Tender and juicy pulled pork made with the ease of the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
I love a good pulled pork, and no, it doesn't even have to be one that is slow smoked, although yes, I adore that and it's really the best. Most of us home cooks are not going to be dedicated to that whole process, but we are happy to enjoy when somebody else does!
Mostly we stick with the tried-and-true methods that have worked for home cooks for years:
1. Simmered on the stovetop - This method really blew my mind (and probably angers a whole lot of pro-Q folks), but let me tell you, talk about tender and flavorful!
2. Roasted in the oven - It is a definite time commitment even though it's mostly inactive time, much like a slow cooker, except this one involves the oven and heating up the house, so it's better suited for wintertime, or
3. Slow stewed in a slow cooker - Dump and go and completely hands off for cooking, this method is a huge favorite among home cooks, but now, we also can add...
4. An electronic pressure cooker aka Instant Pot - Prep, dump, process, release and voila, done in about an hour and a half. Can't beat that!
I've mentioned before, that it took me a bit of a long jump to get on the Instant Pot bandwagon. I actually started off with a couple basic, electronic pressure cookers, like the Power XL and Cook's Essentials brands, before I moved on into the actual branded Instant Pot. All of them operate under the same principle - cooking food fast, under pressure - but in a much less scary and much safer process than the old school stovetop versions.
I love mine and I use them all the time. They are especially fitting for transforming those tougher braising beef roasts into fork tender jewels and pork butts and shoulders into shredded beauties for sandwiches.
There are a variety of ways to prep them and this time I went with a rub and a braise of chicken stock, cider vinegar, Liquid Smoke and barbecue sauce.
Here's how to make it!
As always, full recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, are a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll past the step-by-step pictures below.
Whisk together the sauce ingredients; set aside. Trim excess fat from roast and cut into several large chunks. Sprinkle rub on all sides of the pork pieces.
Add 1/2 tablespoon at a time of the cooking oil to the pot at a time and brown pieces in batches using saute function. Add any remaining oil to pot, stir in onions and cook for two minutes.
Deglaze pot with 1/2 cup of the sauce and scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of pot.
Return pork pieces to the pot, pour remaining sauce mixture over and around roast.
Seal and press Meat function or set manual on high for 99 minutes.
Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
Remove the meat from the pot.
Shred.
Add your favorite sauce.
Serve on toasted or steamed buns with chips and pickles.
For more of my favorite Instant Pot recipes, check out this collection on my Pinterest page!
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