Description
This Instant Pot Pulled Pork recipe delivers tender, flavorful pork shoulder cooked to perfection in just over an hour. Using a simple spice rub and a quick browning step, the pork is pressure cooked for an incredibly juicy and shreddable texture, perfect for sandwiches, tacos, or your favorite BBQ dishes. The recipe is easy to prepare, requiring minimal hands-on time, and results in delicious, smoky, and sweet pulled pork every time.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 4 lbs. pork shoulder roast (cut into 4 large pieces and trimmed of excess fat)
Spice Rub
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (can substitute with coconut sugar)
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Liquid & Others
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (see notes for substitutions)
- 1/2 cup water
- Barbecue sauce or your favorite sauce (for serving)
Instructions
- Season Pork: In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, brown sugar, ground cumin, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Rub this spice mixture evenly over all sides of the pork pieces to ensure they are well-seasoned.
- Brown Pork: Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot and heat the olive oil. Once hot, add the pork pieces and brown them on each side for 1-2 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding. Remove the browned pork and set aside.
- Add Liquid and Deglaze: Pour the apple cider vinegar and water into the Instant Pot. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze and lift all the flavorful browned bits.
- Cook Pork Under Pressure: Return the pork to the Instant Pot, seal the lid, and set the pressure cooker to High Pressure for 1 hour. It will take approximately 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. After cooking, perform a quick pressure release and open the lid when safe. If the pork is not tender enough to shred easily, cook under pressure for an additional 15-30 minutes.
- Shred and Serve: Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and place on a cutting board. Using forks, shred the meat, discarding any excess fat. Toss the shredded pork with your desired amount of heated barbecue sauce before serving.
Notes
- To substitute apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar or lemon juice, but apple cider vinegar adds a subtle sweetness and tang that complements the pork well.
- For a lower sugar option, substitute brown sugar with coconut sugar as suggested.
- If you prefer a more natural release of pressure for even more tender pork, you can allow the pressure to release naturally instead of quick releasing after cooking.
- Make sure to trim excess fat from the pork shoulder to avoid greasy pulled pork.
