Step Aside, Slow Cooker!
I’m sure you’ve had slow-cooker pulled pork, but have you had instant pot pulled pork? It’s my favorite way to enjoy pulled pork FAST! Using a pressure cooker makes the process so quick and easy (less than 30 minutes is prep work, and the rest is just letting the pressure cooker do its thing), much faster than hours in the slow cooker or oven. The whole process takes just over an hour (most of that is hands-off), and once the pork is done cooking, you’ll simply shred it, top with additional sauce or broth (if desired) and serve! I love to make a sandwich out of mine (using homemade burger buns, if I have time) with coleslaw and pickles, and typically a side of broccoli salad or macaroni salad, too! Add a tall glass of ice cold lemonade, and you’ve got a refreshing and satisfying summertime meal in no time!
Why You Should Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Still so easy–the pressure cooker does most of the work!Super flavorful (searing the meat before cooking makes a big difference!).Easily shreds and melts in your mouth–just like slow-cooked pulled pork!Customizable; make it as moist as you like, add your favorite sauce or seasonings, and control the heat level to suit your taste.
What You Need
If you’ve made my slow cooker BBQ chicken, you’ll recognize a few of these ingredients and their purpose. We need a few carefully selected ingredients to make sure our pulled pork is flavorful and tender:
Pork. Pork shoulder is my preferred cut to use for instant pot pulled pork. If you can’t find shoulder, pork butt/Boston butt can be used instead; I don’t recommend any other cut of meat. In the video, you can see I do not need to trim the fat off my pork shoulder, as mine is typically sold with the fat already removed. You do not need to remove the fat unless yours comes with the skin/fat cap intact (it will be obvious). Fat that is intramuscular/thickly marbled throughout should be left; it adds flavor while cooking then is easy to remove as you’re shredding the pork. Brown sugar. Just a small amount adds sweetness and a slightly caramelized flavor. I use light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand or for richer flavor!Smoked paprika. This adds a subtle smoky flavor that I love. You can substitute regular paprika in a pinch. Apple cider vinegar. Not only does vinegar complement the sweetness from the brown sugar, but it also tenderizes the meat. BBQ sauce. I highly recommend using my homemade BBQ sauce for this instant pot pulled pork recipe. It’s quick and easy to make, and it tastes so much better than store-bought.
SAM’S TIP: Feel free to toss a diced yellow onion in with the meat before cooking if you like onion in your pulled pork! Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork
SAM’S TIP: Don’t crowd your meat when searing and make sure you get a nice deep golden brown color on every side. Searing helps give the pork great flavor, so don’t skip this step if you can help it! Have you enjoyed the savory recipes I’ve been sharing this week? Comment below to let me know if you try over Memorial Day weekend! 👇 Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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