Instant Pot pulled pork is the best way to make a mouthwatering, tender pork dinner with minimal effort for you! Using a pressure cooker is much faster than your standard slow cooker. Prepare some side dishes while the pork is cooking and you'll have a full meal in no time!
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Instructions
Rinse and pat your pork shoulder butt (or pork loin, or pork tenderloin) dry using paper towels. In a small mixing bowl, add the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Next, coat the cubed boneless pork shoulder butt roast with the apple cider vinegar. Then season the pork generously with the seasoning mixture and set it aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1 cup of broth, and the optional liquid smoke and brown sugar, if using.
Turn on your Instant Pot and turn it to the saute setting. Add in the extra virgin olive oil (or tallow) and allow it to heat up.
Once heated, work in batches by adding half of the cubed pork into the Instant Pot. Saute for 5 minutes, making sure to rotate the pork in order to brown all of the sides. Once browned, transfer the pork to a plate and repeat with the second half of cubed pork.
Add in the remaining ⅓ cup of broth and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot by scraping all of the browned bits off of the bottom. Then, turn the Instant Pot off.
Next, add all of the browned meat back into the Instant Pot as well as the remaining sauce mixture.
Close the lid and set the valve to 'seal.'
Cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before switching the valve to 'vent' for a quick release.
Remove the cooked meat from the Instant Pot and shred it. Return it to the pot or a bowl along with the remaining 1 cup of barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pork loin or pork tenderloin can also be used, just cube up the meat until you have approximately the same weight. *Both of these options have less fat, so plan for that by adding a bit more oil, bacon grease, or tallow.
If you have a bone-in pork shoulder butt roast portion, cut the meat away and cube as you would a boneless portion.
To cook from frozen (still cubed) add 10 minutes per pound, so an additional 30 minutes for this recipe.
While you will set the Instant Pot to cook for 40 minutes, it will actually take longer than this because the timer does not begin until it has come to pressure. Depending on the size of your pot and the contents, the time for it to completely pressurize could range from 5 - 15 minutes.
Once your Instant Pot is done cooking, leave the valve set on to 'seal' for 10 minutes for a natural pressure release (NPR), then you can carefully open the valve for a quick pressure release.
Before serving, if you love crispy pulled pork bits, you can pan-fry the pulled pork. After searing, you can serve with or without additional BBQ sauce.
Save the juices for storing and reheating your instant pot pulled pork.
To store: Place any leftovers into a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Wrap your pork tightly and place it into a sealed freezer bag or a vacuum-sealed bag and store it in the freezer. Allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat: You can reheat your pulled pork in a slow cooker with a splash of broth or water on low heat for a few hours. Additionally, you can place it into a baking dish, add a little liquid, and cover it with foil before baking it in the oven at 225°F (110°C) until heated thoroughly.
Since cooking time may vary depending on the size of your roast, an Instant Pot can be sealed and cycled for a few more minutes if the pork is not fully cooked and ready to shred.