How To Shred The Pulled Pork
Once the pressure cooker pulled pork is done cooking, then its time to shred the meat, which is the fun part.
Just take 2 large forks and stick them in the meat, close by each other and pull the meat apart over and over again until it is all shredded into bite-sized pieces.
If there are any large pieces of fat then feel free to discard them.
NOTE: If the meat does not shred easily, then stick it back into the pot and cook it for another 10 minutes.
How To Make The Best Instant Pot Pulled Pork From Scratch
Recommended Pressure Cooking Time:
The cooking time might vary based on how thick the pork shoulder pieces are cut. In my opinion, its better to undercook the meat than overcooking as you can add additional cooking time later. Below you can find the general cooking time:
Why make Pulled Pork using your Instant Pot:
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Cooking Time
It doesnt take too long to cook pulled pork in an instant pot but its important to know the cooking time. A good guide that we go by when making this recipe is to cook it about 20 minutes per pound.
However, its not only the cooking time that is to be taken into consideration. There is searing time, which is about 10 minutes and time to release the pressure, which is about 15 minutes.
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How To Double Or Half The Recipe For Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
I have gotten a number of questions about doubling our reducing the size of the recipe. You can increase the meat without adding more liquid, just be sure not to fill the pot more than 2/3 full and make sure there is space around the sides of the pot so that it can come to pressure.
If you are using a smaller piece of meat, you will still want to use the same cook time, but just use half the barbecue sauce called for when cooking.
How To Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork:
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How To Make Pulled Pork In A Pressure Cooker
Ok, so weve all heard how amazing Instant Pots are but how do you make pulled pork in an Instant Pot?
For a traditional pulled pork recipe, you are required to cook the meat slowly to allow the pork protein to break down properly and achieve that juicy tenderness pulled pork is known for. However, since well be making an Instant Pot pulled pork recipe theres no need to stress about this part. The Instant Pot takes care of it.
All you have to do is
Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork For The Win
This Instant Pot pulled pork recipe is sure to become your go-to for mouthwatering pulled pork when it’s party time. Compared to other methods, it’s a quicker way to cook pork butt or shoulder and get the same juicy results.
Pressure cooker pulled pork is as easy as seasoning, searing, pressure cooking, and shredding and watching everyone devour it. It’s as juicy as slow cooker pulled pork, but cooks in fractions of the time.
Oh, and you better believe it makes the best pulled pork sliders and pulled pork sandwiches for summer BBQ’s and super bowl food! Of course, you’ll also want to grab these classic pulled pork sides!
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Other Easy Pressure Cooker Recipes
Browse all my instant pot recipes here.
Dont have a pressure cooker? Take a look at the recipe notes for how to use your slow cooker or oven for this recipe.
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Should You Brown The Pork First
This is totally up to you. If I have extra time, I would brown the pieces. Also, this bumps the flavor up a bit.
However, if you are short on time, simply skip this step. The end product will be just as delicious. Keep in mind, that when cooking frozen meat, youll want to skip browning it, as frozen meat does not brown well.
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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 youâve been on the fence about buying an Instant Pot, just do it. I promise you wonât be sorry!
How Long Does It Take To Cook Pulled Pork
Pressure cooker recipes can often be deceiving when it comes to cooking times, since many recipes dont account for the time it takes for it to come up to pressure. While this Instant Pot Pulled Pork technically cooks for 60 minutes, you should allow for 20-30 minutes more for it to come to pressure.
But if you were to make this recipe in your oven, it would take about 4 hours to cook .
In a slow cooker, it would take 4-8 hours.
This recipe takes less than 2 hours, including prep, for the most meltingly tender pulled pork ever!
What makes the Instant Pot perfect for this recipe is not only the shortened cooking time, but the fact that you can sear the meat directly in the pressure cooker before cooking it fully.
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How To Make Pulled Pork Healthy
All the steps and tips weve discussed so far work for any Instant Pot pulled pork recipe. But we dont want to make any kind of Instant Pot pulled pork. We want to make healthy pulled pork.
Authentic pulled pork requires a dry rub usually made with paprika, sugar, salt, and, sometimes, other spices. Were cool with the spices. Were cool with the rub too. But were not cool with the sugar. So were not going to use any.
We also dont want to add a ton of sugar-laden sauces to it so were keeping it as simple as possible using spice rubs and strong flavors to get the flavors to pop. Theres no reason to drown delicious pulled pork in sauce if you cook it right and its already full of flavor, ya know?
