Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Fall apart tender and full of flavor, this instant pot pulled pork is a gamechanger! With just a handful of simple ingredients and a few easy steps you can have delicious pulled pork in a fraction of the time it would take to slow cook. Searing the pork locks in all the flavor of the rub, resulting in incredibly moist and flavorful meat. Perfect for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, or just served with your favorite sides!
KEY INGREDIENTS:
Pork: Whenever you are making pulled pork, you want to use a pork butt/shoulder roast. Both pork butt and pork shoulder roasts are cut from the shoulder of the pig. Because that section of meat is thick, it can be tough if not cooked properly. That being said, method I use in this recipe is foolproof.
Seasonings: I like to make my own dry rub using seasonings that I always have on hand. The paprika, chili powder, and cumin give the pulled pork a sweet, smoky flavor that is SO good! If you need to, you can use a store-bought seasoning. I would recommend something with a southwest flavor.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This seems like a strange ingredient to add, but it is very necessary. Like I said before, this is a tougher cut of meat, so it needs a lot of help breaking down all of the connective tissue to make it as tender as possible. Using the apple cider vinegar helps to tenderize the pulled pork and keep it super juicy. And no, I promise your pork will not taste like vinegar!
Tips and Tricks:
Searing: This is a really important step when making any type of meat in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Searing the meat creates a golden brown crust on the outside of the meat changing the molecular structure of that outer layer. This crust acts as a barrier to lock in all of the flavor and moisture to ensure the meat stays tender and juicy.
I like to sear my pork in a stainless steel skillet rather than the instant pot for a few reasons. First, my skillet is bigger allowing me to sear more pork in a shorter amount of time. And second, I do not like that I cannot control the temperature of the sauté setting on my instant pot. That being said, you can use whichever you prefer.
Pressure Cooking: Pressure cooking allows you to get the same results as a slow cooker in a fraction of the time. One thing to keep in mind whenever you are pressure cooking meat is the natural pressure release. You want to ensure the pressure value of your instant pot is on “sealed” while you are pressure cooking. This will still release a small amount of steam, but it needs to stay on sealed to keep all of the pressure in the pot. In addition, once your pork is finished cooking, you do not want to immediately release all of that pressure. Doing so, will cause your meat to be tough. Instead, once your meat is cooked allow the pressure to naturally release for 20-30 minutes. This will allow your meat to come back down to room temperature gradually and therefore there won’t be a shock to the meat.
CHECK OUT MY OTHER RECIPES:
Yiayia’s Marinated Bean Salad
Greek-Style Cinnamon Rolls
Quick and Easy Chicken Piccata
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 boneless pork shoulder/butt roast about 7-8 lbs.
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp oregano
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ½ tbsp cumin
- 1 cup barbecue sauce any kind
- 3 tbsp mustard any kind
- 1 cup bone broth
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp oil
Instructions
- PREP THE RUB: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, chili powder, and cumin. Set aside.
- PREP THE SAUCE: In another small bowl, combine the barbecue sauce and mustard. Set aside.
- PREP THE PORK: Prepare the pork by cutting it into 1 lb pieces. This is to make the pork more manageable to work with; the size doesn’t need to be exact. Then, score the fat cap by making shallow cuts into the fat in a checkerboard pattern. You want to keep a thin layer of fat to add flavor, but anything more than ½ inch thick can be trimmed then scored. Sprinkle the rub all over the pieces of pork. Be sure to get some of the rub on every side of the pork.
- SEAR THE PORK: Set the instant pot to sauté and add the oil. Place a few pieces of pork into the instant pot and sear on all sides until golden brown. This is not meant to cook the pork all the way through; we are just looking to lock in the flavor by adding some color. Once the pork is seared remove it from the instant pot and set aside. Continue until all of the pork pieces have been seared.
- PRESSURE COOK: When all of the pork has been browned and removed from the instant pot, turn off the instant pot to cool. After 5 minutes, add the bone broth and apple cider vinegar to the bottom of the instant pot. Place a trivet in the bottom of the instant pot and begin to pile the pork on top of the trivet. As you place each piece of pork into the instant pot, brush it with the sauce mixture. Continue until all of the pork is in the instant pot. Place the lid on the instant pot and set to manual high pressure for 1 hour. When the pork is finished, allow the instant pot to naturally release the pressure for 20-30 minutes.
- SHRED THE PORK: Remove the lid from the instant pot and pull the pork out. I like to pull the whole trivet out instead of picking up each piece of pork because they will fall apart. Then, begin to shred the pork using two forks. At this point, remove any of the fat that hasn’t rendered down.
- SERVE: Serve the pork in a sandwich or anyway you like.
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