Many many years ago, before my niece turned vegan, she wanted me to make her some BBQ pulled pork because she had it at Disneyland and it was really good. At that time, I couldn't find a Disneyland BBQ pulled pork recipe, nor were there instant pots back then. So I looked up a few pulled pork recipes and threw a pork butt and a combination of spices that sounded like they would taste good in pulled pork sandwiches, and let the crock-pot go for a few hours. The results were pretty good, and I've been using that recipe since. However, the sauce was always quite watery, and I would have to transfer the sauce to a separate pot to thicken it on the stove top. It was a bit of a pain in the butt.
So here's where I thought the instant pot would be perfect for this recipe! You can thicken the sauce right in the pot with the saute function. It's so much easier and less messy.
Serve this instant pot BBQ pulled pork sandwiched between toasted buns with a side of my no mayonnaise coleslaw, and you have an easy tasty dinner (or lunch) for a crowd. Pictured above is the BBQ pulled pork on a slice of smoked Gouda cheese served along side some coleslaw and pickles.
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| Dump into instant pot and cook high pressure 50 minutes, natural release 15 minutes |
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| Transfer pork pieces to a bowl and shred with 2 forks |
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| Simmer sauce using saute function until volume is reduced by half. Skim off fat. |
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| Return shredded pork to instant pot. Add favorite BBQ sauce. Toss to mix |
This recipe makes a lot, but leftovers freeze really well. Just portion it out into freezer safe containers. Smooth out the top, and top with a bit of BBQ sauce. Seal the containers and pop them in the freezer to enjoy at a later date.
Yields 10-12 servings
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs boneless pork butt, trimmed of fat, and cut into 5 large pieces
- ¼ c water
- ½ c apple cider vinegar
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 T mustard
- 1 T soy sauce
- 2 T ketchup
- 1 t ground black pepper
- 2 t granulated garlic powder
- 1 t salt
- 1 t liquid smoke
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 jar of your favorite BBQ sauce (you need 1 c for the recipe, the rest is to drizzle on top of each sandwich as desired)
Procedures:
1. Trim large pieces of fat off pork butt. Discard fat. Cut pork butt into 5 roughly equal large chunks.
2. Place the pork and all the ingredients EXCEPT for the jar of BBQ sauce into the instant pot.
3. Give everything a good stir to mix. Close lid to instant pot, and place vent to seal. Set the instant pot to pressure cook for 50 minutes, and natural release for 10 minutes.
4. After the timer is up, release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid, and with tongs, remove the pork pieces to a large bowl. Shred the pork with two forks and set aside.
5. Set the instant pot to saute, and allow the sauce boil for about 30 minutes while stirring intermittently. The sauce should be reduced by about half. If not, continue to boil until the sauce reduces further. Once reduced, turn off the instant pot. Using a spoon, skim off most of the fat if there is a lot.
6. Return the shredded pork to the instant pot. At this point, add in 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. Toss everything to combine. Serve on toasted buns and top with additional BBQ sauce if desired. Tastes best along side some tangy coleslaw.