Name: Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 3-4 pounds pork butt or pork shoulder ((Note 1)); 1 cup water; 2 tablespoons smoked paprika; 2 teaspoons table salt; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 cup bbq sauce ((store-bought or make keto bbq sauce recipe))

Summary:

One of the easiest low carb Instant Pot dishes, this pulled pork recipe has minimal prep and requires no browning or active cooking effort. After pressure cooking, the pork is so juicy and tender that it practically shreds on its own. It's flavorful enough to enjoy as-is, or you can toss with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Instant Pot Pulled Pork

5 from 37 votes

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 1 hr

Natural Release: 10 mins

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

▢ 3-4 pounds pork butt or pork shoulder (Note 1)
▢ 1 cup water

Dry Seasonings:

▢ 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
▢ 2 teaspoons table salt
▢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

For Serving:

▢ 1 cup bbq sauce (store-bought or make keto bbq sauce recipe)

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare Pork: Stir all dry seasonings with spoon until well-mixed; set aside. Pat pork dry with paper towels, trim off excess fat, remove bone if present, and cut meat into roughly 8 even pieces. Toss pork pieces and seasonings in gallon-size resealable bag until well-coated.
Pressure Cook: Add water to pressure cooker pot (Note 2), then distribute pork pieces over the water. No trivet or rack needed. Secure and seal lid (Note 3). Cook at high pressure for 60 minutes (Note 4), followed by 10 minutes of natural release. Manually release remaining pressure by turning knob to venting position.
Shred & Serve: Uncover and transfer only pork to large bowl, leaving liquid in pot (Note 5). Use 2 forks to shred pork, then toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve (Note 6) or save for later (Note 7).

NUTRITION

Makes 6 Servings

Amount Per Serving (1 cup):

Calories 290 (49% from fat)
Total Fat 16g	24%
Saturated Fat 5g	27%
Cholesterol 102mg	34%
Sodium 1220mg	51%
Net Carb 4g
Total Carb 6g	2%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Sugars 1.5g
Protein 30g

Vitamin A 37% · Vitamin C 9% · Calcium 3% · Iron 14%

PHOTOS

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Pork. In the U.S., “pork shoulder” usually refers to the pig’s lower shoulder, and “pork butt” (also called “boston butt”) refers to the pig’s upper shoulder. Either cut is fine for this recipe. If yours contains bone, select pork that’s at least 4 pounds so that you have enough meat to work with, and ask the butcher to remove the bone for convenience (or remove it yourself at home). If your pork is significantly smaller or larger than specified in this recipe, check your pressure cooker’s max capacity (Note 2) and scale ingredients appropriately (Note 4). I haven’t tested this recipe with pork loin or tenderloin, but they should also work well.

(2) Pressure Cooker Equipment. I use a 6-quart Instant Pot. Other sizes of electric pressure cookers should also work as long as all ingredients fit within the maximum capacity.

(3) Sealing Pressure Cooker. Before cooking, remember to seal the pressure cooker by turning the pressure knob from “venting” to “sealing,” otherwise the pot will not pressurize.

(4) Pressure Cooking Time. If you scale the ingredients up or down to accommodate a different number of servings, the pressure cooking time remains the same as long as the pork pieces are roughly 2 inches each.

(5) Cooking Liquid. This excess liquid will not be used for this recipe. If desired, freeze the liquid in a container to save for later. Use it in place of broth in highly-seasoned chowders or soups, like Instant Pot split pea soup.

(6) Serving. I recommend serving with your favorite barbecue sauce. 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. To make this a low carb meal, serve with a side of coleslaw or savory jalapeño cornbread. Or save the pulled pork to make burritos using low carb wraps by Mission, alongside a simple salsa.

(7) Leftovers. Pulled pork leftovers keep well, and taste even better the next day. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator, and reheat using the microwave with a cover so that the meat remains moist and doesn’t dry out.

(8) Nutrition. The calculation assumes each serving has 4 ounces weight of cooked pork. Much of the original raw weight is lost due to trimmed fat, bone, and liquid released during cooking.

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Leisa Borem

I made half with bbq sauce and left the other half plain and mixed with sauerkraut for next night. It was outstanding both ways!

Rebecca

I made this last night and oh. My. Goodness! If I could give it 10 stars, I would. The dry rub is DELICIOUS and with the addition of the BBQ sauce (which I added some liquid smoke to and it took it OVER THE TOP), it’s ridiculous amounts of amazing. I stood at the counter and ate it out of the bowl with a fork! SO GOOD! Thank you!!!

Sonia Sharp

This is the best Keto Instant Pot recipe for Pulled Pork I have tried. It was easy, simple and very delicious. This is my new favorite recipe for Pulled Pork. I actually prefer this Pulled Pork plain without the BBQ sauce. It doesn’t need it. It’s tasty without any added sauce. Also, I must say this recipe was very well written with clear instructions and notes. I am looking forward to trying other recipes of Julia.

