This is the best damn pulled pork recipe i’ve ever made. Yes, you read that correctly. And it’s made in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker!
Pulled pork is something you always see on those barbecue competition shows where people go to great lengths to prepare and cook with all kinds of methods. Most often, these methods require huge pieces of equipment, lots of space (outdoor space), and a ton of time and commitment to make. Now don’t get me wrong, you have an opportunity to sink you teeth into pork that’s been cooked this way, it’s an experience that’s simply a festival of flavor you’ll never forget. Many of the best real BBQ joints will start making their pulled pork days ahead of time and when it’s ready to eat, people line up. And when these places run out of food for the day, that’s it until next time.
A few years ago, along came electric pressure cookers such as the Instant Pot, and people went crazy for these things! And there’s a reason for that – because they open up all new possibilities for making incredible food. Pulled pork is tops on my list of favorite foods to make with an Instant Pot. From start to finish, it can be done in under 2 hours. No kidding!
Choosing the right pork
We start with a pork butt roast. This can also be called pork shoulder. You can get either bone-in or boneless. If you find ones that are vacuum packed and the packaging indicates that the pork contains a 12% solution, this means that the roast is brined. Those are the best to use. Meat is brined this way to maintain tenderness and juiciness. You can always make your own brine, but that’s a topic for another day. Go with the brined meat if you can. If the meat has a noticeable fat layer on it, you’ll want to trim any excess away.
I generally like to use a roast that’s 4lbs. I cut the meat into 4 pieces of equal size, cutting out the bone if it has one.
Start with a good rub
Our pulled pork will be getting it’s flavor start by applying a rub. We use simple ingredients that include brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, ground mustard, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and add the pieces of pork. Use your hands and toss it all together for a couple of minutes. Make sure that seasoning mixture is well incorporated into the meat.
Sear the meat
Barbecue flavors can be complex and one of the keys of great BBQ is the slow roasting/smoking of the meat. Since we can’t do that, we’ll create complex flavors of our own by searing the meat. We do this by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the Instant Pot and setting it to the saute mode. Once it’s hot, we carefully add our chunks of pork. I generally like to do 2 chunks at a time. It’s just much easier to work with in batches like this. Use tongs and gently place the chunks into the hot oil. Let the meat sear for about 2 minutes and turn over to get the other side for another couple of minutes. Get the sides too if possible. After searing the meat, remove from Instant Pot and set aside on a plate. We then need to deglaze the pot. This is very important! After sauteing, press cancel and add ½ cup of chicken broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon and scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pot. It should take about a minute or so. Make sure to get it all and do not discard anything! All this goodness is part of the flavor for our pulled pork.
Pressure cook with Chicken Broth
Chicken broth is the perfect liquid for pressure cooking pork. It adds flavor that you simply cannot get with water. To round out the flavors, we’ll be adding some Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke. These flavors work together to bring about a boldness and savory aspect that you’d normally get from the smoking/slow roasting methods of traditional BBQ. Naturally we’re going to emulate those flavors and the combination of Worcestershire and Liquid Smoke in the pressure cooker works wonders.
After you’ve deglazed the pot, add the rest of the wet ingredients and place the chunks of pork directly into the liquid. Don’t stack it, spread it out as best possible. Secure the lid, close the vent and pressure cook on high for 1 hour. After the hour is up, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes you can quick release any remaining pressure.
Pull the Pork
Carefully remove the chunks of pork from the Instant Pot to a large bowl. The pieces may fall apart and that’s just fine. Once all the pork pieces are in a bowl, use two forks to shred the pieces.
Add Favorite BBQ Sauce and Serve
At this point, your pulled pork will already be full of flavor. Just try a piece and you will be amazed! You can serve just like this (with some of the juice from the pot drizzled in). Or, you can add your favorite BBQ sauce. Add the sauce in small amounts to start. You don’t want the pork swimming in the sauce, but rather the sauce complimenting the pork.
One of my very favorite ways to enjoy pulled pork is with some BBQ sauce and heaped onto a good piece of white bread. Use a fork to enjoy this open-faced sandwich approach. Add a little coleslaw on top, too, for added flavor and texture. Be sure to have some pickle slices on the side too.
Storage and Reheating
Storing your homemade pulled pork correctly is key to keeping it delicious for leftovers! Here’s my quick guide to ensure your pulled pork stays fresh and tasty:
In the Fridge:
- Let it cool down to avoid any steamy container situations.
- Store it in an airtight container or zip-lock bag.
- Get it in the fridge within two hours of cooking.
- It’ll stay good for 3-4 days, so you’ve got meals ready to go!
In the Freezer:
- Cool it off, then portion it out into freezer bags or freezer safe air tight containers.
- Don’t forget to label with the date; it’s good for up to 6 months!
- Thaw it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to dive back in.
Microwave Reheating Instructions:
- Prep: Place the pulled pork in a microwave-safe dish.
