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Instant Pot Pulled Pork

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I make this Instant Pot Pulled Pork for nearly every big get together we host at our home. It feeds a lot of people on the cheap. You can use this pulled pork in a myriad of ways – for Instant Pot carnitas, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, salads, gluten-free pulled pork sandwiches, or for whatever else you can imagine.

What cut of pork is best for pulled pork

Pork picnic roast, the cut of pork that comes from the pig’s upper shoulder area, also known as pork shoulder roast or Boston butt, is high in fat and soft connective tissues. This fat and connective tissues is so very tender and juicy when it is cooked low and slow, or pressure cooked. The pork shoulder is said to be the best, most flavorful portion of the pig (aside from bacon… hahaha). 

Can I make pulled pork from pork loin

Unlike pork shoulder roast, pork loin roast is lower in fat and soft connective tissues. While you can use it for pulled pork, I personally don’t care for it. It’s mostly white meat, so it has a dryer flavor/texture.

Instant Pot pork roast is affordable

I love hosting parties at our home, but cooking for large amount of people can sometimes be financially challenging. Pork shoulder roast is affordable. I can normally purchase a 9 pound pork shoulder roast for $11-15, and it will serve 12-15 people.

Pulled pork dry rub

Because of the dry rub seasoning, barbeque sauce is not needed (unless you really want it). This pressure cooker pork is very flavorful and incredibly juicy on its own.  

In fact, I like this pulled pork rub so much; I use it on other meats, like chicken, ribs, etc. So feel free to experiment!

How to make Instant Pot pulled pork 

  1. Make the pulled pork dry rub
  2. Place the pork butt on a large cutting board and blot it with paper towels.
  3. Use a sharp knife to cut the roast into pieces the size of your fist. If your pork roast is bone-in, remove the meat from the bone, and discard the bone.
  4. Place the roast pieces in the Instant Pot bowl and add the pulled pork dry rub. Toss to coat the pieces of meat in the rub.
  5. Add in the water.
  6. Cook at high pressure for 115 minutes (1 hour and 55 minutes).
  7. Let the Instant Pot come down from pressure manually. When pressure is released, remove the pork from the Instant Pot bowl and shred.
  8. Season with additional sea salt to taste.

Pressure Cooker pulled pork cooking time

I call for a much longer cooking time in my Instant Pot pork than some of the other recipes out there. Why? 115 minutes (1 hour and 55 minutes) produces super tender gluten-free pulled pork that shreds easily. A shorter cooking time will create tougher meat – I don’t know about you, but I prefer my pulled pork melt-in-your-mouth tender!

How do you shred pulled pork

Since this easy pulled pork recipe is so tender, you can easily use 2 forks to shred the meat. Simply place both forks into the center of the meat, and pull in opposite directions. This technique will give you long, thin shreds.  

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

I purchased my first Instant Pot in November 2015, and it’s been true love ever since. I only use my slow cooker now when we have large gatherings, and I need to keep something warm for serving. Really, I’d like to just get rid of it, but it does come in handy for parties!

I have the Instant Pot 7 in 1 model, in both the 6 quart and the 8 quart sizes. My preference the 7 in 1 model over the 6 in 1 because of the “yogurt” function. I make Instant Pot Coconut Yogurt regularly, so that yogurt option is perfect for my family!

The 6 in 1 model Instant Pot does not have the yogurt making option.

Instant Pot vs. crock pot/slow cooker

This recipe will work just fine in an Instant Pot, another brand of pressure cooker, or a slow cooker/crock pot.

I personally find that the Instant Pot keeps meat even more tender and juicy than a crock pot/slow cooker. The Instant Pot locks in the juices during the pressure-cooking, unlike the crock pot/slow cooker, where some of the juices escape and evaporate while cooking.

If you’ve been on the fence about buying an Instant Pot, just do it. I promise you won’t be sorry!

BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe

You can absolutely use this recipe for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Simply mix the pulled pork meat with your favorite BBQ sauce. My family really likes the Stubbs Hickory Bourbon BBQ Sauce (it’s certified gluten-free) and the O Organics Original BBQ Sauce (found at Carrs/Safeway). 

These Gluten Free Hamburger Buns make the BEST sandwich rolls for gluten-free pulled pork sandwiches! They are soft and fluffy, and will quickly become a family favorite! 

How to use your pressure cooker pulled pork

  • Pulled pork sandwiches
  • Rice bowls
  • Tacos
  • Burritos
  • Add it to salads
  • Serve it over baked potatoes
  • Eat it with eggs and homemade kimchi for a quick high-protein breakfast

What to serve with pulled pork Instant Pot

While coleslaw and potato salad are the obvious choices to serve with pulled pork, I’ll often serve other things too. 

