Tender, mouthwatering pulled pork in under 1.5 hours. Yes, you read that right. Thanks to the Instant Pot, you can have pulled pork sandwiches or tacos on a weeknight.
I think that I have said this before, but it bears repeating. Pulled pork is one of the most delicious foods on the planet. I shared a recipe in January for a low and slow, fork-tender braised pulled pork with you. Today I want to let you know that if don’t have 5 hours to dedicate to a meal, your Instant Pot is the kitchen appliance to turn to.
You can have tender, mouthwatering pulled pork on the table in under 1.5 hours with this simple recipe.
Tips For Amazing Pulled Pork
There are a couple of things that I do want to point out that will make this simple recipe hugely successful.
The first is to make sure that you cut the pork shoulder into at least 6 pieces. This will ensure that the pork is cooked to a pull-apart-tender doneness. If you leave it whole, it will take longer to cook.
The second tip is to season the meat liberally with the spice mixture. Don’t skip this step. We are building layers of flavor and this one’s important.
Note that there is an optional step near the beginning of this recipe. This step has you sear the pork shoulder pieces. This adds a little bit of flavor and is a traditional way of cooking cuts of meat like pork shoulder. However, I don’t find that it is really necessary. If I want that kind of brown and crusty pork roast, I roast it in the oven and do the reverse sear method like this. That gets such a great crust on the pork. But, if I want quick and delicious, mostly hands-free pulled pork, then I skip the browning and get the Instant Pot pressure-cooking as quickly as possible.
How To Serve Instant Pot Pulled Pork
As I mentioned in the pulled pork post in January, there are so many things that you can make with pulled pork. Once you have shredded your tender cooked pork, you can always use it in sandwiches and tacos. But I also love to serve it over grits or polenta, or in enchiladas or quesadillas. You can get even more creative and mix it into your mac and cheese, make a BBQ pulled pork pizza, or top a rice bowl with it!
Whether you choose to serve the pulled pork on a bun, in a tortilla, or over grits, this recipe and your Instant Pot are all you need for endless pulled pork creations. I’d love to hear how you served it in the comments below.
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Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Tender, mouthwatering pulled pork in under 1.5 hours. Yes, you read that right. Thanks to the Instant Pot, you can have pulled pork sandwiches or tacos on a weeknight.
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this Instant Pot Pulled Pork, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 and ½ tsp. salt, divided
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 (4 lb.) pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 6 pieces
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil (optional)
- 2 and ¾ cups water
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground mustard
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, the paprika, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper. Season the pork with the spice mix. Set aside.
- OPTIONAL STEP: Add oil to the pot and select Sauté to pre-heat. When the indicator says Hot, add the pork shoulder pieces to the pot cooking in two or three batches. Brown on all sides. Remove from the inner pot and continue until all of the pork pieces have been browned. Set aside. Scrape up any browned bits from the pot so that they are not stuck. The Instant Pot will end up with a burn notice if any of that remains. The water in the next step can also help to remove it.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté on low and to the pot add the water, tomato paste, vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, chili powder, ground mustard, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Add the pork to the inner pot. Close and lock the lid. Make sure the steam release handle is in the sealed position.
- Select Pressure Cook and cook on High. Set 1 hour of pressure cooking time.
- When time is up, turn the steam release handle to the venting position and allow steam to escape. When the valve has dropped, unlock the lid and open carefully. Remove pork to a large bowl.
- Switch the Instant Pot to Sauté and simmer the juices for about 15 minutes until reduced by about half.
- While the juices are simmering, use 2 forks to shred the pork.
- Add 2 cups of the reduced cooking liquid into the shredded pork and season with salt and pepper as desired.
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