Instant Pot Pulled Pork (Top 9 Free!)

YAY! It’s free from gluten, eggs, dairy, soy, all nuts, fish, shellfish and sesame! Note: This post contains affiliate links, so any purchases made on Amazon through the links will help support Yay, It’s Free From This!

Savory, juicy pork that’s also slightly sweet and tangy…pulled pork makes for such a delicious and fun dinner! This recipe is allergy-friendly, versatile and super easy too, especially when done in an instant pot. Depending on your diet restrictions, you can serve it alone with a side of coleslaw, on top of mac n’ cheese, as tacos or our favorite way, on buns! (Get my homemade dairy-free, gluten-free burger bun recipe here.) This is absolutely one of my go-to weeknight recipes or for feeding a crowd. 😋

Using the Instant Pot

This post is totally for a friend who had us over for margaritas and dinner a couple of weeks ago. We chatted about pulled pork and the instant pot. Like her, a lot of folks are afraid or find it a bother to use an electric instant pot pressure cooker. I was definitely one of them and stubbornly refused to give into to its popularity. But the kids love braised and slow-cooked meats, and braising in the oven is incredibly time-consuming. And although I like the “set it and forget it” feature of my slow cooker, I hate that I can’t brown the protein in it. With all the relentless cooking we have to do, the Hubs made the decision for me, told me to get over it and gifted me one, lol. Love that man. 😍

I have to say I hated the instant pot in the beginning mainly because I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. Sometimes it took as long as the oven because I didn’t realize it takes time for the Instant Pot to “come to pressure” and then you need to add to the cooking time itself. However, once you work in that time, it did feel like “set it and forget it” and it’s been a game changer for our meal prep. I’ve converted a lot of my recipes to the instant pot. I love this thing so much, I use it at least twice a week!

We have the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus. If you don’t need such a large one, I recommend the 6-quart version of it. Currently, the Instant Pot brand has a newer 8-quart version called the Whisper that I highly recommend. The steam release is quieter and it has new safety features including a message display that will tell you when it’s safe to open the lid.

Tips for Instant Pot Success

Use enough liquid. Be sure to always have liquid when cooking in the instant pot, and the correct consistency as well. For my 8-quart instant pot, I always use at least one cup of liquid. For this recipe, I like to mix barbecue sauce and broth. The ratio has to be more broth since the sauce is thick. Yes, I learned this the hard way a couple of times in earlier versions of this recipe.

Don’t burn the insert! If browning meats first, be sure to deglaze the bottom of the insert before setting the Instant Pot to cook. Otherwise, you could get a “Burn” warning after it’s come to full pressure. So you’ll have to release all the pressure, take the lid off and scrape the insert and start all over.

Never force open the lid. As long as all the pressure is released, it’s safe to open the lid. But if you feel any resistance at all, DO NOT try to open the lid. Be sure to push the release valve until all the pressure is released before attempting to open the lid.

Make the Spice Mixture

Now that we’re ready to use the Instant Pot, let’s jump in and make the spice mixture first. I’ve honestly tweaked and altered this spice mixture several times until it was perfect for us. I don’t like barbecue flavors that are too sweet, and we can’t have it too spicy because my daughter is super sensitive to spice (we’re talking even black pepper burns her, BOooo). All you need are brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I encourage you to adjust according to you and/or your family’s preferences.

Prep the Pork

Try to cut the pork butt into large even chunks. Always use pork butt, aka pork shoulder and I highly recommend bone-in. It’s always more flavorful with the bone. Sprinkle half the spice mixture over the pork and toss with hands.

Set the Instant Pot to the Sauté. When it’s ready, generously add oil to the pot and sear each piece of seasoned pork. Try not to crowd them. When I’m browning in the Instant Pot, I only find it necessary to brown one side of each piece. Continue to brown in batches until all of them are done. Then, add about half of the broth to deglaze the bottom of the insert pot. Scrape it thoroughly to avoid getting the burn warning from the Instant Pot.

To the remaining broth, add the barbecue sauce and vinegar. Stir until incorporated. Add all the browned meat back into the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the pork and pour in the broth mixture. Cover with the lid, and twist to lock it. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on High for 45 minutes. Be sure to allow it to release naturally. This can be 20 minutes to an hour depending on the recipe.

On my Instant Pot, when the pressure valve has dropped, I know all the pressure has released naturally and I can safely take the lid off. There should be no resistance at all when twisting and opening the lid.

Now carefully scoop out the pork. It will fall apart and this is a great sign. Use two forks to shred the pork.

You can skip this step, but I like to strain the juices into a fat separator to remove most of the grease and oil. If you don’t have one, I love OXO’s kitchen tools and recommend their 4-cup fat separator. Once all of the fat have floated to the top, pour the juices back into the shredded pork. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve any way you like and enjoy! For a fully top 9 free meal, I serve this with roasted sweet potatoes and vinegar coleslaw. Sometimes I make it with vegan, gluten-free mac n’ cheese, and/or gluten-free cornbread, or we do tacos with cassava flour tortillas. But pulled pork on buns is definitely our favorite way to eat this. Again, check out my homemade burger bun recipe if you are gluten, soy and dairy free.

If you make this, please let me know how you served it up! Cheers! 🤗