Easy Family Dinner –
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is always an easy family dinner! The instant pot makes it even more easier and so fast! I love cooking a big pork roast on the Traeger but I don’t always have the time (or devotion) to babysit the roast for 8+ hours.
The instant pot pulled pork only about 10 minutes of hands on time. With having a toddler, this meal is a favorite so I can spend time with my little one while it’s cooking! Plus, it’s so easy to make a bigger batch for leftovers! I typically make enough for at least 3 meals and make a meal plan for the week with the leftovers.
Stay tuned for more easy dinners! My instant pot mac and cheese is another easy winner in our house!
Check out my videos of recipes on Tiktok!
quick dinner idea
Through a few trials, I’ve came up with what I think is the best pulled pork that you can do outside of a Traeger. It also feeds a crowd! I make this often and use the leftovers for pulled pork pizza, pulled pork rigatoni, pulled pork tacos, pulled pork BBQ shells and so much more!
Ingredients
- 1 4-6 Lb Pork Roast (I like using a butt or shoulder)
- 8oz Apple Juice
- 8oz Water
- 6 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 2 Tsp Paprika
- 2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 Tsp Mustard Powder
- Cooking Spray
How to
Sorry for the bad photoshopping here! Totally forgot to take photos of my roast before cooking.
- Spray the inside of the instant pot with cooking spray. Pat down the roast with a paper down and place the roast inside the pot.
- Combine the water and apple juice and pour over the roasts. The apple juice adds a nice sweetness to the meat. I always spray my roasts on the Traeger with the mixture and inject it into the roast when I smoke my pulled pork.
- Combine all of your seasonings together in a separate bowl. Feel free to taste the seasoning to make sure you are happy with the salt to sugar ratio.
- Pour the seasoning all over the roast and pat down on it to help it stick.
- Close the instant pot and set it to sealing. Cook for an hour and thirty minutes or about 12 minutes per pound. If you have a bone in roast, you can cut the time down to about 10 minutes per pound.
- Once it is done, let it naturally release. Pull the roast out and start shredding. Once I shred the meat, I like to add a little of the juices from the pot to the shredded meat to help it stay extra moist for the leftovers.
Such an easy family dinner and really affordable! We usually make pulled pork sandwiches with this roast. My husband likes it so well that he omits the BBQ sauce as he feels like it takes away from the seasoning.
Easy Family Dinner with leftovers!
This recipe can produce as much or as little as you want and is so simple! It holds up well in the fridge for about a week but it freezes really well! I always freeze extras with my vacuum sealer and it holds up for months!
Easy Family Dinner - Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 4-6lb Pork Roast Butt or Shoulder, preferably boneless
- 8 oz Apple Juice
- 8 oz Water
- 6 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 2 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Mustard Powder
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the instant pot with cooking spray. Pat down the roast with a paper down and place the roast inside the pot.
- Combine the water and apple juice and pour over the roast.
- Combine all of your seasonings together in a separate bowl. Feel free to taste the seasoning to make sure you are happy with the salt to sugar ratio.
- Pour the seasoning all over the roast and pat down on it to help it stick.
- Close the instant pot and set it to sealing. Cook for an hour and thirty minutes or about 12 minutes per pound. If you have a bone in roast, you can cut the time down to about 10 minutes per pound.
- Once it is done, let it naturally release. Pull the roast out and start shredding. Once I shred the meat, I like to add a little of the juices from the pot to the shredded meat to help it stay extra moist for the leftovers.