- Moisturize: Sprinkle a little water or broth over the pork to keep it moist. Cover the dish with a microwave-safe lid or plastic wrap to trap steam.
- Heat: Microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes. Halfway through, stop to stir or rearrange the pork for even heating.
- Check: Ensure the pork is heated through. If not, continue microwaving in 30-second intervals until hot.
Stovetop Reheating Instructions:
- Prep: Put the pulled pork in a skillet or saucepan.
- Moisturize: Add a splash of broth, water, or barbecue sauce to help it stay moist during reheating.
- Heat: Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating.
- Check: Once the pork is simmering gently and heated through, it’s ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure your pressure cooker is large enough for larger amounts. You do not want to go past the fill line. To double the recipe, just go ahead and double all the dry rub ingredients. You’ll have to do the searing in multiple batches. Make extra sure to get the bottom of the pot scraped up of any stuck-on bits. Increase the chicken broth to 2 cups. Cooking time will be the same.
You can make the Best Damn Oven Pulled Pork or the Best Damn Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.
You bet it can! Check out our recipe for Best Damn Instant Pot Pulled Chicken!
The liquid smoke, even in its small amount, is an ingredient that really elevates the flavor of this recipe. If you don’t have it, simply leave it out. Alternately, you can use smoked paprika in place of regular paprika.
Recipe
Best Damn Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 6-8 servings
Description
The most amazing, tender, juicy and delicious Instant Pot pulled pork recipe.
Ingredients
- 4lb Pork Butt Roast, boneless or bone-in
- 3 tbs light brown sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ – 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from pork roast and cut into 4 same-size chunks.
- Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together. Add pork roast chunks to rub mix and coat well.
- Add 2 tbs olive oil to Instant Pot and set to sauté mode. Once it indicates hot, add 2 pieces of the pork. 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 chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke.
- 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 position. Pressure cook 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. Add your favorite BBQ sauce as desired. Or use the juice from the Instant Pot – it’s loaded with awesome flavor!
Notes
To double the recipe, double the dry rub ingredients and increase broth to 2 cups. Cooking time will be the same. Make certain to not fill the pot past the fill line.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American BBQ
Margie M
I’m making this right now for probably the 10th time. It never fails to please everyone. It’s perfect with just the juices especially for those who don’t like BBQ sauce. It’s tolerant of substitutions, too. I never have dry mustard so I mix Dijon with the liquids. I strain the leftover juice, chill and remove fat, freeze in freezer bags. I use it for roasts and soups.
Marie
I have tried a few different pulled pork recipes lately but this one is the keeper. Tender, juicy and flavorful. I wanted one that didn’t have barbecue sauce in the recipe so that I could choose whether or not to add it after cooking. Will be making this again and again.
Mireille R.
Made it tonight and it was fantastic! Fell apart, juicy and flavorful. Made sandwiches with Hawaiian rolls, Mayo and fried onions. Out of this world! A hit with the whole family. Highly recommend. I substituted the chicken stock for beef and bone broth. Delicious!
Adriana
We make pulled pork with good success from a variety of recipes. Never again will we try a different recipe! This was IT!!!
Richard Schinella
Absolutely the BEST pulled pork we’ve ever had.
Kari
My kids even love this! It’s been added to our rotation and they squeal with joy when I say we are having instant pot pulled pork this week!
Sarah
Definitely the best. I have used this recipe many times & it always comes out perfect. I recently made a 7 pounder, nearly doubled the ingredients & increased cooking time to 70 mins. Came out perfect. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Michele
FREAKING DELICIOUS!! So……I JUST made this in my instant pot, and the title is FACTS! It IS the best damn BBQ pork. (I did have to substitute liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken broth for a bullion cube with a packet of Sazon Goya and water)
It’s sooooo good, I may not even put BBQ sauce on it.
Denise
It came out absolutely delicious! I want to make it for a larger group so how long you think it should be on for a 6 lb pork butt? An extra 30 minutes?
Kari
I’m not the author but yeah, I would probably do 90 minutes.
Allan
30 extra minutes would be way to long for 2 extra pounds. I would think 5 more minutes would suffice.
Pete Heles
This is the best pulled pork I have ever had. Just one question. What do I do with the liquid the pork cooked in? Today I am cooking 16 pounds of pork and will have over a gallon of the liquid. Thanks!
RecipeTeacher
I’m glad you like it!! So basically I wind up using a lot of the liquid by putting it back into the pulled pork. You can also save it in a sealed container in the fridge. You can then remove any unwanted fat after it cools overnight and use it on leftovers.
Margie M
Strain it, chill it, skim the fat, freeze in baggies. Use it for roasts and soups. I use it whether I’m cooking beef, chicken or pork.
Linda Wade
This is a scrumptious recipe. I have used it with BBQ sauce and with the sauce it cooked in and it was wonderful both ways. Very simple to make with fantastic results.