepare the pork
If you have a bone-in pork butt, trim away the pork meat and fat. Cut into four even-sized pieces.
If you have a boneless pork butt, cut the pork into four even-sized chunks.
Make sure to weigh your pork after trimming so you’ll know how to estimate Instant Pot pulled pork cooking time.
Coat the pork with the rub
Now add pork to the dry rub bowl and toss until well coated.
I usually do this with my hands. But you can do this with tongs if you dont want to get messy.
Brown the pork
Turn Instant Pot to Sauté setting. Add the olive oil until hot.
Add pork pieces to the Instant Pot and brown on all sides. You’ll need about 2 minutes for each side to get nice and brown.
Searing helps create a crispy, caramelized surface. This gives a nice texture to the pulled pork. It also adds a smoky flavor to the pulled pork recipe, making this an important step.
I make my slow cooker pulled pork without searing the meat beforehand and it’s very tasty. So, you could probably skip this step. But it only adds like 10 minutes to the prep time – and that delicious smoky flavor. So it’s worth it.
Once all the pieces of pork are browned, remove, and set the pork aside.
Deglaze the Instant Pot
Pressure cook the pork
Place the chunks of pork back into the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on High pressure for 60 minutes.
Do a Natural Release
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Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork Cooking Time
I call for a much longer cooking time in my Instant Pot pork than some of the other recipes out there. Why? 115 minutes produces super tender gluten-free pulled pork that shreds easily. A shorter cooking time will create tougher meat I dont know about you, but I prefer my pulled pork melt-in-your-mouth tender!
Can You Overcook Pork In A Pressure Cooker
Unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, theres no going back. Because the size dictates how quickly the heat will get to the center of the meat. A roast, for example, has the longest distance for heat to travel from the outside to the center of the meat. And, thats about 45 minutes.
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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.
Pressure Cooker Pork Butt
Seriously, cooking our pressure cooker pork butt to be used for BBQ pulled pork most definitely makes the BEST pulled pork recipe out there! While many serious meat masters slow cook or smoke meat all. day. long. many of us dont have time for that. Making instant pot pulled pork is the next best way to get meat that will have everyone believing you slow cooked it like a grill master!;
Our recipe even gives you the prized crispy burnt ends by doing a quick sear of the seasoned meat before cooking it under pressure. Once you make instant pot shredded pork, youll never go back to any other method!!
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Why Youll Love This Recipe
Carnitas The Easy Way
According to Wikipedia, Carnitas are made by braising or simmering pork in oil or preferably lard until tender.;
You guys, I have been doing this carnitas thing all wrong! I do NOT simmer my pork roast in lard or oil!
But guess what? My recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Pork still tastes a LOT like traditional carnitas–tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Just minus the lard and the HOURS of work!
So while this recipe may not be traditional, it is easy and delicious–and everyone loves these Instant Pot Carnitas!
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What Should I Serve With This
- Salsa Verde, this is my favorite salsa and tastes fantastic with pork!
- Mexican Rice just about the most perfect Mexican side dish, serve the pork alongside it, or just pile some on top of a bowl and enjoy.
- replace the chicken in this Enchilada Recipe for a delicious meal.
- Empanadas fill them with this pork for a great flavor!
- The BEST Potato Salad, great if you want to serve this pork on a bun with bbq sauce and have a quick bbq without heat up the grill.
Corn and pork go hand in hand
- Homemade Cornbread is ALWAYS a great idea
- or how about Pan-Roasted Corn
If youre looking to eat this low carb, just pile the pork on top of a bowl of shredded cabbage and then add your favorite toppings. I eat it this way if Im avoiding the carbs. If you want to see more of my LOW-CARB recipes click here.
And if you love your Instant Pot as much as I do be sure to look at my post on cooking chicken in a pressure cooker.
Cut The Pork Roast Into Pieces
If you try to cook the entire pork roast in the Instant Pot, it will take around 120 minutes of pressure to cook it completely. Remember, for GOOD pulled pork you have to render the fat out of the meat, and not have it still in the meat for sandwiches.
- For a whole roast that is 3-5 pounds, it can take up to 120 minutes of high-pressure cooking. You can absolutely cook the pork this way, I often do, when I dont need something ready for 2 hours.
- If you cut the roast into smaller pieces, it will take around 60 minutes of high-pressure cooking. This is better for when you have less time for the roast to cook.
- For smaller roasts cut the roast in half, or quarters, and cook for 45-50 minutes high pressure.
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Variations On Pulled Pork:
Whether you have an Instant Pot or a slow cooker, one of the things that makes pulled pork recipes so ideal is how versatile they are!;
- Experiment with your favorite dry seasonings and make a homemade pork rub or or try a commercial; spice rub made specifically for pork. You can also substitute other types of juice, like in this recipe for Slow Cooker Pineapple Pulled Pork.
- Soda such as cola and Dr. Pepper can also be used in pulled pork recipes, as the pork cooks the sweetness develops depth no one will be able to guess your secret ingredient!
- This Pulled Pork is naturally dairy and gluten free, just be sure to double check all of your ingredients if serving to guests with allergies
- I often use a pork loin in place of pork shoulder or pork blade roast as listed here. It is not typically used for pulled pork as it is a leaner cut of meat, but I find it cooks up perfectly tender in the Instant Pot and is a great inexpensive swap if you cant find pork shoulder.
