Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

Growing up in California, I never really got much exposure to pulled pork or BBQ, for that matter. When I moved to Texas 15 or so years ago, I was more properly introduced to both, and I quickly found how much I enjoyed them.

What I love about BBQ shredded pork is how flavorful and juicy it always seems to be. It's hard to get wrong when you order it at a restaurant and even harder to mess up when you make it at home. Everyone in the family loves it, making it an easy go-to recipe.

I started making Instant Pot BBQ pulled pork when I realized how quickly I could make the shredded pork with a pressure cooker. Since pork butt or pork shoulder is a very forgiving cut of pork, it's extremely easy to toss into the Instant Pot and not worry if it will overcook.

Ingredient Notes

Pork: I prefer using boneless pork for this Instant Pot BBQ pulled pork recipe because we'll be cutting it up to brown in sections, given the limited size of the Instant Pot. The best cut for making pulled pork in an instant pot is the pork shoulder, which is also referred to as a Boston butt or a Boston roast. If you don't see it in your store, butchers are often happy to cut it for you.

BBQ Sauce: I make my homemade BBQ sauce for this recipe rather than buying one at the store. Most store-bought sauces are very high in added sugars, especially brown sugar, which isn't necessary to make a delicious BBQ sauce. Plus, making your own is easy. If you're looking to buy your own, look for one with minimal added sugars, and only ingredients you'd already have in your pantry. Of course, if you have extra Sweet BBQ sauce you've already made, you can use that, too.

How To Make Shredded Pork in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

Fortunately, making pulled pork in an Instant Pot (or any Pressure Cooker) is easy and pretty much fail-proof. Here's how you do it:

1. Trim fat from pork roast and cut into four chunks of roughly equal size.
2. Create a dry rub for the pork, and coat the pork on all sides.
3. Set the Instant Pot to sauté, and, once hot, add the pork, to sear on all sides. Remove seared pork and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining pork pieces.
4. Add chicken broth to the pot, and deglaze the bottom of the pot to scrape up all the bits.
5. Add the remaining ingredients for the BBQ sauce, and cook until heated through.
6. Place the seared pork chunks directly into the liquid in the pot, spacing out as best possible.
7. Secure the lid and make sure the vent is set to "Sealing."
8. Pressure cook/manual on high pressure for 60 minutes.
9. Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes or until the pin drops.
10. Remove the pork and shred it with two forks to make the BBQ pulled pork.

If you're new to using Instant Pots, I recommend you check out my article on How To Use An Instant Pot.

Can It Be Made In A Slow Cooker?

This recipe can absolutely be adapted to make with a slow cooker. Instead of searing the pork in the Instant Pot, you would sear it in a skillet before adding it to a slow cooker. Then, you would cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the meat was ready to shred, as I do in my crock pot pulled pork recipe.

Can It Be Made With Frozen Pork?

Yes, this recipe can be made with frozen pork, but you wouldn't be able to sear the pork in the same way, which is a step that adds a lot of flavor. If using frozen pork, just skip the searing step, and mix the spice rub directly into the BBQ sauce before placing the frozen pork into the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker. You'll also need to increase the total cook time for thawing the pork.

Expert Tips

• Choose The Right Cut: Choose a boneless pork shoulder or pork butt for the best pulled pork. Because of the higher fat percentage of this type of cut, you'll have a juicier, more tender pulled pork.
• Wait To Trim The Fat: You can easily remove any excess fat off the pork after it cooks, so leave it on while in the Instant Pot to add more flavor.
• Sear Before: Searing the spice-rubbed meat beforehand will add flavor to the pulled pork.
• Keep The Liquid: Once you've shredded the pulled pork, return it to the Instant Pot and toss it with the reserved liquids to add even more flavor and juiciness back to the pork.

More Shredded Pork Recipes To Enjoy

Here are some of my favorite shredded pork recipes to try next.

Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

Lacey Baier

Made with a delicious and clean BBQ Sauce, this BBQ Pulled Pork is so flavorful, tasty, and delicious, you won’t even notice it’s healthy.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Release pressure 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 475 kcal

Equipment

• mixing bowl
• Instant Pot

*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.

Ingredients

  

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For the Pulled Pork:

• ▢ 4 lbs pork loin, boneless or bone-in
• ▢ 2 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 2 tbs olive oil

For the BBQ Sauce:

• ▢ ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 4 oz can tomato sauce
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon molasses
• ▢ 1 tablespoon raw honey
• ▢ ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Divide the pork into 4 similarly-sized chunks.
• Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together. Add pork chunks to rub mix and coat well.
• Add 2 tbs olive oil to Instant Pot and set to sauté. Once it indicates hot, add the pork, but do not crowd.
• Sear on each side for about 2 minutes each. Remove pork and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining pork pieces.
• Once pork is seared and removed from pot, press cancel and add ½ cup chicken broth. Use a wooden spoon and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Make sure to scrape up all the bits. Then add remaining ingredients for the bbq sauce. Cook until heated through.
• Place pork chunks directly into the liquid in the pot, spacing out as best possible. Secure lid and make sure vent is set to sealing. Pressure cook/manual on high pressure for 60 minutes.
• Then let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes or until pin drops.
• Remove pork to a large bowl and shred with 2 forks.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 475 kcalCarbohydrates: 8 gProtein: 69 gFat: 17 gSaturated Fat: 4 gCholesterol: 191 mgSodium: 1100 mgPotassium: 1286 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 7 gVitamin A: 120 IUVitamin C: 2.1 mgCalcium: 24 mgIron: 2.1 mg

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