Salads 

Gluten-Free Pasta Salad
Raw Beet Salad
Sesame Zucchini Noodles

Side Dishes

Instant Pot Refried Beans 
Dairy-Free Macaroni and Cheese
Mashed Cauliflower

Freeze your leftovers

When I don’t make this Instant Pot bbq pork for a party, I’ll often freeze half of it; it freezes and thaws very well for simple and quick meals.

To package leftover pork for freezing, I either Foodsaver it, put it in an airtight glass container, or use a plastic resealable freezer bag.

Time saving tips

Costco will sometimes have 2 pork butt roasts packaged together and sold for cheap. I’ll have my husband cut them up for me and I’ll mix them with the dry rub. Then I’ll foodsaver each roast – cut up, in its own Foodsaver bag. This way it’s going straight into the freezer already cut and seasoned, so when I thaw it, all I have to do is pop it in the Instant Pot to cook.

I hope your family enjoys this pulled pork pressure cooker recipe as much as we do! 
xoxo, 
Mēgan

Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe: 

Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Yield: 12-15 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

I make this Instant Pot Pulled Pork recipe for nearly every big get together we host at our home. It feeds a lot of people on the cheap and tastes amazing! Use it for carnitas, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, salads, pulled pork sandwiches, or for whatever your heart desires.

Ingredients

  • 6 lbs. boneless pork butt (or 9 lbs. bone-in)
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons or fine ground Celtic sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. To make the dry rub, whisk together the coconut sugar, kosher salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, dried oregano, and cayenne in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
  2. Place the pork butt on a large cutting board and blot with paper towels. Using a sharp knife (my favorite knife for cutting meat is this Global chef's knife), trim the excess fat from the meat (you don’t have to get it all, just the larger pieces of it). For bone-in, remove the meat from the bone, and discard the bone (unless you can freeze and use it for something else, like bone broth).
  3. Cut the meat up into even pieces, about the size of your fist, and then place it into the Instant Pot bowl (If you have a few pieces that are smaller than the others, it’s okay. This will most likely happen if your pork butt was a bone-in one.).
  4. Pour the dry rub into the bowl and toss to coat the pieces of meat in the rub (I like to use a pair of tongs for this).
  5. Add the water to the bowl, and then set the bowl inside the Instant Pot. Check the ring on the Instant Pot lid to make sure it’s in the proper place, then click the lid into place on the Instant Pot. Set the vent to seal.
  6. Select “Manual,” which will show 30 minutes of cooking time, and increase the time to 110 minutes. When the Instant Pot is done cooking, it will come down from pressure naturally, about 40 minutes (I do not recommend using quick release with this recipe. Natural release ensures tender and juicy meat.).
  7. When the pressure is released, open the lid of the Instant Pot and use a large slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a large bowl. Use 2 forks to shred the meat (it will be very tender and shred easily). Season with additional salt to taste.

Notes

TO MAKE THIS RECIPE IN A SLOW COOKER:

Place the pork pieces in the bowl of a slow cooker. Poor in the dry rub and then toss the meat to thoroughly coat in the rub. Cook on high for 3-5 hours, or cook on low for 4-7 hours.

If you have the time to let the pork marinate in the dry rub, I highly recommend letting it sit 2-3 hours in the refrigerator before pressure cooking the meat. If you don't have the time though (I often don't), go ahead and skip this step.

You can either discard the cooking juices, or use it to spoon onto the cooked pulled pork. I normally spoon some of the juice back onto the meat, but discard the remaining.


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© Mēgan Ancheta
Category: Instant Pot
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kat

    Thank you for your Instant Pot recipes. I love the pulled pork and White chicken chili recipes especially. I just got my instant pot and am so excited to use it, especially with recipes that I don’t have to make a lot of adaptions to for food allergies. I always look forward to your recipes!

    Reply

    • Anita Pruitt

      The salsa verde chicken recipe is our families favorite and has a few adaptations for either just the chicken for tacos or chili or the casserole that is sooooo awesome. Look it up and try it. I looked forward to trying this one today!

      Reply

  6. Dee

    I just made a pork roast in the Crock-Pot today, but I really, really want an Instant Pot. This looks amazing, and I love that it’s so quick!

    Reply

  7. Cami

    Ill have to try this recipe out. I recently moved to Anchorage and I’m having trouble finding grocery stores that have a wide selection of gluten free/paleo foods. I have a high sensitivity to dairy and corn products so I prefer all my meats to be organic/grass fed. Do you have any recommendations where to shop?

