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    Home » Instant Pot Pulled Pork

    April 9, 2019 Football Recipes

    Instant Pot Pulled Pork

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    If you're looking for something to make in your Instant Pot, pork shoulder is a great place to start!  Instant Pot Pulled Pork is a great shredded pork recipe for both new and seasoned Instant Pot users alike.  PLUS, I've got two new recipes for BBQ Sauce to serve with it linked at the bottom of this post.

    Jump to Recipe
    Instant Pot Pulled Pork in front of the Instant Pot with buns

    One problem I've run into with the Instant Pot is that often recipes come out, well ... bland.  I've seen a lot of recipes for pulled pork in the pressure cooker that involve using some kind of barbecue sauce, but I really don't like cooking my meat directly in the sauce the first go 'round.  

    I prefer to season the meat with a dry rub, and then either simmer the already cooked and shredded pork in my sauce of choice, or set out sauces and let people choose if they want to cover it in sauce, or absolutely nothing at all.

    Instant Pot Pork Shoulder

    What cut of pork is best for pulled pork?

    Call it Pork Shoulder, Pork Butt, or as it's called here most often in South Carolina: Boston Butt - whatever you call it - it's simply the best choice for pulled pork.  When choosing a pork shoulder to cook in your Instant Pot, I greatly prefer a boneless pork shoulder to the bone-in options, as the bone ( although it adds great flavor ) messes with the reliability in the cooking time for me.

    Pork Shoulder with Rub

    How to cook pulled pork in the Instant Pot

    Select a boneless pork shoulder between two and five pounds.   Cut the pork into roughly half pound chunks ( so a two pound roast would be cut into four pieces and a five pound roast should be cut into ten).  As long as you stay in that weight range and cut the meat into chunks, the cooking time should stay the same for Instant Pot Pulled Pork.

    Turn the Instant Pot on to Sauté, and pour a beer into the liner.  I like to use a brown ale like Newcastle for this, but use whatever you drink, keeping in mind that the flavors of the beer will go into the pork, and bitter or fruity beer will mean bitter or fruity pork! 

    Pressure Cook Pulled Pork

    Reduce the beer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, to burn off the alcohol.  Once the 8 minutes are up, press Cancel on the Instant Pot, cover the meat in dried spices, add the pork chunks to the pot, close the lid, and set it to Sealing.  Press the Manual / Pressure Cook button and set the timer for 60 minutes.

    Instant Pot Pork Shoulder Ready to be Shredded

    Once 60 minutes have passed, let the pot sit for 20 more minutes untouched ( e.g. 20 minute Natural Pressure Release ), then carefully open the sealing valve to release the rest of the pressure.  Shred the meat with two forks, and let the meat sit in the cooking juices until ready to serve.

    Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sandwich

    The Best Sauces for Instant Pot Pork Shoulder:

    • Carolina Gold ( Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce )
    • Carolina Red Sauce ( Spicy Vinegar and Tomato BBQ Sauce ) 

    If you like Instant Pot Pulled Pork, you might also like these other recipes:

    • Oven Baked Ribs
    • Dry Rib Rub ( great on pulled pork too! )
    Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sandwich

    Instant Pot Pulled Pork

    The BEST Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe and How to Make Pulled Pork in your Instant Pot! 
    4.53 from 19 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Instant Pot, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Instant Pot Pulled Pork
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Natural Pressure Release: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 8 people
    Author: Marianne

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces beer brown ale or lager
    • 4 lb boston butt ( pork shoulder ) boneless
    • 1 Tablespoon chili powder
    • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
    • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
    • 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
    • 2 teapoons salt
    • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
    • 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

    Instructions

    • Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Pour in the beer.  Let the beer sit in the pot on Sauté mode for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • While the beer is reducing in the pot, cut the boneless pork shoulder into roughly ½ pound chunks.
      Combine all of the spices and sugar and rub them on all sides of the meat chunks.
    • Place the meat chunks into the simmering beer in the Instant Pot.  Add any leftover spice rub and the apple cider vinegar as well.
      Lock the lid onto the pot and set the vent to Sealing.
    • Press cancel to turn off the Sauté function, and then hit Pressure Cook / Manual.  Set the timer for 60 minutes.
      After 60 minutes, let the pot naturally release for 20 minutes ( this means just let it sit and the timer on the pot will go from counting down to counting up. )  Once the timer hits 20 minutes, release the rest of the pressure by carefully opening the sealing valve.
    • Once the pin drops and the pressure is released, open the lid and shred the pork in the pot with the juices with two forks.  Let the pork sit in the juices until ready to serve.

    Notes

    If serving later, you can let the pork cool off in the pot, and then store covered in the fridge.  Before reheating, remove any fat that as accumulated in the dish.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @basilandbubbly or tag #basilandbubbly!
    « Carolina Gold Sauce ( Mustard BBQ Sauce )
    Vinegar Based Barbecue Sauce ( Carolina BBQ Sauce ) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tammy Houghton says

      January 03, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is truly the best I've ever made! The pork has great flavor and so moist. Never making this again in the crockpot...instant pot all the way!

      Reply
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    My name is Marianne, and I'm two parts food, one part booze, and a dash of snark. I live in Atlanta, GA with my two cats. My personal motto: Champagne and stretchy pants. Sign up for my mailing list to keep up with the new and seasonal recipes!

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