Different Variations Of This Recipe
Instant pot shredded pork is very versatile and there are a few variations that will change up the taste a little bit.
- No Sauce Pulled Pork Just seasoned meat without any BBQ sauce.;;;;;;
- Carolina Pulled Pork Made with vinegar sauce and crushed red pepper for an extra kick.
- Pulled Pork Carnitas Made with a sweet or tart citrus fruit juice such as orange or lime, along with garlic and onions.
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How To Make Instant Pot Shredded Pork
Gather your ingredients:
In a bowl mix brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin.
Season pork with this mixture on all sides and set aside.
Take another bowl and whisk together apple cider vinegar, bbq sauce, 1 cup broth.
Turn on the instant pot and select sauté. Heat the oil.
Once the oil is heated add pork in the instant pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
Remove the meat to a plate.
Turn off the instant pot and add the remaining broth in it to deglaze.;
Add pork again in the instant pot.
Add liquid mixture from the bowl to the instant pot.
Close the lid of the instant pot.
Set the instant pot to Manual at high pressure for 50 minutes, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes.
Do a quick release.
Remove meat from instant pot and shred.
Stir it with bbq sauce.
Serve and enjoy!
Finishing Instant Pot Pulled Pork
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An Easy Instant Pot Dinner
When it comes to making dinner, easy and flavorful are two of the most important things. Not only does this Instant Pot Pork Roast have amazing flavor, its also an easy dinner to pull together with meat, potatoes and veggies all in one. I truly love this dish!
The seasonings added to simple dishes like this one are so important, as they turn potentially bland ingredients into a stand-out dinner. The flavors in the pork roast spice rub are fantastic, with just enough spice and sweetness. Then you have the balsamic sauce, which is so good you could drink it and is an absolute must, as it pulls all the flavors together and truly tops off the dish.
With everything cooked together, this is essentially the instant pot version of a one-pot meal. It does have the extra step of searing the roast prior to cooking and while it takes a little extra time, its absolutely worth it. It adds extra flavor that really elevates this pot roast. You could skip it if youre really tight on time, but youll need to add more cooking time.
When the roast is done, just transfer to a serving platter and dinner is ready! Perfect for busy weeknights or even Sunday dinner!
Making Easy Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork In An Instant Pot
An Insta Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use and your Instant Pot can help you create these delicious Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork!
Since this is such an easy recipe, Ive gotten a number of repeat questions over the years. Heres what you need to know:
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How Do You Make Pulled Pork In An Instant Pot Or Pressure Cooker
- Cut pork roast into 4 equal pieces. Combine in pressure cooker with Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, or Root Beer.
- Stir together bbq sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder and pour over pork.
- Cover and set to pressure cook setting for 45 minutes. Use natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Uncover pressure cooker and shred pork. Transfer pork to a bowl, discard juices, and stir bbq sauce into pork.
- Serve on hamburger buns.
What If I Get The Dreaded Burn Notice
If you get a burn notice on your pressure cooker this means that there isnt enough liquid at the bottom of your Instant Pot.
Add a few more tablespoons of broth and you should be good to go when you make pulled pork.
However, if there is enough liquid, you could have some food debris around the pot or lid rim preventing you from getting a good seal.
Give the lid and pot rim a good going over before you put on the lid. Clean it off with a wet paper towel just in case.
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What Cut Of Meat For Pulled Pork
Boneless pork shoulder is the go to cut of pork meat for pulled pork sandwiches. You can also use a whole picnic bone-in pork shoulder.
**Pro Tip: For the Instant Pot, you will have to cut the pork into large chunks in order to fit it all in. You can ask your butcher to cut it for you if you want!**
Pork loin is another option for cooking BBQ pulled pork if you cant find the pork shoulder at your local market.
Our suggestion is to use pork shoulder since the pork shoulder has a great amount of collagen and fat. This helps the pork to tenderize and keep your pork extra moist.
Instant Pot Vs Crock Pot/slow Cooker
This recipe will work just fine in an;Instant Pot, another brand of pressure cooker, or a slow cooker/crock pot.
I personally find that the;Instant Pot;keeps meat even more tender and juicy than a crock pot/slow cooker. The Instant Pot locks in the juices during the pressure-cooking, unlike the crock pot/slow cooker, where some of the juices escape and evaporate while cooking.
If youve been on the fence about buying an Instant Pot, just do it. I promise you wont be sorry!
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Best Damn Instant Pot Pulled Pork
This is the best damn pulled pork recipe ive ever made. Yes, you read that correctly. And its made in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker!
Pulled pork is something you always see on those barbecue competition shows where people go to great lengths to prepare and cook with all kinds of methods. Most often, these methods require huge pieces of equipment, lots of space , and a ton of time and commitment to make. Now dont get me wrong, you have an opportunity to sink you teeth into pork thats been cooked this way, its an experience thats simply a festival of flavor youll never forget. Many of the best real BBQ joints will start making their pulled pork days ahead of time and when its ready to eat, people line up. And when these places run out of food for the day, thats it until next time.
In the last couple of years, along comes electric pressure cookers such as the Instant Pot and people go crazy for these things! And theres a reason for that because they open up all new possibilities for making incredible food. Pulled pork is tops on my list of favorite foods to make with an Instant Pot. From start to finish, it can be done in under 2 hours. No kidding!
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