Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
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Super juicy and tender, fall-apart tender Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork with slow cooker option. Easy to make and totally delicious, this is the perfect year-round recipe for bbq pork lovers!
In the mood for sandwiches? You’ll go crazy for these Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches. Loving your instant pot but can’t decide what to make? Here are some of my absolute favorites: Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos, Instant Pot Honey Teriyaki Chicken, and Instant Pot Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.
For some reason pulled pork just screams Summer to me, but honestly I make this easy Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork all year round, it’s SO GOOD.
Today I’m going to teach you how to make super juicy and tender bbq pulled pork in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker. And I’ve even got instructions for you if you’re still loving on that slow cooker and haven’t made the leap to a pressure cooker just yet!
This recipe is so family-friendly, even the pickiest of eaters will down this ultra tender bbq pork. My toddlers even had some and that is saying something because I have the toughest time getting them to eat anything but mac and cheese some days!
First things first, the bbq sauce. The recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of bbq sauce. Feel free to make your own bbq sauce from scratch (been there, done that, LOVE IT) if you’re feeling up to it.
But if you just want as quick and easy as possible, go ahead and use your favorite store bought bbq sauce. I do this all the time!
My favorite secret when using store bought bbq sauce in this pulled pork, is to choose two different, but complimenting bbq sauce flavors. Usually a sweet paired with smoky, spicy, or something tangy like a Carolina-style sauce. Using two kinds of bbq sauce really kicks up the flavor.
This recipe also calls for one can of Coca Cola. You can swap this out for Dr. Pepper, or Root Beer! Use your personal preference or whatever you’ve got on hand. The main purpose is to tenderize the pork and any of these will work great.
How do you Make Pulled Pork in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker?
- Cut pork roast into 4 equal pieces. Combine in pressure cooker with Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, or Root Beer.
- Stir together bbq sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder and pour over pork.
- Cover and set to pressure cook setting for 45 minutes. Use natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Uncover pressure cooker and shred pork. Transfer pork to a bowl, discard juices, and stir bbq sauce into pork.
- Serve on hamburger buns.
Can I use Frozen Pork Roast?
Yes! For results, use thawed pork that has been cut into four sections. If you want to use a frozen pork roast, you will need to increase cooking time by about forty minutes to yield really tender pork.
Can I use a Slow Cooker?
Absolutely! Instead of pressure cooking, you can slow cook the pork in a crockpot for 6-8 hours on low for really juicy, tender pork.
Expert Tips
- I love to use this Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork in salads, tacos, wraps, and sandwiches!
- For sandwiches, I like to use hamburger buns spread with mayo. You can take it to the next level by adding extra bbq sauce and topping the pork with a heap of prepared coleslaw – I love that crunch!
- This is an easy recipe for bbq pulled pork, made super tender and juicy in your Instant Pot/pressure cooker, or even in your slow cooker. So full of flavor and easy to customize, this dish will satisfy your bbq cravings all year long without heating up your oven or dirtying a bunch of dishes.
More Popular Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Pork Chops and Gravy
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
Did you make this Instant pot BBQ Pulled Pork recipe? FANTASTIC! Please rate the recipe below!
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 3 pound pork shoulder cut into 4 large chunks
- 1 can coca cola, may sub dr pepper or root beer
- 2 ½ cups bbq sauce, see note
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 6 hamburger buns, for serving
Instructions
Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
- Add pork to a lightly greased pressure cooker/instant pot. Pour coca cola over the pork.
- Stir together 2 cups bbq sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder. Pour over pork.
- Place lid on the pressure cooker, sliding into the locked position. Set to pressure cook for 45 minutes. Do a natural release for 10 minutes, then turn valve to the vent position. Once float valve has dropped, remove lid.
- Use two forks to shred pork into small chunks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pork to a bowl (discard liquid from pressure cooker) and stir remaining 1/2 cup bbq sauce with shredded pork.
- Serve pulled pork on hamburger buns. Optional sandwich toppings to take your pulled pork to the next level: mayo, extra bbq sauce, and cole slaw.
Slow Cooker
- Follow the instructions for preparation for Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, but to use a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours before shredding pork.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, i literally just got the mini instant pot. I am wondering if this RECIPE can be made in it and what the differences in times and amounts of ingredients are.
one of the worst recipes I’ve ‘pulled’ off the internet. 45 mins to cook a 3 lb piece of pork in a pressure cooker? I’ve cooked an 8 lb Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving and it only took 30 mins. Way too much time to..dried it out. Bbq ingredients did nothing for overall flavor. very disappointed on something that had simple ingredients..
Hello. I’m trying to find easy freezer dump meals and this seemed perfect! if I added all the ingredients in a ziploc, freeze it, and cook it on a lazy night, would the results be the same?
Thank you. I love all your recipes btw.
Yes! I have done this multiple times!! I cook the full batch and usually split into two freezer bags for two separate meals. Hope you love it!
First off I sent this same message to Facebook and just copied and pasted it here. For some reason it’s in all caps so sorry about that.
I had a question about your recipe for Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork. I noticed no mention of water being added yet the instructions for our instant pot say to add X amount of water if the liquid contents of the recipe don’t equal the amount the manual says for safe cooking. So does any water get added for a 3lb shoulder?
The recipe is correct as written! The amount of liquid that already used plus what the meat will yield will be just fine 🙂
Thank you very much
No salt and pepper?
Hello. I don’t know why this is in all caps, but I do apologize. my caps lock is not on. Please forgive me. At any rate. I really enjoyed the recipe. this is the second recipe that i have found from you and i have to say that you do a good job. I did adjust the recipe for things that i did not have for things that i did. i had a spice blend that was almost identical to the spice rub for the pulled pork. I also used a little more ACV. i also added some coarse sea salt and coarse black pepper. Lastly, i like spice so I added some pepper flakes and mexican hot sauce. It was so good, I promise! thank you for helping us learn to cook in the pressure cooker! Can’t wait for the next recipe!
You are so great! Way to go using what you had on hand and kicking up the heat a bit! Thanks for sharing, Tamela!
I made this today in my instapot, I made a mistake and what I thought was bbq sauce was instead balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing. Thought the sauce was a bit thin when I put it in but moved on with the rest of the ingredients. This turned out really good with the addition of 1 cup of smokey bbq sauce at the end. So, sometimes a mistake becomes a triumph! Next time I’ll try it with actual bbq sauce.
Woah- that is interesting! Glad to hear that your mistake turned out to be delicious! 😉 Thanks, Tom!
I have make NUMEROUS pulled Pork recipes. This one is legit! Drain the sAuce after cooking for 1.5 hrs. Then top with your fav sauCe and Slaw! Amazing!!!!! I cooked a 4lb SHOULDER
Awesome job, Jon!! Thank you for your feedback!
Excellent!
My family Really enjoyed this and it was so Easy! I FOLLOWED the recipe except for the brown sugar. I skipped that be ause I was using a honey BBQ sauce. Delicious and plenty left over for lunch tomorrow. Thank you!!
Awesome job, Susan! Great thinking with a honey BBQ sauce. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I made this and its amazing!
Only THIng I did different. was after shedding it on a plate and throwing it back into the sauce on warm til we were ready to eat. Is it ok to eat it, if I do that?
A bsolutely!! I do that all the time with this recipe- great job, Beth!