Pulled pork has never been this quick and easy! Learn all the secrets behind my Instant Pot pulled pork recipe, plus learn how to make it for meal prep during the week!
No BBQ season passes by without the delicious and flavorful pulled pork. I love it. Dustin loves it. The kids love it. Everybody loves it. It’s so delicious! Not to mention pulled pork is perfect for so many different occasions. Think BBQ summer parties, holidays, weeknight meals and so on.
But, since the traditional pulled pork recipe is not the healthiest, I made it healthier. And dare I say easier? It involves the Instant Pot, which means little to no effort to make it because it significantly reduces cooking time.
In This Post You'll Find:
- Watch Me Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- How To Make Pulled Pork In A Pressure Cooker
- What's The Best Cut Of Pork For Pulled Pork?
- How To Shred Pork
- Pulled Pork Goes Well With:
- How To Store (Great for Meal Prep)
- How To Freeze
- How To Reheat Pulled Pork
- Flavor Variations For Pulled Pork
- More Instant Pot Recipes
- Easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Reviews
If you love pulled pork and you have an Instant Pot, this is gonna be a game changer for you! (Note: This recipe can also be used in a slow cooker or in the oven, with some slight modifications.).
But I recommend learning if you don't yet know how to use an Instant Pot.
Watch Me Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork
How To Make Pulled Pork In A Pressure Cooker
Ok, so we've all heard how amazing Instant Pots are, but… how do you make pulled pork in an Instant Pot? To be honest, I'd never used a pressure cooker to make anything before, but now I love pressure cookers!
For a traditional pulled pork recipe, you must cook the meat slowly to allow the pork protein to break down properly and achieve that juicy tenderness pulled pork is known for.
However, since we’ll be making an Instant Pot pulled pork recipe, there’s no need to stress about this part. The Instant Pot takes care of it. It's magic.
All you have to do is…
- Cut the pork butt into even chunks (if too large)
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then rub the pork with the mix and coat it well. You'll note there is no brown sugar here. While brown sugar is often added to pulled pork, it's unedssary to add and keeps it healthie.
- In the Instant Pot, add a little bit of olive oil and set to Sauté
- Once the Instant Pot is hot, add the seasoned pork
- Sear for 3-5 minutes per side then remove from Instant Pot
- Press cancel and add chicken broth to Instant Pot
- Deglaze the bottom with a spoon
- Place pork back into the Instant Pot, secure lid and pressure cook for 60 minutes
- Let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes before opening
Feel free to add some hot sauce and soft rolls, and thank me later!
What's The Best Cut Of Pork For Pulled Pork?
The best pork cuts for pulled pork are called "Boston butt," "pork shoulder," "pork roast," or "pork loin." For my Instant Pot shredded pork, I prefer using pork shoulder or pork butt because it's super flavorful. You can use either boneless or bone-in.
That being said, a lot of people say the best cut of pork for pulled pork is Boston butt because it's the most flavorful and high in fat, which makes for tender pulled pork. Pork loin would be the leanest.
How To Shred Pork
Once the pork is cooked and the pressure from the Instant Pot released, it is time to shred the pork and turn it into pulled pork. For this, I like to use 2 forks but you can do it with a food processor or even a hand blender, if you prefer. In my opinion, the mess of those doesn't seem worth it when the forks are very easy to use and clean.
How To Shred Pork With Forks
To shred pork with forks:
- Transfer the pork from the Instant Pot to a large bowl or cutting board
- Hold pork down with one fork and shred it with the other one
- Discard any large pieces of fat
How To Shred Pork With A Food Processor
Shredding pork in a food processor takes seconds but it’s important to use the proper technique and blade to get perfect shreds. Here’s how to do it:
- Transfer pork to the food processor
- Use a slicer blade, not the shredder blade (the shredder blade is best for veggies but doesn’t work very well with meat
- Pulse without pushing the top down and you’ll get perfect pork shreds
Pulled Pork Goes Well With:
- A few days ago, I made a delicious wrap with carnitas pulled pork, avocado, cilantro, and jack cheese. It was sooo good. In fact, any pulled pork wrap will be good so you can make your own combinations.
- You can also make slow cooker chicken burrito bowls and healthy taco salad with pulled pork for a quick lunch.
- As for dinner, you can pair Instant Pot pulled pork with sweet potato meal prep, instant pot black beans, you can add it to salads or you can make easy pilled pork sliders with these sweet potato buns.
How To Store (Great for Meal Prep)
Okay, so we have all these delicious protein recipes for pulled pork, but how do we store it so it doesn't go to waste? Here are some tips for how to make pulled pork meal prep for the entire week.
- As for the leftovers, store them in meal prep containers in the fridge for later use.
- Stored properly, in an airtight container, pulled pork lasts for 5-6 days in the fridge.
- Can you freeze pulled pork to store longer? Yes! Keep reading for tips.
- Don’t throw away the leftover sauce! You’ll need it later.
