My pulled pork recipe is so tasty and delicious – it’s made with bone-in pork shoulder, and is ready in just over an hour via the Instant Pot. It’s perfect for feeding large groups at a BBQ or potluck with crowd-pleasing pulled pork sandwiches, and the best part – it’s SO easy to make but tastes like you’ve been roasting all day!
I’ve mentioned this before, but I love using my Instant Pot for braising tough cuts of meat into tender, crave-worthy meals like my easy Instant Pot ribs or Instant Pot shredded beef tacos. Pork shoulder is an inexpensive cut of meat and can be chewy, but when seasoned well and cooked properly, it transforms into a luscious, savory and satisfying entreé. Bone-in pork shoulder can be found in most big-chain grocery stores, and is less expensive than boneless pork shoulder. You're going to LOVE how tasty this recipe is, and how easy and stress-free it is to make.
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Ingredients & Notes
Pork - I’m using a bone-in pork shoulder. The extra bone infuses a bit of extra flavor into the broth.
Chicken broth - I like using chicken broth instead of water. It brings more flavor to the meat.
Seasoning - This includes brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and ground pepper. It’s mildly spicy, feel free to add additional cayenne to your taste.
BBQ sauce - Use the sauce of your choice. One of my favorite brands is Kinder's BBQ Sauce.
Instructions
1). Cut the roast into 5-6 pieces. This will help the meat to cook quicker in the Instant Pot. Mix the dry ingredients and rub it evenly on all sides of the pork.
2). Sear each side of pork in batches, set seared pork aside. This helps develop flavor.
3). Deglaze pot with broth and scrape up browned bits. Add the pork back in, pressure cook on high for 60 minutes.
4). Remove pork and shred, then mix in ¼ cup of the broth and your favorite BBQ sauce!
Serve over a nicely toasted brioche bun (my favorite!) topped with coleslaw and pickles. This sandwich is so drool-worthy! Take a big bite and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Keep the bone in while cooking, you won’t need to add any additional cooking time as the roast is cut into smaller pieces.
- Reserve some of the cooked broth to pour on the pulled pork, this adds all the delicious flavors and some additional fat.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Toasting the bun is an extra step to up your sandwich game and helps to hold up all the extra goodness better without it getting soggy too quickly.
Once cooked, you can shred the meat and toss out the fat parts.
It is recommended as it helps add flavor – think a steamed ribeye vs. a seared ribeye. You want that caramelized and charred flavor.
Some good side options include biscuits, cornbread, coleslaw, pickles, and fries.
More Instant Pot Recipes You'll Love
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Instant Pot Bone-In Pulled Pork Shoulder
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 or 8 quart
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork shoulder, bone in
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- oil for searing the pork
- 1 cup BBQ sauce, more to taste
Instructions
- Cut roast into 5-6 pieces, about 3 to 4 inch thickness.
- Mix dry ingredients and rub all over the pork pieces.
- Press saute function on the instant pot then add the oil. When it reads "hot", add the meat and sear, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Cook in batches as needed.
- Remove the meat and set aside.
- Add the broth, with a wooden spoon, scrape any residual brown bits into the broth.
- Add pork back in, close the lid, seal the valve on cook on manual high pressure pressure for 60 minutes.
- When done, let the pressure naturally release.
- Strain liquid, reserve ¼ cup to mix in with pulled pork.
- Shred the pork, add the reserved broth and mix in your fav BBQ sauce, add more to your taste.
- Serve over a nicely toasted brioche bun topped with coleslaw and pickles!
Notes
- Keep the bone in while cooking, you won’t need to add any additional cooking time as the roast is cut into smaller pieces.
- Reserve some of the cooked broth to pour on the pulled pork, this adds all the delicious flavors and some additional fat.
Tiffany
Used my instant pot for the first time making bbq pulled pork since I hadn’t had time to smoke my pork butt. This recipe was sooooooo good! We reserved some meat without sauce for some taco’s also. Definitely making again.
Eva
At first I chose this recipe because no other recipe included info on “bone in” as I have never made pulled pork. Husband just tested it and he agrees it’s perfect. Delicious seasoning and so tender.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Carmen Smith
Delicious!! Tripled the recipe because I had a 7.3 lb bone in roast. AMAZINGLY TENDER! best recipe I've used so far.
Kaylie
So great to hear!
Cat Card
You just tripled everything no issue?
Kaylie
I have not tripled this recipe. You can try to double it, but also depends on the size of your instant pot and if it will fit the liquid and meat.
Morgen
Did you have to change the amount of time for the 7 pound roast?
Kaylie
I haven't tested that much meat, but I'd add more liquid (another 3/4 cup) so the meat doesn't burn, and increase the cooking time by 10 minutes. Make sure to still cut the meat up into 3-4" thick pieces, and ensure your pressure cooker can fit everything with ample space at the top. Let me know how it turned out!
RF
Hi! I’m curious to know: how do you cut it up into that many pieces with the bone in..? Do you just navigate around the bone? If you don’t cut it will it just need more time? Thanks!
Kaylie
Hi, yes cut it around the bone. Smaller pieces will be easier to sear and infuses more flavor. If you don't cut it, I would keep the same cooking time.
Marilyn
This was so delicious! The meat was very tender, not tough like the last recipe I used. It tasted good even before adding the BBQ sauce. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Kaylie
Yes, I made this for my family gathering and it was a HIT! Not dry at all!
Seasons01
I have an 8.44lb Pork Butt Roast bone-in. going right now in my pressure cooker (Ninja Foodi). I didn't know you had to cut it up I put it on high for 115 minutes. I'm assuming this will get it done. Just wanted to thank you. You are the only one that talks about the bone. But I read it too late to cut up my meat. Another site said 1 hour and 30 minutes for no bone 4-5 lbs.
If you could answer even though I will be done with this by the time you do. I would like everyone to know... what happens if it's underdone? Do I cut it up into pieces at that point and then put it back in the pressure cooker and add more time? Or is it better to not cut it up so I don't lose any juices inside of it?
The other option would be to put it on slow-cooker mode at that point and continue a few more hours that way. I'm worried about it drying out.
Thank you!
Kaylie
I'm sorry for the late reply! I'm curious to know how it turned out for you? An 8lb pork butt roast is pretty big, I'm not sure how thick that is, but I think the main thing I'd be worried about is the consistency of the meat. The parts on the outside will be overly cooked, and the parts on the inside will be less cooked, and potentially undercooked. You'd need to cut off the fully cooked parts, and set aside, then pressure cook the undercooked inside parts for another 20 minutes or so to ensure it's done. Hope it turned out for you!
April
wondering do you think the mustard is. necessary?
Kaylie
No, it's not absolutely necessary.
Emily
Just tried this tonight. I didn’t add the brown sugar, or the mustard because I didn’t have mustard, and I didn’t want my pork sweet at all. I also had an 8.5lb roast so I did two batches and froze the first one.
The only other change was I vented the pressure after it sat 10 minutes once it had cooked.
This was delicious!! So glad I gave it a try. Will be making again for sure!
Kaylie
Wow this sounds like an amazing meal! Thanks for the tip!
Steve
I made this for sandwiches at a Graduation Party, which included efficient time-management lol. This saved me! My Dad loved this, choosing this over a pulled-beef sandwich... he was born in the midwest, so that's understandable. Lots of compliments. Bravo!
Kaylie
Love to hear this! Thanks for dropping by!