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Cami,
      I order a lot of my dry goods online via Amazon or Vitacost.com (they are a flat shipping rate of $10, so I just make sure my order is big enough to justify the shipping cost). Natural Pantry has many GF items, but I rarely shop there because they are so expensive. My family doesn’t eat all organic/grass fed – not that I don’t want to, simply because of the cost. I know there are places you can cow-share, or pig share – I’m just not sure of the names of the farms that offer that. You might try Mike’s Quality Meats in Eagle River. I’ve heard they are good. If they don’t have what you need, I’m sure they should be able to point you in the right direction.

      Reply

  11. Kari

    Is it ok to leave it in the pot without opening it after NPR? I won’t be home in time to take it out and shred it. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Kari,
      I guess it depends on how long you plan to leave it in there for? I wouldn’t leave it more than 1.5-2 hours, max.

      Reply

  12. Cathy

    Have you tried this recipe with beef or chicken? Any changes needed (time, water, seasonings, etc.) if doing beef or chicken? Finally used my Instant Pot for the first time and I love it! ?

    Reply

  16. Holly

    Hi! I’m an IP newbie and was wondering if I should use a trivet for the meat? I’m still not sure exactly when or not to use it and wanted to double check.

    Reply

  17. Milady

    Oh my goodness, this was delicious, it was moist and fall apart tender, and as a bonus, made my house smell fabulous. I used chicken broth instead of water, but made no other changes. Perfect. Hubby loved it as well.

    Reply

  19. Chelsea Gray

    This looks amazing!! Making it this weekend! If doing it in the slow cooker, should you still add the water?? Or just the meat and dry rub? Wasn’t sure if it was a instant pot requirement! Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Joe, I like to use a bigger bowl because I can’t seem to toss the raw pork in the rub without getting the IP bowl completely messy (the IP bowl is too narrow for my liking). 😉 But you do whatever works best for you!

      Reply

  22. Carol

    This looks delicious! I was wondering if it’s sweet at all, or do the other spices balance the sugar out? My husband doesn’t like sweet flavors with meat. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Carol,
      No, it’s a very small amount of sugar to a large amount of meat. You can’t detect the sugar when you taste it.

      Reply

  24. Donna

    We tried this recipe on our pork butt trimmed from bone weighing 7.5 lbs afterwards. We added just a little more of all the ingredients to balance the extra meat and used 1.1/2cups of water..we cooked on high pressure for the same time..110 minutes and then low pressure for 40 minutes..released the pressure and removed lid. It turned out absolutely delicious!! I would certainly try this one again..it beats the crazy amount of time it takes to smoke or slow cook or bake.. instant pot is awesome!!

    Reply

  25. FrankieLee

    Your recipe for pork was my first one out of the gate with my new Instapot. It was amazing & very moist.
    Followed your directions to the letter. Perfection.
    Thank You

    Reply

  28. Kris

    I have an 8quart Instant Pot. If I double this recipe, do I also double the water? Also, is the cook time the same or should that be increased? If time increases, about how many minutes should I try? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Kris,
      For starters, I wouldn’t fill the IP up with pork more than 3/4 of the way full. Just FYI. I would keep the water the same, and increase the cooking time to 120 mins.

      Reply

  29. Ally

    Quick question: I have a 6qt duo IP. I bought a 4-5 pound boneless pork butt and put my own dry rub on it. Do I need to do the pot in pot method and use the trivit? Or can I put it straight into the pot.

    Also, how much water and how long does it need to cook?

    I am new to the IP world.

    Reply

  30. Theresa

    Made this tonight with less heat (my guests aren’t fans of anything the least bit spicy). It was incredible! This is definitely going into the frequent meal rotation. (I also gave it a 5 star rating on Yummly.)

    Reply

  31. Trish

    I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks amazing. I’m still new at this, but I can’t wait to start making all sorts of wonderful meals with this pot. The Instant Pot I bought last year doesn’t have a “Manual” button. It just has Pressure high or pressure low and lots of pre-programmed cooking settings. I can adjust the time. What setting should I cook this on?

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Trish,
      Yes, it sounds like they’ve made some adjustments to the newer IP models. You want to use Pressure High. 😉

      Reply

  33. Diana Knox

    I emailed it to myself, it comes back to the same site but I cannot find the link to print it off, can you help me?

    Reply

  34. Rebekah

    I put the timer to 110 for 6lbs and there was a lot of water. Should I put it back on for 40 more minutes?

    Reply

    • Megan

      A lot of water? Or do you mean a lot of liquid? The pork will produce quite a bit of broth as it cooks. You can either keep this broth or discard it (I save a little for the pork, to keep it moist, but then discard the rest).

      Reply

  36. Susan Parnell

    I just found your website, and this pork recipe.is just what I am looking for. I am new at the Instant Pot and am loving it. I have a 7-lb pork shoulder that I plan to cook today. Is there any rule-of-thumb on how many minutes/per to pressure cook different cuts of meat? Thanks for your help, and I look forward to following your blog!