How To Freeze
Freezing excess pulled pork makes for delicious future meals. It will last for up to 8 months in the freezer. Awesome, right??
As for how to freeze pulled pork, it’s super easy. All you have to do is…
- Transfer the pulled pork to freezer-safe meal prep containers or Ziploc or re-usable freezer-safe bags
- Leave a little bit of space at the top of the container or freezer bag because pulled pork extends while frozen
- Place the airtight containers or Ziploc bags in the freezer
How To Reheat Pulled Pork
Here’s the tricky part. Many people avoid pulled pork meal prep because reheating pulled pork is problematic. Pulled pork tends to dry out when reheated. Sigh. No one wants to lose the tenderness and juiciness of pulled pork. And you don’t have to.
Remember when I told you not to throw away the leftover sauce? That leftover sauce is the secret to reheating pulled pork and keeping it tender and juicy.
In The Microwave
You can reheat pulled pork in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
In The Oven
You can also reheat pulled pork in the oven. Here are the steps:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F
- Place the pulled pork on a baking dish
- Pour over the leftover sauce
- Cover the dish with a lid
- Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the pulled pork is heated through
- Add more leftover sauce over the pulled pork before serving and mix
Flavor Variations For Pulled Pork
One of the best things about pulled pork is how easy it is to flavor it. That means you can easily swap a few ingredients and create a whole new flavor.
Here are some examples:
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork recipe: A well-loved classic. So yummy, so tasty, so perfect. The BBQ pulled pork recipe is made with a delicious homemade BBQ sauce that is clean and healthy.
- Carnitas Pulled Pork: If you want to make the best Instant Pot Pulled Pork for Mexican dishes, I recommend this Carnitas Pulled Pork recipe. This pulled pork is perfect for tacos and burritos.
- Carolina Pulled Pork: It's a little different from the BBQ pulled pork we discussed earlier, but amazing as well. It's less sweet and smokey and more tangy and spicy.
I honestly love all of these, and make them often.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Now that you know how easy it is to make pulled pork in the Instant Pot, I think you should use your Instant Pot more often. have a few to get you started.
- Instant Pot Carolina Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Guide - How To Use An Instant Pot
- How To Make Instant Pot Black Beans + 4 Easy Instant Pot Black Beans Recipes
- Butternut Squash Instant Pot Chili
Easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Equipment
- Instant Pot
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 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
- 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- 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 3-5 minutes each, until golden brown. Remove pork and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining pork pieces, as needed.
- 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 chicken broth.
- 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
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Mariann
This is the absolute yummiest pulled pork recipe ever. I’ve been making this for 5 years now. I love the spices. I add 1tsp of garlic instead of 1/2 tsp. Just because I love garlic. I also use bone broth and I add enough to cover or almost cover the pork. Because the gravy you can make from this is also the best flavored gravy ever. 😋
Everyone I’ve made it for compliments on the great flavor and tenderness of the pork. I’m making it today using a 2.5 lb boneless pork shoulder roast. I’m still using all the same measurements of spices as the recipe. I’m planning on serving pulled pork over rice with gravy. Yum yum!
Lacey Baier
Yay, I am so happy to hear this, Mariann! We love it so much, too! I can't make it without the family running in to steal it lol.
Diana
Is there a benefit to seasoning the meat a day head of cooking or will the instant pot do the same thing as seasoning the meat a day ahead?
Lacey Baier
I haven't found any real benefit when using the Instant Pot to season ahead of time.
Tim
Really like how you cover a basic protein and ways to prepare it and sides. My partner and I end up doing a lot of work each week to meal plan so this is a big help.
Lacey Baier
Awesome! I'm so glad it's helpful to you guys!
Lisa
I just did the basic pulled pork. So so tender! Definitely a keeper recipe.
Thank you.
Lacey Baier
Woohoo! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Nicole Nelms
If I wanted to cut the recipe in half do I cook the pork half the time in the instant pot? I don’t want it to get dried out! I have 2 lbs pork loin so please let me know. Thanks!
Lacey Baier
As long as you'll have 1 cup of liquid in the pot, you should be fine to halve just the meat and rub.
Shari
It seems to me that a full cup is an awfully large serving of meat. I would never go more than 1/2 cup per serving.
Lacey Baier
You're absolutely right - 1 cup is quite a lot. I will usually limit a serving to 2-5 oz.
Chad Davenport
I wanted to do a smaller portion of pork would i just do the math on the spices and cut them down accordingly?
Traci P
I have a chart someone made that says pork roast is 15-20 mins per pound.
Lacey Baier
Yes, but you'll want to keep a minimum of 1 cup of liquid to ensure the pressure remains in tact.
Aldana
Lacey,
What sauce do I use to reheat the carnitas pulled pork?
Lacey Baier
The liquid from the instant pot juices.
Jen
Recipe looks great, excellent ideas for leftovers
Lacey Baier
Thank you!