Instant Pot Pulled Pork is seasoned to perfection, and mouthwateringly tender! Make this easy and super flavorful pulled pork using a pork loin roast and have your family’s new favorite instant pot pork recipe on the table in an hour!
How Do You Make Pulled Pork?
Pulled pork is a very simple dish to make at home, and there are a few ways to make it even more quick and easy.
Pulled pork recipes start with basic seasonings that you probably already have at home. I like to use a mixture of brown sugar, salt, garlic and onion powder, paprika, pepper, and cumin.
Once you have seasoned your meat, you will mix up your wet ingredients. I prefer to use broth over water for added flavor. Use your favorite type of barbecue sauce, and then a bit of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar not only adds great flavor, but, the acid helps to tenderize the meat as it cooks!
After you have seasoned your meat, and mixed up your wet ingredients it’s time to get cooking!
This recipe, in particular, is for the Instant Pot. If you don’t have an instant pot, I highly recommend that you try out my Crockpot Bourbon Bacon Pulled Pork and you can find the recipe for that right HERE.
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe:
As far as meat, I typically use a pork loin roast. You can also use a pork shoulder if that is your preference. A lot of people worry about a pork roast becoming tender enough. As long as you use the right method and ingredients, it turns out absolutely perfect every time!
My general method has always been to slow cook pulled pork, like in the recipe I linked to above. But, since I’ve become a huge fan of my instant pot, I wanted to try cooking it that way. Happy to say it turned out great!
If you have time you will add your rub to your cubed pork roast, seal it in a bag, and let it marinate for a good 30-60 minutes before cooking for maximum flavor. When I make pulled pork in my crockpot, I find that marinating isn’t necessary because all of those flavors slow cook together for hours. However, for instant pot pulled pork, marinating really is the way to go.
Next, you will heat up your oil right in your pot, sear the meat in batches until browned on all sides. It won’t need to be cooked through at that point.
Then, you will want to use a small amount of beef broth to deglaze the bottom of your pot. If you don’t you may end up with that dreaded “burn” warning during cooking.
To deglaze, you’ll simply pour the broth right into the bottom of the instant pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape all of those brown bits off. This also adds great flavor to continue seasoning your meat as it cooks.
After you deglaze simply add everything into your instant pot, close the lid and valve to sealing. Then, you will cook as directed below for 40 minutes. After your cooking time is up, allow the instant pot to natural release for 10 minutes, then you can quick release.
After your quick release, you are ready to shred your meat, and serve on soft hamburger buns, with your favorite toppings!
Remember if you are looking for the slow cooker method of making pulled pork you can find it HERE. I also happen to adore this Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
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Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Paprika
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne, Optional
- 3 Pound Boneless Pork Roast, Cut into 3-4 inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Cups Barbecue Sauce, Divided
- 1 1/4 Cup Chicken or Beef Broth
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce, Optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne.
- Season the cubed pork with the spice mixture and set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, one cup of the barbecue sauce, the hot pepper sauce if using, and one cup of the broth.
- Turn your instant pot to the saute setting. Add the olive oil and allow it to get hot.
- Add half of the cubed pork to the hot oil and saute for 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the browned pork to a plate and repeat with the remaining half of the cubed pork.
- Turn the instant pot off. Use the remaining 1/4 cup of beef broth and a wooden spoon to deglaze (scrape the brown bits) from the bottom of the pot.
- Add all of the meat along with the barbecue sauce mixture to the instant pot.
- Close the lid and set to sealing.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Remove the meat from the instant pot and shred. Stir in the remaining cup of bbq sauce and serve on buns as desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you trim any fat off the pork roast? Or leave it as is? Thanks!
Honestly, that’s probably more personal preference. I typically don’t trim mine much 🙂
I never comment on recipes. Ever. This is excellent. So good that I’m actually commenting on it. The only difference was that I didn’t add the extra BBQ sauce at the end, instead opting to add a bit to each sandwich. I’ve always been a low-and-slow-cook-it-in-the-oven–at-225-for-a-million-hours kind of guy. Never again. This was amazing. And I don’t use that word lightly. Thanks!
I tried this tonight and it came out really good. I did add two extra steps this I think took this recipe to an additional level.
1) after shredding, I spread the meat on a cookie sheet and set it about 6 inches below the oven flame and broiled it for about 6-8 minutes. This gave the shredded edges and points a slightly crispy texture, just like if you had smoked and indirect cooked a pork shoulder for 10 hours.
2) when adding the bbq sauce to the shredded pork, I also included about 1/3-1/2 cup of the remaining juice from the pot. I whisked it into the bbq sauce before putting the mixture in the meat.
Brilliant.
Super excited to try this for a family birthday party tomorrow, but need to make it around 11:00 AM and party doesn’t start until 5:00 PM. Should I refrigerate between and what is the best way to reheat? Thanks!
You should let it cool then put in a sealed container and into the fridge. Make sure there is liquid in it. About an hour before you want to serve it, take it out and let it warm up on the counter for about 30 minutes . If you have a microwave, you can then reheat it in that. Or you can reheat it in a preheated 325 degree oven for apx. 20 minutes.
I also made this exactly as written. I used Bull’s-Eye Original (America’s Test Kitchen pick for best bottled sauce). It was perfect. The tip here about using a stand mixer to shred the meat is right on. I put the meat directly from the IP into the mixer without cooling. It was perfectly shredded after about 8 orbits, then added the sauce and did about 3 more.
I’m sorry if this is a silly question but can I use a portal loin or does it have to be a pork roast? Not sure on the difference!
Pork lion works but it is a lot more lean. DO NOT remove any excess fat. It will turn out well but use shoulder or butt if you can
Thos is a great recipe and easy to adjust. I made the spice rub as i cut semi frozen pork into large chunks through the spice mix on then put it into the instapot to brown with oil. Added the applecider vinegar, chix btoth(its what i had) Baby Rays sweet and smokey bbq sauce and cooked following the timing of recipe. Used a potato masher to “shred” my pork. Used our favorite coleslaw recipe. Fantastic! Thank you even though made changes.
Cooked just like the recipe said and it was amazing! We will be having this again.
Made this on the super bowl, was a huge hit, making this weekly until we are sick of it, because right now we just keep wanting more. We did sandwiches with jalapeño slaw on top!!
Thank you thank you,
This recipe is sooooo forgiving.
I marinated mine over night, did not sear and did not use vinegar.
Husband is a big pulled pork fan, he loved it.
I usually stay away from pork (don’t know why) I was over joyed how well it turn out.
Tip from another site : put your finished cubed pork in your stand mixer, It will pull the pork for you.
Making my second batch now