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Ever want a big helping of your favorite barbecue but think to yourself, who has time for that? Smoking takes hours, and really, how many of us own a smoker? Slow roasting on the grill of in the oven: equally as long! Have no far, though! Delicious, fall apart tender pulled pork is just an hour away! Whip out the instant pot and you are just a short wait from a piping hot batch of your favorite BBQ. Instant pot pulled pork is easy, cuts the cook time down by hours, and still serves up that awesome BBQ flavor!
BBQ Dry Rub
This super simple instant pot pulled pork begins with, surprise: pork! For this recipe, you can use a pork shoulder or butt, just make sure it is 3-4 lbs. Any larger, and just bump the rest of the ingredients up a bit. Trim any excessive fat off the pork and cut it into 4 large chunks.
Next, in a small bowl, mix together the following ingredients for a dry rub:
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 3½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp mustard powder
Sprinkle the dry rub all over the pork chunks and, well, rub! Make sure all sides are coated evenly. After this, pull out that instant pot and add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pot. Set to sauté for 10 minutes. Work in batches if necessary to sear all sides of the pork chunks. Set aside and deglaze the pot with 1 cup of chicken broth and 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar. Add the pork back in and top with ⅓-½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce. Do not stir!
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Now that the pork is prepped, it is time to let the instant pot do its magic! Seal the pot and turn on the manual setting for 50 minutes to one hour, depending on how large the pork was. When it is done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then hit the manual release button after if needed.
Use a fork or bear claws to shred the meat to your desired chunk size. Top with 1/2 cup more of barbecue sauce if desired and mix. And now it is time to eat. My go-to serving suggestion is a classic pulled pork sandwich. Pile a hamburger bun up high with your instant pot pulled pork, a drizzle more of BBQ sauce, some cole slaw, and a pickle or two! The perfect meal to wrap up another blistering summer!
Tired of pulled pork sandwiches? That’s cool, you can use that leftover pulled pork for all sorts of things, like:
- Tacos
- Nachos
- Totchos
- Enchiladas
- Quesadillas
- BBQ Pizza
- Mac & Cheese
- Chilli
- Grilled Cheese
Want More Summer BBQ Recipes?
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Skewers
- The Best Baked Beans
- Baked Chicken With Peach Barbeque Sauce
- Slow Cooker Ribs With Alabama White Sauce
- Grilled Steak With Chimichurri
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
- Watermelon Cucumber Salad
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 lb pork butt or shoulder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup barbecue sauce divided
Dry Rub
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 3½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp mustard powder
Serving Suggestions
- white buns
- cabbage slaw
- dill pickles
- barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat off of the pork butt/shoulder and cut into 4 large chunks.
- Mix all of the ingredients of the dry rub together and rub all over the pork chunks.
- Set the instant pot to sauté for 10 minutes. Work in batches if necessary and sear all sides of the pork chunks. Set aside
- Deglaze the pot with chicken broth and vinegar and add the pork back in. Add in ⅓-½ of the barbecue sauce. Do not stir
- Seal the pot and set on manual heat for 50 minutes-1 hour depending on the weight of your pork.
- When it is done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then hit the manual release button after if needed.
- Using a fork, or bear claws, shred the pork. Add in remaining barbecue sauce if desired, or set aside for serving.
- SERVING SUGGESTION: Pile up while hamburger buns with the pulled pork. Top with cabbage slaw, dill pickles, extra BBQ sauce, and serve!
