You can pile it high on pulled pork sandwiches with your favorite barbecue sauce on a burger or slider bun, or add to tacos or burritos topped with cilantro and onion for a Tex-Mex meal. It’s cheap, it feeds a crowd, and it’s freezable. What more could you want? Don’t have a pressure cooker? See recipe notes below for how to make this in your slow cooker or oven. I made this pulled pork recipe when I was stocking my freezer for after I had my second baby. I stashed a whole bunch in my freezer (along with two batches of my favorite enchiladas), and thawed it out in portions for easy meals. Thank you, past Elizabeth. You are wise. Here’s how to make this instant pot pulled pork. This delicious, fall-apart, tender, juicy, flavor-packed pulled pork. Yummmmm.
How long does it take to cook pulled pork?
Pressure cooker recipes can often be deceiving when it comes to cooking times, since many recipes don’t account for the time it takes for it to come up to pressure. While this Instant Pot Pulled Pork technically cooks for 60 minutes, you should allow for 20-30 minutes more for it to come to pressure. But if you were to make this recipe in your oven, it would take about 4 hours to cook (not to mention heat up your house). In a slow cooker, it would take 4-8 hours. This recipe takes less than 2 hours, including prep, for the most meltingly tender pulled pork ever! What makes the Instant Pot perfect for this recipe is not only the shortened cooking time, but the fact that you can sear the meat directly in the pressure cooker before cooking it fully.
How to make pulled pork in an pressure cooker
How to shred pulled pork and reduce the juices
The easiest way to shred the pulled pork is to use two forks. If you’ve cooked it correctly, it will be so tender this step will be almost effortless. And it’s a good indicator of whether you cooked it for long enough- if it doesn’t fall apart to the touch, it likely needs a longer cooking time to make it more tender. I remove the pork from the instant pot and place it on a rimmed baking sheet or large plate, to collect any juices (it gets messy if you use a cutting board for this). While I’m shredding the pork, I set my pressure cooker to “sauté” and reduce the cooking juices by about half. This will concentrate the flavor a ton, making a delicious base for the shredded pork to swim in. Then I shred the pork with two forks, add it BACK to the instant pot with the reduced juices, and serve it from there!
How to store pulled pork
You can keep pulled pork in the fridge for 3-5 days, and in the freezer in an airtight container or bag for about 6 months. One important note about storing: store the pulled pork in the juices. Otherwise, it will dry out!
How to serve pulled pork
Pulled pork is so versatile and you can do endless things with it. Here are some of my favorite ways to make pulled pork into a complete meal.
Pile the pulled pork on slider buns and top it with coleslaw and your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve it as a “main” meat dish along with a starch and a veggie, such as rice and green beans, and drizzle everything on your plate with the juices. Have it alongside Black Beans and Rice. Make carnitas by frying the pulled pork in a skillet with oil until crispy and serve on tacos with chopped red onion and cilantro. Use it as a pizza topping along with some pickled jalapeños and pineapple, like a Hawaiian pizza.
Other easy pressure cooker recipes
Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Herbs Split pea soup Fish stew Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Browse all my instant pot recipes here. Don’t have a pressure cooker? Take a look at the recipe notes for how to use your slow cooker or oven for this recipe. Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways you can support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this instant pot pulled pork, please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe!