How To Shred Pork With A Food Processor
Shredding pork in a food processor takes seconds but its important to use the proper technique and blade to get perfect shreds. Heres how to do it:
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How To Cook Pulled Pork In The Instant Pot
Pork roasts generally come tied up or covered with a string or netting. This is to keep the meat together in one piece while it cooks. Youll want to remove those things, then rinse the meat with cold water and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Cut the meat into 3-4 smaller chunks, rather than cooking it whole. This will help the meat break down faster and results in a more flavorful and moist pork.
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.
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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.
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 Serve Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is so versatile and you can do endless things with it. Here are some of my favorite ways to make pulled pork into a complete meal.
- Pile the pulled pork on slider buns and top it with coleslaw and your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Serve it as a main meat dish along with a starch and a veggie, such as rice and green beans, and drizzle everything on your plate with the juices.
- Make carnitas by frying the pulled pork in a skillet with oil until crispy and serve on tacos with chopped red onion and cilantro.
- Use it as a pizza topping along with some pickled jalapeños and pineapple, like a Hawaiian pizza.
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.
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Diets This Recipe Is Good For
- Paleo Pulled pork is a perfect fit for paleo as long as you do not add traditional store-bought BBQ sauce on it. Take a look at our recipe for keto BBQ sauce.
- Gluten-free There is no gluten in pork or in anything else in this recipe, as long as you check out the ingredients in the BBQ sauce. You can feel free to also look at making our recipe for homemade keto BBQ sauce.
- Sugar-free There is no need to add any sugar to instant pot pulled pork.
- Nut-free There are not any nuts in instant pot pulled pork.
- Dairy-free There is no need for any dairy products in our recipe for instant pot pulled pork.
- Low Carb This is one of those good recipes for low carb because its only 0.8 carbs per ½ cup.
How I Make This Recipe
Pulled pork is super easy to make in the Instant Pot and turns out the juiciest, crowd-pleasing, delicious grub in a few simple steps.
To start, trim the pork and cut into pieces if it’s too large for your Instant Pot like I did in these photos. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Then combine the dry rub spices and coat the pork on all sides.
Sear all sides of each piece of pork using the ‘Saute’ setting in the Instant Pot. Deglaze the pot by adding a splash of broth and scrape the brown bits off the bottom. This is “liquid gold”).
Pressure cook the pork on HIGH for 45 min pressure cook with 15 min natural pressure release .
Transfer pork pieces to a tray or bowl. Shred the pork into smaller, bite-sized pieces with meat claws or two forks. Serve warm.
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The Steps To Make Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
Start with a pork shoulder roast that you have trimmed most of the fat off of. Then cut it into 1-pound chunks. Pictured is a 3-pound roast, so I cut it in 3 equal pieces. This will ensure even cooking, and faster results. Use whatever size roast you have, but cut it into the 1-pound chunks.
Rub the spice rub mixture onto all sides of the pieces generously, and place in the pot on top of the onions and liquid .
When finished cooking, remove the pieces of meat to a bowl and use 2 forks to shred the meat. It will be very tender. Then season a little more, add back some of the cooking liquid, and serve .
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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Making Pulled Pork Meal Prep
Okay, so we have all these delicious protein recipes for pulled pork, but how do we store it so it doesnt go to waste?? Here are some tips for how to make pulled pork meal prep for the entire week.
- As for the leftovers, store them in meal prep containers in the fridge for later use.
- Stored properly, in an airtight container, pulled pork lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Can you freeze pulled pork to store longer? Yes! Keep reading for tips.
- Dont throw away the leftover sauce! Youll need it later.
What Kind Of Pork For Instant Pot Pulled Pork
What is the best kind of pork for Instant Pot pulled pork you ask? I recommend looking for one that has a nice amount of fat! Hear me out, fat is going to help keep your pulled pork tender, moist, and add in a nice amount of flavor. Depending on where you live will depend on what type of roast is available and what they are called.
- Shoulder Butt
- Blade Roast
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Should You Brown The Pork Before Putting It In The Instant Pot
Ok so its not a make it or break it matter, but personally, I feel like browning the pork before putting it in the instant pot really bumps up the flavor of the meat. So if you have the time, I say go ahead and do it!
However, if you are adding a completely frozen pork butt, then skip this step. It just doesnt come out right when its frozen.
