The most incredibly tender Instant Pot Pulled Pork, made with just 4 simple ingredients! Plus meal hacks to show you how to make it once, eat it 3+ times throughout the week!
Perfect for those summer BBQ’s or a casual weekday dinner, this pulled pork recipe is made with just 4 ingredients, and is ready in about an hour, instead of taking all day in the slow cooker!
This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. All opinions are my own.
Here in Ohio the weather is starting to warm up, and I’m trying not to get my hopes up (it is Ohio after all – we regularly get snow in March)… but it’s so hard! As soon as the temperatures rise and the sun comes out, all I can think about is my favorite food-time of year… cookout season!
Do you call them cookouts? BBQ’s? Whatever you call them, you know they are so fun. All that great outdoor party food like macaroni/pasta salad, baked beans, strawberry pie, and of course, pulled pork!
Up until this year, I always made slow cooker pulled pork, which takes about 8 hours, depending on the size and cut of your pork. But I recently picked up an Instant Pot and am blown away by how easy, and quick, it is to make pulled pork now!
Despite the name… it’s not “instant”, and you do have to wait for it to come up to pressure, and release the pressure after cooking, but it’s still a good 6.5 hours quicker than a slow cooker.
WHAT KIND OF MEAT DO YOU USE FOR PULLED PORK
You can use a pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork loin. Loin is readily available in my grocery store, and usually at a pretty good price! I buy them when they’re on sale, then freeze them.
CAN YOU FREEZE PULLED PORK
Yep! When you have some left over (and aren’t using my meal hacks detailed later in the post), portion it out into plastic freezer bags. To reheat, I like to set the frozen bags in the refrigerator overnight, then take the meat out of the bag, wrap in foil and reheat in a 225 F degree oven until hot.
HOW MUCH PULLED PORK DO I NEED PER PERSON
That’s the quintessential question… especially for a party! A good rule of thumb is 6 oz of cooked pulled pork per person (which can go up or down depending on the person’s appetite, but 6 oz is average). Notice I said “cooked pulled pork per person”, not pork. As you cook pork (or any meat), it loses weight as the water is released and cooked away. Basically you want to double the amount of cooked pork, and that’s how much raw pork you need. Also, know your guests… 10 hungry adults or athletes are going to eat more than 10 kids 🙂
So for a party of 10 people, 10 people x 6 oz = 60 oz of cooked pulled pork. 60 oz x 2 = 120 oz of raw pork meat. So you’d need to pick up 7 1/2 lbs of pork loin/shoulder/butt for your party. Make sense?
HOW TO MEAL PREP WITH PULLED PORK
I LOVE to make a big batch of pulled pork, then either meal prep or use the leftovers to make different dinners all week long. I call them “meal hacks”, and they’re super fun to whip up!
Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Top a baked potato with a pat of butter and bbq pulled pork to have pulled pork potatoes!
- Char some tortillas, add pulled pork and some slaw to have pulled pork tacos!
- Jazz up breakfast by scrambling some eggs, adding pulled pork and cheese!
- Add some pulled pork to macaroni and cheese (or get crazy and make these fried Mac and cheese bites with pulled pork!)
- Top a burger with pulled pork… the sky is the limit!
WHY USE Dr Pepper FOR PULLED PORK
I know it may seem weird… but trust me on this one. The meat doesn’t taste like pop or soda at all, I promise. The reason I like to use it is it contains great caramelized sugar flavors, and it has acidity which is great for flavor balance and keeps the meat nice and tender. The chipotles I think add a nice kick, and the smokiness is fabulous with anything “pulled”, like pulled pork, pulled beef, or pulled chicken.
I REALLY hope you give this awesome Instant Pot Pulled Pork recipe a try soon!
HELPFUL TOOLS:
- Instant Pot – I have this one and I LOVE it! I can’t wait to share more Instant Pot recipes with you all, so grab one today.
- Chipotles in adobo sauce – This is the brand I usually buy.
Want to try this Instant Pot Pulled Pork?
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Ingredients
- 4 lb boneless pork loin or boneless pork shoulder/butt
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- 12 oz Dr Pepper soda
- your favorite bbq sauce
Instructions
- Slice pork into 4 pieces and season with salt and pepper. Place pork in instant pot insert and top with minced chipotle peppers. Pour Dr Pepper around the pork.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and seal. Press manual and set for 45 minutes. Instant Pot will start counting down once it comes up to pressure, which is usually 15 minutes or so.
- Once cooked, let naturally release for 15 minutes, then quick release to get rid of any remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove pork to a large mixing bowl (it will be so tender it may start to fall apart during the transfer). Shred using two forks and add bbq sauce to your tastes.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Ingalotte says
Can I use a bone-in pork shoulder?
The Chunky Chef says
You can, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time.
Robert says
I’m planning to give your recipe a try to make pulled pork sliders for a party of 16 people. I’m going to use about 7 pounds of pork loin. Do I need to increase the cooking time? Thanks, your recipe sounds great!