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Susan, I always cook meat longer than suggested in the IP manual. It’s hard to give you specific times without knowing what kind of meat, how many pounds, etc.

      Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Casey, I haven’t made this recipe without the sugar before, so I really can’t say for certain, but I think it would be fine.

      Reply

  38. April

    Made this tonight w a 1kg pork loin cut into 6 chunks.

    Skipped the sugar as we’re on keto and it was absolutely the best roast I’ve done in the instant pot. Excellent blend of spices!!!! 45 mins to perfection.

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi April, So glad you were able to modify it to suit Keto! I’m happy you enjoyed it! 😉 Thanks for coming back and leaving a comment!

      Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Meghan,
      I haven’t done one that’s partially frozen. If you want to give it a go , I definitely recommend still cutting it into chunks, and then upping the cooking time to 125 minutes. Just to make sure everything is completely tender. I would not recommend cooking a roast that is completely frozen.

      Reply

  41. Kristina

    Made this tonight with a 7 pound pork shoulder roast (bone removed). It was absolutely delicious. I think I upped the cook time to 125 minutes. Great recipe, thank you.

    Reply

  42. Tracy J Smith

    I made this today for lunch for my family. THEY LOVED IT!!! It was sooooo tender! I only had a small bone in roast (a little over 3 lbs) so I cooked it for half the time you said above. It came out perfect!! I am making another one tomorrow for supper! Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this!

    Reply

  43. Douglas Vincent

    We made it. 6 lb pork but, deboned. We added 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to the cup of water. The result was excellent. Very tender. The pork was flavorful but not spicy. Add your favorite BBQ sauce, get a bun and enjoy.

    Reply

  44. Pristine

    This is my absolute favorite pulled pork recipe. I have made it over a dozen times. Thank you for this delicious recipe!

    Reply

  45. Carmen

    Thanks for sharing such a clear and easy-to-follow recipe for a large cut of meat with what looks like a tasty rub. I so look forward to trying this!

    Reply

  46. Michelle

    My whole family enjoys this recipe. It’s the first one we made in my Instant Pot and it’s become a go-to recipe at least once a month!
    I typically buy the multi-pack of pork sirloin tip roasts from Costco. I’ll put one or two of them in there (two is better). I usually follow Megan’s directions exactly, with great success.
    Tonight I was very late getting it started. I had 1 of the pork roasts from that Costco multi-pack so maybe about 3-4 lbs. – I just stuck it in whole – didn’t cut it at all, and it didn’t need trimmed as those are lean, poured the water on, whisked up this seasoning and just dumped it on top and set mine on High pressure for 1 hr 30 minutes. Let it natural release for 12 minutes, then did quick release because everyone was hungry! It was perfect as usual!!
    I like to put the shredded pork on a gluten-free hoagie bun with some bbq sauce, but my guys like to just dig in to the pile of shredded pork, with a little bbq sauce on the side. We’ve also mixed the leftovers with rice for a rice bowl, put over chips and cheese for pulled pork nachos, or added to salads for some extra protein.
    Thanks Megan for this recipe! I’d say it’s virtually fail-proof!

    Reply

  47. Chris

    I have had my IP almost two years and have used it many times with great success. I have never done pulled pork before but have volunteered to make it for a family get together this weekend (15 people). I have an 8 pound pork butt and am worried it will be too much for my 6 quart IP. Should I do it in two batches or do you think it will be ok and how long should I cook it?

    Reply

    • Megan

      Oohh… that’s a good question, Chris. It’s been a while since I’ve made this recipe in a 6 quart – I have an 8 quart now. You might be cutting it kind of close with 8 pounds. I wouldn’t fill the stainless steel bowl up more than 3/4 of the way up. Otherwise, if it goes over that, you might need to divide it up into 2 different batches.

      Reply

  48. Jenni Shuman

    This is the easiest and BEST pulled pork recipe I’ve ever made! I’ve tried it in my dutch oven, crock pot, and pellet smoker. This is so much more tender than any of those, and it’s so EASY and quick. I used McCormick Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon as a dry rub to make it even quicker. I’ll try yours one day though! I’m sure it’s great and probably healthier and cheaper 😉 Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Megan

      That’s awesome news, Jenni! Thanks for coming back here and letting me know you tried it and loved it. I appreciate that!

      Reply

  49. Kristen

    Wow! I was compelled to leave a comment. This meat is ridiculously good. It falls apart effortlessly and the dry rub is perfect. I will make this over and over. Super easy and very well explained recipe. .

    Reply

    • Mēgan

      Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a comment, Kristen! I’m happy you enjoyed it and found the recipe clear.
      🙂 Megan

      Reply

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