A simple recipe for Instant Pot Pulled Pork with bbq sauce. Great for low carb and keto diets.
Making pulled pork in the pressure cooker is so fast. Before I got my Instant Pot, the slow cooker was my go-to method for making pulled meat of any kind, usually taking 3-4 hours on high power. With the pressure cooker, it takes 1 hour of cooking plus an additional 10 minutes for natural pressure release. Now I can actually get dinner on the table without starting in the early afternoon.
The pressure cooker makes shredded pork that’s incredibly tender. It was practically falling apart as I took it out of the pot, and was effortless to shred. It’s also so juicy and full of flavor that you could even enjoy it as-is.
I also like how this recipe is super simple. No browning or sauteing needed. Just toss the pork with dry seasonings and pressure cook until it’s tender. Shred with forks, and serve with your favorite bbq sauce (or make your own keto bbq sauce).
Dry seasonings
I love this dry rub of seasonings — it adds a lot of flavor and aromatics to the pork. I use a lot of paprika: 2 tablespoons, not teaspoons. You can follow my recipe and use this homemade seasoning mix, or you can use your favorite spices or even a storebought spice mix. Either way, it’ll come out fantastic.
The easiest way to rub the seasonings onto the pork is by tossing them together in a resealable bag. See the photo above where I chopped the pork into roughly eight pieces and tossed them in a ziploc bag.
Pork shoulder vs butt
You can use either pork butt or pork shoulder for this recipe. Curious why? Well, they’re actually more-or-less the same cut of meat! Pork butt, also known as Boston butt, doesn’t come from anywhere near the pork’s rear end. It actually comes from the upper part of the shoulder, called the blade shoulder. Pork shoulder usually refers to the lower part of the shoulder. Note that this is how Americans refer to pork cuts — I have no idea what other people do.
The terminology goes back to colonial New England. Butchers would take less desirable pork cuts like hams and shoulders and pack them into a transport barrel known as a butt (FYI this is also a unit of measurement sometimes still used at wineries). Shoulder cuts became a Boston specialty and were known as the Boston butt.
The pig’s actual butt, referring to the muscle at the top of its leg, is where ham usually comes from.
So you can pick up anything labeled pork butt or pork shoulder for this recipe. Just make sure you get the boneless kind, anywhere in the 3 to 4 pound range. I usually pick a piece that looks leaner, since I trim off most of the visible fat.
Serving and leftovers
I recommend serving the shredded pork with your favorite barbecue sauce. Since I follow a low carb diet, I use my homemade keto bbq sauce, which is sugar free and low in carbs. If you’re not up to making your own, you can buy sugar free bbq sauces by brands like Walden Farms, G Hughes, and Guy’s.
I like serving pulled pork with coleslaw for a low carb dinner, but you can also make pulled pork sandwiches or use it as a filling for Mexican dishes. Lots of possibilities here. Check out these low carb appetizers and sides for more ideas.
Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated, and they reheat well using the microwave. Enjoy!
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder
- 1 cup water
Dry seasonings:
- 2 tablespoons
smoked paprika - 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon
garlic powder - 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin
For serving:
- 1 cup bbq sauce (homemade keto bbq sauce)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, combine all dry seasonings until well-mixed. Set aside.
- Trim the pork of any visible fat. Cut into roughly 8 even pieces. Add the pork pieces and dry seasonings to a gallon-size resealable bag. Toss until the pork is well-coated.
Add water to the pressure cooker pot. Place the pork pieces inside. No trivet or rack needed. - Secure and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 60 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release. Manually release remaining pressure.
- Uncover and transfer only the pork to a large bowl, leaving the liquid in the pot. Use 2 forks to shred the pork. Toss with your favorite bbq sauce. Optionally serve with coleslaw.
NUTRITION
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 600 | |
| Total Fat 38g | 58% |
| Saturated Fat 9g | 47% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 177mg | 59% |
| Sodium 1280mg | 53% |
| Potassium 90mg | 3% |
| Total Carb 6g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 7% |
| Sugars 1.5g | |
| Protein 48g |
This is honestly the best pulled pork I have ever had and I consider myself a pulled pork connoisseur. The seasoning was spot on. I didn’t change a thing. The keto bbq sauce was really good too but the pork was too good for sauce. Amazing!!!
If I use half the meat do I need to half the time also?
The pressure cooking time remains the same, assuming your pork pieces are the same size as the original recipe.
Can you use a bone in pork shoulder? I have one I’d like to try in my instant pot
Do you place the meat on the rack?
Hi Bernadine! I don’t use a rack or trivet.
I’d like to make this but am thinking to cook it in a glass baking dish inside the IP, not in the water, which I do with other meats. Any reason not to do this? More flavor, less flavor? Thank you for this, we love pulled pork sandwiches so much.
That sounds fine, Sherry, and I think it would work just as well.
I made half with bbq sauce and left the other half plain and mixed with sauerkraut for next night. It was outstanding both ways!
I made the recipe and instead of the bbq sauce I used Trader Joe’s Pineapple Salsa. The spice rub (added 1 tsp onion powder) worked amazingly well with the salsa. Simply delicious!
We made this last night and it was delicious! I couldn’t have had better pulled pork in a restaurant. My husband told me to make sure and save this recipe, which I did. We used the exact seasonings and we found some sugar free bbq sauce at a specialty store, which was also good. Thank you for this recipe.
I just made this. I only changed the recipe by adding some liquid smoke. Was phenomenal!!! My son wondered why I didn’t own a restaurant because it was so so unbelievably good!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Made it two nights ago the whole family loved it, I had to hide some for lunch!!!:)