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never tested it with that much pork, so I can’t say for certain. I’d cook it as directed and see if it easily shreds. If it does, it’s perfect. If it’s still tough, you’ll need to cook it a little longer 🙂
Kim Boxer says
Love this recipe; pork is usually dry and tasteless but this is wonderful and so full of flavor. I have a mini instant pot so I use a 2 pound pork loin and it is perfect for the two of us. Thanks for a great recipe.
Austin Ellis says
How bad is the clean up with all that sugar from the DP?
The Chunky Chef says
Nothing a little Bar Keeper’s Friend can’t handle 😉
Adriana says
Is this meant for pork tenderloin? I have a pork loin, will it work? Most pulled pork recipes I see use pork butt…
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Adriana 🙂 It’s meant for either a pork loin or pork butt, as long as they’re boneless. Tenderloin would be much better suited to oven/grill cooking.
Haley says
Can you use coke if you don’t like Dr pepper?
The Chunky Chef says
Absolutely 🙂
Mickelé Isfeld says
Hello 👋🏻
I am very eager to try this recipe but I only have a 2.6 lb pork shoulder blade roast instead of 4 lbs. Will this still work with the recipe ? Thank you !
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Mickele 🙂 It should work just fine… will probably be a bit more saucy and take a little bit less time to cook.
Tiff says
This was not tender (couldn’t pull apart) for a 3 lb pork loin after 45 minutes. I put it back in set for 20 min. Still not tender. I’m new to instant pot, what’s wrong? I cook pork loin in my crock pot and it turns out great. Any help is appreciated.
The Chunky Chef says
Was your pork loin boneless? Did you let it naturally fully come up to pressure beforehand? Did you do a natural release for the full 15 minutes after cooking? It’s so hard to say exactly what went wrong, as there are so many variables :/
SHERI R POWERS says
Pork loin only takes 35 min in the oven…i think you may have overcooked it being this is a pressure cooker … especially a pork loin that very little fat on it
sandy segneri says
made this as my first Instapot recipe and used a tenderloin- omg it was amazing! Fork tender in 44 minutes and tasty but not overly spicy! Thank you!!
Amy Reedy says
Can’t wait to try this recipe! It sounds amazing. Could pork tenderloin be used instead?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Amy! I’ve never tried it with pork tenderloin, so I can’t say for certain.
Betsy says
Such an easy recipe, and SO delicious!
Tina says
This looks great. Would Coca Cola work as well as Dr. Pepper? It’s what I have on hand.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Tina 🙂 Yes, Coca Cola would work perfectly.
Desi says
This recipe is great! Kids love it. Just wondering what brand of peppers in adobo sauce you use? We got embasa brand and it actually had a meal worm in it! Gross! Also, I noticed other pulled pork recipes cook for 60-90 minutes with a 10 natural release. Is there a reason this recipe cooks much faster? Not complaining because ours has turned out fine every time, was just sort of wondering if you knew! Thanks for the great recipe!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Desi 🙂 I’m so glad the kids love it!! I usually buy San Marcos brand chipotles in adobo sauce (it has a blue label). Oh no, a mealworm?!! Yikes! This one cooks faster since a lot of people are using the boneless pork loin which is leaner than a fatty shoulder 🙂
Ana Bright says
This looks so good! Can’t wait to try it tonight for game night.
Sandy says
Made this today. It was a hit….put 3 chipotle peppers in it and it had a bit of heat. Thanks for the recipe.
Sandy says
I was wondering when you said 1-2chipotile peppers in adobo sauce…..was cans or just 1-2 peppers out if the can?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Sandy 🙂 I usually use 1-2 peppers out of the can and freeze the rest in a resealable plastic bag. The peppers can be pretty spicy, so I find 1-2 gives the pork a pleasant amount of heat without going overboard.
Sandy says
Thanks
Jenny Hince says
Omg. I just made this and it was incredibly good. Simple and tasty. Thank you for this recipe. I just got my instant pot and wanted to test it out with pulled pork. I found your recipe and it is now my family’s favorite! Thank you!
Aditi Pinto says
can this be doubled? will the timing remain the same?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never doubled it, so I really can’t say for certain.
Chana Vance says
Made this for my daughters birthday. I backed off the peppers because we didn’t want it too spicy for the little kids in attendance, but I may have been too conservative. Will make it again and stick closer to the amount suggested. anyway it was a HUGE hit. People like it better than the other option we had from a local BBQ place. I added a half bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s gold/mustard based sauce at the end and WOW! Love this recipe. Thanks!
Susie says
Do you use a trivet to put the pork roast on? How many ounces of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce do you use?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Susie 🙂 I don’t use a trivet, and the entire can is about 7 oz, but I only add 1 or two of the peppers inside (they’re pretty big, and also pretty spicy). Feel free to adjust that amount to your tastes though 🙂