Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
by Chungah
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The easiest + BEST pulled pork ever! Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce. So smoky, so flavorful, so juicy, and SO SO GOOD.
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why i love this recipe
- Made in a fraction of the time. The Instant Pot® takes care of all the hard work and time, infusing all the flavors into the most tender, juicy, smoky-sweet shredded pork in less than 90 minutes.
- Freezer-friendly. This recipe yields a generous amount of pulled pork, perfect for freezing up to 3 months for a quick + easy lunch or weeknight dinner down the road.
- Versatile recipe. The beauty of pulled pork is that it goes well with anything and everything – we’re talking sandwiches (with slaw, pickles and brioche buns), nachos, tacos, quesadillas and burrito bowls. The possibilities are endless!
which bbq sauce is best
This is really dependent on personal preference – sweet, spicy, tangy, etc. – but we personally love a sweet BBQ sauce for this recipe, particularly Stubb’s and Sweet Baby Ray’s. Honorable mentions include Trader Joe’s BBQ Sauce and Bachan’s.
tips and tricks for success
- Cut the pork into 3-inch chunks. Using smaller pieces of pork will keep the cook time to a minimum and allow even cooking, ensuring juicy, tender, fall-apart pulled pork.
- Sear the pork. Searing the pork first will add all the extra, deeper flavors here, sealing all the juices inside.
- Work in batches. An overcrowded Instant Pot® can lead to uneven cooking and poor browning. Work in batches to maintain high heat for a good sear and crispy crust on each pork piece.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your pulled pork. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Freeze without the sauce. For best results with leftovers, freeze the leftover shredded pork without the bbq sauce to preserve the texture and prevent sogginess, adding bbq sauce when reheating.
what to serve with instant pot bbq pulled pork
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork: Frequently Asked Questions
This can happen if the pork is not cooked long enough. Place the pork back into the Instant Pot, cooking in increments of 5 minutes as needed.
Leftover pulled pork can be repurposed in so many ways – from salads, quesadillas, burritos, nachos, tacos, potstickers and sliders to name a few!
Yes! Let cool completely and portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over medium heat with leftover cooking liquid (to prevent the pork from drying out), stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 pounds pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed and cut into 3-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, divided
- 1 (18-ounce) bottle favorite bbq sauce, we love Stubb's
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, mustard, cayenne pepper, cumin and pepper. Season pork with brown sugar mixture.
- Heat canola oil; working in two batches, add pork and cook until evenly browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in chicken stock and 4 tablespoons vinegar, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 40 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove pork shoulder from the Instant Pot® and shred the meat using two forks; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.
- Serve immediately with your favorite bbq sauce.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Fifth/6th? time making this recipe in my 8-QT Duo (once in the crock-pot after searing), it’s always delicious and 5 stars. However, we are really not great fans of the vinegary/Carolina style, so this time I tweaked it to suit us, and it was sublime!
I used a 7lb pork butt, cut into 6 chunks, dry-rubbed overnight with doubled-ingredients: subbed smoked paprika, added 1t chipotle pepper, doubled cracked black pepper- but no oregano.
Seared pork in grapeseed oil, deglazed with a 2-Cup mix of chicken/beef/veg stock (used up what I had in fridge). Used only 1T Apple Cider vinegar and 1T Apple balsamic vinegar for this part to help with tenderizing. Added 1/2t of South African Smoke spice and about 1/2t. liquid Hickory smoke.
Nestled those seared lumps of love down in the liquid, set on High Pressure for 60 min; Natural release for 15 min, then quick-release. Man, I tore that tender pork up! While doing so, I added a generous 2T local, real honey and about 1/2 C Stubbs BBQ sauce to the liquid. Simmered that on low for ~15 min & spooned it over the pulled pork in the serving dish. MMMMM! We love this less-vinegar version. 10 stars! It’s not so saucy (unless one wants to add BBQ sauce) and most of us prefer the no-added sauce version after these tweaks. Thanks so much for your recipe, I had meant to leave a comment a couple years ago <3
Best pulled pork yet! That was Damn Delicious. I used a 2 lb roast and the whole seasoning recipe . We like lots of flavour and it gave it a nice little kick. I made tacos and topped the beef with a little bbw sauce and a red cabbage and carrots slaw that I seasoned with salt,lime, and cilantro. A jalapeño is nice in the slaw if you have it too. So tender, and not dry like the slow cooker makes. The seasoning tho. It’s the best. I want to try more of your recipes. Thank you for this one!
Dynamite recipe! The pork is great with bbq sauce but really it’s great by itself. I’ve already made this a second time. Give it a shot.
All I can say is that this really is best damn pork I have EVER EATEN…and I am almost 60!!!I will never eat pork a different way..ever!!!It is phenomenal..I make broccoli slaw to go with it!!!Thank you for this recipe!!I’ve been telling everyone about it. Even a stranger at the market!
Living in the southeastern U.S., I’ve gotten kinda particular about pulled pork, but I decided to give this recipe a try. Not a fan of NC styled pulled pork (heavy on the vinegar), I was hesitant with the vinegar and held back 1T at the end, The result was an AWESOME pulled pork with a slight tang from the vinegar. That was before adding BBQ sauce. Adding the sauce was just “icing on the cake”.
Excellent flavours! Pork was super tasty , moist and great on tacos.
I made this with 2 pieces of pork tenderloin & once it was cooked, I removed the pork & turned the instant pot on sauté & used cornstarch slurry to make a gravy. I shredded the pork & returned it to the gravy. I served this over homemade potato wedges & made it into a pulled pork poutine! Delicious
This is amazing. Your review has made me want to try this instead of the recipe!
I actually haven’t tried this yet, but am going to make it today. I may have missed it, but I wonder if you have a recipe for the slaw that’s on the sandwich in your photo? Or is it just a mixture of cabbage and carrots with out dressing? It looks great and I’m sure it would be a tasty addition to the pulled pork!
Did it in a crockpot on low for 7.5 hours my whole family loved it!
Pork was tender but found it to be bland after it was cooked. Used the leftover juices to make a BBQ sauce which helped it. Might make more rub next time and less to none chicken broth.
So easy to make, flavorful and tender! Great recipe!
Yummm
Incredibly TASTY! SO fast and simple to make too. Very much enjoy every recipe I’ve made from your site. One question on this recipe please. The Cook Time at the top is noted as 60 minutes, yet, step 4 indicates 40 minutes. I started with 40 minutes and it wasn’t done yet. Added another 20 minutes. It indeed fell apart at that point.
You nailed this recipe. I am a Southerner and a connoisseur of good food; southern food especially. So many times you see a recipe for pulled pork and it is laden with sweet pickle relish or without bar-b-que. This one is perfect.
It was delicious. Question: Was I suppose to save the cooking liquid? I through it out and mixed meat with Stubbs. I really loved the flavor of the liquid, so I thought if I skimmed it, it would have been a good addition. Wondered what you thought.
I’ve made several of your recipes and have never been disappointed. Love your style – simple but delicious. I didn’t realize how late it was so I have a butt in the fridge covered in seasoning until tomorrow afternoon late so 2 questions:. Will a butt cook the same as a shoulder and will it be alright to sit in seasoning for the next 18 hours or so?
The best recipe for pulled pork! Delicious! I cooked it on the stove in a dutch oven pot.
how long did you cook in dutch oven?
Question…is the Kosher salt measure for the Morton salt or the other type? Thanks
Thank you very much for making me a cook! Your recipes are so easy and delicious. I have never really considered myself good at cooking but your recipes have made me love being in the kitchen.
can this be made in a slow cooker?