Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork is made quickly and easily in the Instant Pot. Flavored with beer and sweet barbecue sauce, this dish is the ultimate comfort food.

Instant Pot recipes are a staple around here, and among our most popular dishes are Instant Pot Orange Chicken, Instant Pot Ribs and Instant Pot Chili.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork is one of the most frequent meals I make in my Instant Pot. First, it’s super easy to make, full of flavor and it can be served in so many ways. I love a juicy and tender pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw. This recipe has been perfected to be your go-to, when you need a delicious pulled pork sandwich.

Seasoned with garlic, smoked paprika, liquid smoke and chili powder, this pulled pork has the right balance of sweet, savory with just a touch of heat. So good, I just can’t have only one sandwich!

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What “Natural Pressure Release” means?

A Natural Pressure Release means that the pressure is released gradually. For a Natural Pressure Release, you click on Keep Warm, and wait 10-15 minutes. After which you open the valve and let any leftover pressure to release. Another option is to Turn Off/Unplug the pressure cooker, wait 10-15 minutes and after that open the valve. A natural release is usually used when cooking soups, meat in a large amount of sauce, pasta or steel cut oats. This method prevents any foam from the dish to shoot out through the valve, which can happen during a Quick Pressure Release.

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Tips to make the best Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe:

• Use good quality meat, preferably organic boneless pork shoulder. I also used pork lion many times, its not as fatty, but if you are looking for a leaner version it works. Hence, it won’t be as tender and “melt in your mouth”, as its a leaner cut of meat.
• You don’t have to brown the pork for this recipe. But for extra flavor, I recommend you brown it on each side for few minutes. Use the Sauté function of the Instant Pot to do this.
• Use your favorite barbecue sauce, I usually choose a honey based barbecue sauce or bourbon, the latest is by far my favorite.
• Molasses can be added to the pork. It gives a nice, subtle deep caramel flavor, that goes really well with the sweetness of the barbecue sauce.
• I don’t like using water when I cook the pork. Usually, I add beer and here again you can use your favorite. My go to is beer like Yuengling’s.
• If you don’t want to use alcohol, you can replace the beer with soda. Something like Coke or Dr. Pepper works well. Water and beef broth also work nicely.
• Always save some cooking liquid, and store the pulled pork in an airtight container in the fridge. I always top it with some cooking liquid to keep it moist.

Why make Pulled Pork using your Instant Pot?

This Instant Pot Pulled Pork is juicy and flavorful and if you want to add some heat just add more chili powder when you cook it, or some Sriracha sauce at the end.

• Making Pulled Pork in the pressure cooker will take you only a few hours, a fraction of the time actually from what would take you to use your crockpot, oven or smoker. The pulled pork is ready to serve in under 2 hours.
• It is a great alternative if you don’t own a smoker or crockpot.
• Perfect for emergency situation and satisfying a pulled pork craving whenever it hits.
• Dirtying one pot only, super easy to prep and clean.

How long would pulled pork last in the fridge?

Leftover pulled pork according to the US Department of Agriculture’s food safety guidelines, can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days if properly stored in an airtight container and at a constant temperature.

Can you freeze pulled pork?

Yes, you can. First, fully cool it off, after add it to freezer safe ziplock bags. Flatten the bags and freeze. If properly stored in the freezer at 0 F degrees or less, the pork will last up to 6 months, however, I prefer to store mine only for about 3 months, after that it changes its texture.

How do you heat up frozen pulled pork?

• You can place in in the fridge and thaw it before heating it up, that will reduce the heating up time, but its not mandatory.
• Add the pulled pork to a large sauce pan over medium heat, and heat it up, stirring occasionally, if needed add more bbq sauce or scoop up extra liquid if there is too much. Stir well to combine to make sure it heats up uniformly.

Tools/Ingredients I used to make this Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe:

• Instant Pot – I love mine, its truly a life saver, and it has so many functions you can sauté the meat and veggies directly into it, so no need to dirty another pot or skillet. Also, it has a slow cooker function, and also a steam function that I use a lot!
• Molasses – great not only in sweet recipes, a little goes a long way and it adds such a nice flavor to many savory dishes.
• BBQ Sauce – oh my, I buy it in bulk, I use it in many recipes, for wings, for pulled pork and chicken and also just as a dipping sauce.
• Dry Ground Mustard
• Smoked Paprika – do not replace with regular paprika, the smoked one is what adds great flavor.
• Cayenne Pepper Powder – you can add more or less, depends how spicy you want the pork.
• Brown Sugar – to balance the heat from the pepper.
• Cinnamon – a little goes a long way, but this addition will add some depth to the other flavors.
• Liquid Smoke

Print

5 from 9 votes

Servings: 6 servings

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 40 mins

Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork is made quickly and easily in the Instant Pot. Flavored with beer and sweet barbecue sauce, this dish is the ultimate comfort food.

Ingredients

• 3-4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder cut into 3-4 pieces

Sauce for Pressure Cooking:

• 2 cups barbecue sauce
• 1 1/2 cups beer of choice Coke, Dr. Pepper or water/ beef broth
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder use more for a spicier pulled pork
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

After Pressure Cooking:

• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 leftover cooking sauce

Serving:

• Coleslaw
• 6 Sesame seed buns

Instructions

1. Combine all the Sauce ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to fully combine.

2. Add the pork pieces to the Instant Pot and pour the sauce on top of them.

3. Lock the lid, make sure the valve points to sealed. Select High Pressure and cook for 60 minutes. When the pork is done cooking and you hear the beeping sound, do a 10-20 min natural pressure release. Release manually the remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid.

4. Gently remove the pork from the pressure cooker, add it to a large, dip dish and shred it using two forks.

5. Strain the cooking liquid, and reserve about 2 cups.

6. Select Sauté and add the shredded pork back to the cooking pot, add the remaining 1 cup of barbecue sauce and ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer, stirring and tossing frequently. If needed add another ½ cup of cooking liquid.

7. Serve pulled pork immediately on buns, if desired top with coleslaw and more barbecue sauce.

8. Store in the refrigerator the remaining 1 cup of cooking liquid, you can use it to reheat the pulled pork, in case it needs more liquid.

9. Store pulled pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Recipe Notes

Here is a step-by-step video of how to make the Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe:

Calories: 767, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 136mg, Sodium: 1827mg, Potassium: 1510mg, Carbohydrates: 105g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 72g, Protein: 56g, Vitamin A: 11.7%, Vitamin C: 2.5%, Calcium: 18.8%, Iron: 30.7%

Author: Catalina Castravet

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Instant Pot Pulled Pork

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