Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe - Chili Pepper Madness (2024)

Instant Pot Pulled Pork

We're cooking up a big batch of Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends! Pulled pork is great for just about any meal or occasion. It's perfect for game day, serving at a big party, or just for enjoying yourself.

Maybe you're like me and one day you think, "Hey! I want some pulled pork sandwiches! And I want them NOW!" This recipe will work for you.

The only issue is that it takes so long to make.... But that's not the case anymore!

When you use your pressure cooker or Instant Pot to make pulled pork, you'll save so much time in the kitchen, and the pork is as good if not better than making pulled pork any other way.

Once you master this quick and easy kitchen hack, you'll be singing the praises of your Instant Pot to everyone you know!

Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork Ingredients

• Pork shoulder
• Dry rub seasonings - Use your favorites! I used a mixture of ancho powder cumin, Mexican oregano, paprika, cayenne and garlic powder.
• Olive oil - For a quick sear on the pork.
• Water - Or use other liquid, like beer or stock.

How to Make Instant Pot Pork Shoulder - the Recipe Method

Dry and Season the Pork. Pat dry your pork shoulder and cut it into four large chunks about a half pound each.Rub them down with your seasonings. Use your favorites here.

Sear the pork. Heat a cast iron pan to medium heat and add olive oil. Add the pork and sear each side of the pork shoulder, about 5-6 minutes or so. This will help to seal in a lot of the flavor and moisture for the pork as it cooks.

Pressure cook the pork. Set them into the pressure cooker or Instant Pot and add water or other liquid. Get the lid on good and tight. Pressure cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Quick release the steam.

Shred the pork. Transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl, then shred the tender shoulder with forks and serve.

Boom! Done! Pressure cooker pulled pork is easy to make, isn't it? You won't believe how fast it cooks up compared to the hours and hours it takes to slow cook pork shoulder. Insane!

How to Serve Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

Once you have the pork shoulder ready, shred it up with forks as you would normally do. Serve this with tortillas and fixings for pork tacos, or with buns, sauce and cheese for pulled pork sandwiches.

Barbecue style? Yes! Don't forget the hot sauces! Everything benefits from a bit of hot sauce or a great barbecue sauce on the side. See our Hot Sauce Recipes for more saucy ideas.

You can also make a wonderful gravy from the highly seasoned liquid left in the pressure cooker at the end. See the recipe notes section below for more detailed information on how to make the gravy.

You can use your pressure cooker to cook pork shoulder for pulled pork in 60 minutes cook time. Or, use your instant pot for Instant Pot Pulled Pork. It is just so amazing, so juicy, so delicious.

How to Store Pulled Pork made in the Instant Pot

Once the meat has totally cooled to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. It'll stay fresh for about 3-4 days. To reheat, you can use your microwave or slow cooker until it's warmed through and ready to eat!

Recipe Tips & Notes

• The Pork. Pork shoulder (aka Pork Butt) is best for making pulled pork. You can use leaner cuts, like pork loin, but pork shoulder has a higher fat content and benefits so much more from this cooking process, and comes out so much more moist and juicy.
• The Liquid. It's OK to use water for pressure cooking, as you will get plenty of flavor from the seasoning and sear of the pork in the first step. However, you can definitely use other liquids, such as chicken stock or broth, beef stock, vegetable stock, or beer. I love making this with beer. I often use a Mexican style lager and love how that turns out.
• The Seasonings. Feel free to use your favorite seasonings. Today I used a blend of ancho powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, paprika, cayenne and garlic powder, but realistically, ANY rub will do. Cajun seasonings would be OUTSTANDING here. Add brown sugar for a touch of sweet to the final pulled pork.
• Gravy for Serving. If you'd like to make a gravy, use stock instead of water to pressure cook the pork. Strain the liquid, then bring 1/2 cup to 1 cup to a boil. Add a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with water and stir. Boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture thickens. Add in other seasonings as desired. Make a wonderful gravy to serve over your pulled pork.

Don't have a pressure cooker? Here is a link below to the one I use. It's electric and works GREAT for me. It's a sponsored link, btw. Just so you know! But it is highly recommended by me and many other users on Amazon! Thank me later. =) Enjoy!

Cuisinart CPC-600AMZ 1000-Watt 6-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker, Brushed Stainless and Matte Black (affiliate link, my friends!)

Buy this Instant Pot (affiliate link, my friends!) for Instant Pot cooking.

Try Some of These Recipes with Your Pulled Pork

• Pulled Pork Mexican Torta Sandwich
• Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
• Breakfast Pulled Pork Tacos
• The Juiciest Smoked Pulled Pork
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

Try Some of My Other Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Recipes

• Pressure Cooker Chicken Wings
• Pressure Cooker Corned Beef
• Pressure Cooker Cuban Black Beans