Nicole

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!!!

Chris Curtis

Fantastic recipe, especially the keto bbq sauce, it came out so well! I ended using a pork tenderloin and set it for 35mim instead and it came out great!

Dek

My pork wasn’t done. What did I do wrong?

Julia

It could be a number of things. Did you remember to cut the pork into smaller pieces, seal the pot by turning the knob to “sealing,” and use the correct cooking and release times?

Terri

Mine was tough and not pull apart ready. I cut it into smaller pieces and followed the recipe to the letter.

Gabby

Just made for Labor Day dinner…delish! And sooo easy thank you 🙂

Julie

This was delicious! And so easy! I made it just as the recipe said and it was perfect.

Amanda

How would you adjust cooking time and adding liquid if making this in the slow cooker?

Deborah Mundorff

Delicious!!! And so easy

LisA

how much water would you use if your using a 8 qt instapot?

Rachel

Can you throw this in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours instead of pressure cook?

Sean Kelley

It was easy and good

Tara A.

Made this last year (in bulk!) for my twin daughters’ grad party. Everyone raved about it and said it was the best pulled pork they’d ever had. Even my friend’s husband who is known locally as a master at smoking and grilling meats was shocked at how delicious it was. He couldn’t believe it was made in an instant pot. I make it at least once a month now.

Debbie

Perfect and delicious every time! Have made several times in 6 qt IP. I cut the pork pieces smaller than suggested, and keep on a bit of the fat, which I can see, remove, and discard after cooking. Meat is always moist and delicious. BBQ sauce is a personal choice… sometimes I want it, sometimes not. Delicious either way. I strain the remaining liquid, refrigerate, scrape off the fat and use broth to make pea soup. Great recipe… a keeper. And so simple. Thanks!!

Rafael DeOliveira

I added a 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard

Linda Faircloth

The (3.3 lb) boneless pork shoulder (cooked on high for 60 minutes) was incredibly tender, but slightly dry (using 1 cup of water). The flavor was good, but it didn’t have a lot of flavor nor as much as I thought it would have with the amount of smoked paprika used (and I used extra). It was good with barbeque sauce, but wished that I would have added about 5-6 fresh cloves of garlic to give it a bolder flavor and cooked it for about 5 minutes less. Next time!

Mariafe Cardenas

Will double recipe fit in the 6qt Instapot?

I’m not sure. I’m thinking it would be a pretty tight fit to make sure everything is within the max line. You could try it, and if it doesn’t fit, just do 2 separate pressure cooking sessions.

Anne

Can I double the recipe? If so how many pounds of meat can I use?

Yes, you can double the recipe — please see Note 4 above regarding this. That would come out to 6-8 pounds of pork.

Jordan

Made this yesterday with your coleslaw. Another delicious recipe. Even my family enjoys these keto versions of their favorites.
I dont have an instant pot but I used a crockpot with the exact ingredients. I had doubled the liquid in case but still only used a cup of the water and spices.

Sasha

My family loves this recipe. So easy to make. It’s in our regular rotation

Belinda

Julia, I made this last night and followed your instructions to the T. Flavours are amazing and the pork pulled beautifully but the meat was rather dry. I didn’t use the BBQ sauce but had with coleslaw. Should I try again and cook for less time ?

I would double-check that you’re adding the correct amount of water and that the weight of your pork is 3 to 4 pounds. Then I would cut the pork into smaller pieces than you did previously; for example, cutting it into 16 even pieces instead of 8.

Hi Julia, and thank you for the response. Definitely added 1 cup water, so will try cutting into smaller pieces. Thanks again & have a great day 🙂

Brandi

Just got my instant pot and thinking this will be my first recipe! I prefer the more vinegar style pulled pork (Carolina style) instead of BBQ sauce. Will the flavors from the dry rub still work well if I add a vinegar based sauce after the pork is done?

Yes, I think the dry rub will still work well. Hope you give it a try!

Leticia

I just have 1lb. Would you adjust the cooking time?

I would keep the cooking time the same, and cut the pork into only 2 to 3 pieces (as opposed to 8 like the recipe states). Keep the 1 cup of water the same, and decrease the dry seasonings and BBQ sauce by a factor of 3 or 4 since you’re using less meat.

Sarah Volante

I was thinking this would be my first recipe with my Instant Pot, but I’m still learning how to cook with and without an Instant Pot!

Pork was buy one, get one free, so I have two pork shoulders that are 2 lbs each. I’d like this to be a two day meal for my boyfriend and I. Can we get by on making one of the pork shoulders for that? And if we did, should I adjust the cooking time down at all for 2 lbs of meat?

Any help is appreciated! This looks delicious!

Yes, using a 2 pound pork shoulder should be fine; cut the pork into 4 pieces instead of 8. Just halve the dry seasonings and BBQ sauce since you’re using half as much pork. Keep the water the same at 1 cup, and keep the pressure cooking time the same. Hope that helps!

Instant Pot Pulled Pork