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Whip up tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork in a quarter of the time with my Instant Pot Pulled Pork recipe! Sear, pressure cook, and serve all out of the same pot for the easiest, fastest pulled pork you'll ever serve.
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Tools to Make Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot
- An instant pot or pressure cooker. If you use a regular pressure cooker you'll need to brown the meat in a skillet.
- A wooden spoon for stirring and scraping up the browned bits.
- Two forks for shredding the meat.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Pork Loin: Pork tenderloin is perfect for the Instant Pot because it's a smaller cut than pulled pork classics like pork shoulder or pork butt. If you have a larger cut, you'll want to cut it into pieces so they fit. I don't recommend bone-in as it takes a longer time for the bone to cook.
- Olive oil: A little oil helps the meat get nicely browned. You can use other types of oil, but choose one with a high smoke point.
- Beef broth: A must when you're using pork loin, which has less fat than other cuts! If you're using pork shoulder or boston butt, you can add less broth. For stronger flavors, use beef stock or beer. Chicken broth works in a pinch if you add worcestershire sauce.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite bbq sauce, or make your own! I like using homemade sweet barbecue sauce.
- Pulled pork seasoning: My homemade pulled pork rub! I've included all the ingredients in the recipe card, as well.
Optional Add-ins
- Red onion: Chopping in a red onion adds zest and flavor.
- Beans: Drain a can of beans and cook them with the sauce for added fiber!
- Corn: Sweet and perfect with BBQ, adding frozen corn to the instant pot flavors the corn and sweetens the pork.
Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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Tips for Making Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot
- Make sure to add enough liquid. Pork loin doesn't have as much excess fat as other common pulled pork cuts and needs extra liquid added to ensure there's enough juice for the pork to cook in.
- To further boost the flavors, add a dash of apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, extra spices, and Worcestershire sauce.
- If you're cooking a particularly large pork loin or using larger cuts of meat, make sure to brown it in batches.
- If you're using pork shoulder, you may need to skim or pour off excess fat after it's done cooking, as it's a very fatty cut.
- Always sear the meat first! Pressure cooking the meat without searing it can leave it tasting bland. This is true of all braised or stewed meat recipes, so I always recommend searing first.
How to Store Leftover Pulled Pork
- Refrigerator: Pack shredded pork with extra sauce into airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Pulled pork freezes exceptionally well and I highly recommend storing leftovers from large batches in the freezer for later. Store in serving-sized airtight containers or freezer safe bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Frozen pulled pork is best thawed in the fridge overnight, but you can place it in a saucepan over very low heat with a lid and extra liquid and heat until thawed and warmed through.
- Reheating: Pulled pork can easily be warmed up in the microwave in 1-minute bursts, mixing each minute.
FAQ
My favorite cut is pork loin, which works beautifully for pulled pork as it's easy to shred and has tons of flavor. However, you can't beat the tenderness and cost effectiveness of boston butt or pork shoulder, which are also wonderful and shred easily.
It's all about adding liquid. Even after the pulled pork is done cooking it's a good idea to add a little more liquid so it doesn't dry out as it cools down. When storing leftover pulled pork, make sure to add some extra sauce.
How to Serve Pulled Pork
- Pile it on a tortilla for a cheesy, melty pulled pork quesadilla!
- Bust out the flatbread for easy pulled pork pizzas!
- Wrap it up with extra fillings for pulled pork burritos!
- Get creative with it and try out pulled pork poutine!
- Who can resist pulled pork nachos?
- And of course, the classic: pulled pork sandwiches! Break out the buns, pile on the pulled pork, and top them with crunchy, creamy coleslaw. Top them off with fresh sliced avocado and serve them with root beer for a little taste of picnic heaven!
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
All pulled pork recipes are delicious, but only Instant Pot pulled pork is fast! If you know me, you know I can't get enough of a good pulled pork dinner. But if you know me, you also know I'm constantly running around and don't always have hours to cook up dinner!
That's why I'm so obsessed with making pulled pork in the Instant Pot! Pressure cooker pulled pork takes only an hour and turns out just as juicy and delicious. Plus, by using the Instant Pot's saute feature, you can brown the meat right in the pot, capturing the absolute best of the flavor.
Looking for a quick meal prep recipe or the perfect pulled pork for sandwiches? Look no further! I promise you'll take one bite and never look back!
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lb Pork loin roast
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1½ cups Barbecue sauce
- 1 cup Beef broth
- Pulled pork seasoning
Pulled Pork Seasoning
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon Onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon Smoked paprika
- ½ Tablespoon Dry mustard
- ½ Tablespoon Cumin
Instructions
- Season your pork roast with my homemade pulled pork seasoning on all sides evenly.2 lb Pork loin roast,¼ cup Brown sugar,1 Tablespoon Garlic powder,1 Tablespoon Onion powder,1 Tablespoon Smoked paprika,½ Tablespoon Dry mustard,½ Tablespoon Cumin
- Turn your Instant Pot to saute and add in the olive oil. Once your oil is hot, sear your pork on all sides. After searing to your liking, set pork aside.1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- Turn the Instant Pot off, and pour in beef broth. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze (scrape the brown bits) from the bottom of the pot.1 cup Beef broth
- Add your pork back to the pot with BBQ sauce. Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 40 minutes.1½ cups Barbecue sauce
- Once the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Remove the pork from the Instant Pot and shred it with two forks. Stir in any extra BBQ sauce (if needed) and serve!
Notes
- Make sure to add enough liquid. Pork loin doesn't have as much excess fat as other common pulled pork cuts and needs extra liquid added to ensure there's enough juice for the pork to cook in.
- To further boost the flavors, add a dash of apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, extra spices, and Worcestershire sauce.
- If you're cooking a particularly large pork loin or using larger cuts of meat, make sure to brown it in batches.
- If you're using pork shoulder, you may need to skim or pour off excess fat after it's done cooking, as it's a very fatty cut.
- Always sear the meat first! Pressure cooking the meat without searing it can leave it tasting bland. This is true of all braised or stewed meat recipes, so I always recommend searing first.
Melissa says
I just followed all the directions and it’s not shredding at all. I set it for 15 more minutes. We’ll see. It smells good anyway 🤷🏼♀️
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Melissa! I hope it turned out great for you!