Last updated on June 6th, 2018 at 02:08 pm
Easy and quick Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork done in a fraction of the usual time. Juicy pork shoulder cooked in the most delicious BBQ sauce and loaded with tons of flavor. Perfect for a busy weeknight or your holiday entertaining.
Am I late to the Instant Pot party? Because I seriously love this incredible appliance. We just got one a couple weeks ago and I finally used it. I knew my first recipe had to be special and nothing like a good old BBQ pulled pork recipe to start things off right.
MY LATEST VIDEOSI love this magical pot. It’s all in one, I can now throw away my slow cooker because this Instant Pot does it all. I’m seriously impressed. It’s a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, etc all in one. I bought the 6qt because this one is more than enough for what I need but they do come in 3 sizes, 3qt, 6qt and 8qt. Anyway, it’s a great new gadget in my kitchen, so I hope I’ll be getting some use out of it.
But let’s talk pulled pork, shall we? It’s the best! That pretty much sums it up. First of all, to get the perfect, juicy pulled pork, you must use the right meat and that is pork shoulder. If you use a different type of meat cut your pulled pork will be tough and will dry out, but pork shoulder becomes incredibly tender and tasty whether you slow cook it or cook it in a pressure cooker.
I first make a dry rub for this for that extra flavor. To avoid the dry rub rinsing away as you cook the pork in the sauce, I first sear it, also in the Instant Pot, until the meat is browned and this ensures that the rub is going to stay firm and lock in those amazing flavors. Trust me, you must sear your meat first. Which is why I love this Instant Pot even more, because it’s all done in the same pot.
While the total time for this recipe is a little over 2 hours, I still call this recipe pretty quick as far as pulled pork goes. Pulled pork when cooked in a slow cooker or at a low temperature in your oven can take up to 12 hours before it’s tender enough to shred, which is why this Instant pot is great, because in 2 hours and 20 minutes you have yourself juicy and delicious pulled pork.
For the longest time I used to be afraid to use a pressure cooker, which I have used before, a very long time ago, but I can’t deny the advantages, especially for cooking meat. The Instant pot doesn’t seem so scary, but I still strongly recommend to you guys to read the manufacturer’s guide on how to use it before attempting this recipe. That’s all I have to say regarding that, because this pulled pork is a MUST!
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If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
Easy and quick Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork done in a fraction of the usual time. Juicy pork shoulder cooked in the most delicious BBQ sauce and loaded with tons of flavor. Perfect for a busy weeknight or your holiday entertaining.
- 4 lb pork shoulder boneless
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp black pepper ground
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup BBQ sauce store bought
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth low sodium
If your pork shoulder has a skin and too much fat on it, remove it and cut out some of the fat. Cut the pork shoulder into medium size pieces, about 2 inches each. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine all the dry rub ingredients together and whisk well.
In a medium size bowl combine all the sauce ingredients together and whisk well.
Rub the dry rub spice mixture all over the pork pieces.
Turn the Instant Pot to the high saute setting. (See your manufacturer's guide for detailed instructions on how to use your instant pot). Add the oil and once your instant pot reaches the desired temperature (the timer will start to count down) add the pork pieces. Do not over crowd them in the pot, you will need to do this in two batches. Cook the pork, turning on all sides to brown. Should take about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the first batch to a plate and repeat with the second batch. Press the keep warm/cancel button on your Instant pot.
Add all the meat to the instant pot then pour the prepared sauce over the meat and toss to make sure all the meat is coated in the sauce. There should be enough sauce to cover the meat. Close the lid (follow the manufacturer's guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Meat/Stew setting and set the timer to 90 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 15 minutes. Follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release, in in a rush. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer all the pork to a bowl.
Switch the instant pot to the saute setting again (do not put the lid on) and simmer the leftover sauce until reduced by half, should take about 15 minutes. At the same time you can use a ladle to skim some of the fat that's rising to the top. At this time, taste the sauce and season with more salt if needed.
Using 2 forks, shred the pork into small chunks. Add about 2 cups of the reduced sauce to the pork and toss well.
Serve on hamburger buns by adding pulled pork, some more leftover sauce and coleslaw.
Recipe Video
I strongly recommend reading the manufacturer's guide for instructions on how to use your Instant Pot before attempting this recipe.
When you're browning the pork or reducing the sauce, DO NOT put the lid on the instant pot.
Nutritional information does not include dinner rolls and/or coleslaw.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Made this last night…we loved it! I would definitely try harder to remove as much visible fat as possible before cooking next time. I also found it needed just a bit more salt, but it only took 15 min to reduce the sauce…just need to remind folks that once it starts to reduce you need to watch it like a hawk as it reduces very quickly after that! We had it again tonight and I have to say it’s possibly a teeny tiny bit better the second time around!
I defrosted what I thought was a pork shoulder. My husband said it tasted very good, but it sure tasted like beef. Eventually realized it was half a brisket. So for future reference, this recipe works with brisket. I
Made the pork for dinner tonight. So yummy! The only problem I had was getting the sauce to thicken. I boiled for about 10 min and it was still really runny with no sign of getting thicker. Any tips for next time?
If you want the sauce to thicken faster, you can always make a cornstarch slurry with 1 tsp corn starch and a splash of water! Whisk in well while sauce boils and it should thicken right away.
Just cleaned up after making this recipe. Oh, it was soooo good, just the right bite and the meat shredded to perfection. Just one remark about the recipe. After I browned two batches of pork, the pot was pretty dark with the braised drippings. Before returning the meat to the pot, I deglazed with a little chicken broth to capture all that rich flavor and to prevent the “burn” warning from getting grouchy. Thanks for the recipe. It was so good, I wanted to immediately call friends to come have dinner with us.
Yay! That’s what I love to hear!
Was just wonderful! Cooked my 4lbs of pork on meat/stew “More” (high) for 90 min. It did fall right off the bone, which I was worried about bc past Instant Pot recipes left the meat more “chunky” rather than shredded. Kids loved it too!
I must bought a pork shoulder but it has the bone??
That’s possible.
I made this with a leaner pork. I made it with boneless porkchops, it came out delicious. I preassure cooked it for 10 min. I loved it! I love to cook and the instant pot is one of the best investments ever!
I totally agree!