Instant Pot Pork Butt

This Instant Pot Pork Butt recipe is a favorite for the whole family. The pork is coated in a dry rub, before being seared and cooked to fork tender perfection. Finish with your favorite BBQ sauce and enjoy! Instructions are also given for oven and slow cooking.

This delicious pork is hands down one of my favorite instant pot recipes. The electric pressure cooker will cook any large piece of meet in a fraction of the time it takes in the oven - often with better results too!

It's perfect for any tough cuts of meat and and even though the cook time is short the connective tissues will be broken down perfectly for that really tender meat.

I have used pork butt roast in this recipe - the high fat content helps the meat stay super juicy while it cooks. But you can also cook pork shoulder or any inexpensive cut of meat in exactly the same way.

I've also included methods on cooking pulled pork in the oven and in the slow cooker for those who aren't into pressure cooking.

Jump to:

• Why You Should Make This Instant Pot Pork Butt
• Instant Pot Pork Butt Ingredients
• How to Make Instant Pot Butt
• Variations of Instant Pot Pulled Pork
• Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Reheating
• Freezing
• Pin This Instant Pot Pork Butt - Pulled Pork Shoulder Recipe For Later
• What Do You Think?!
• More Easy Dinner Recipe Ideas
• Printable Recipe
• Instant Pot Pork Butt Recipe
• Reader Comments & Ratings

Why You Should Make This Instant Pot Pork Butt

• Once cooked, the shredded pork butt can be used in so many different dishes - and it's great for meal prep!

• Actual hands-on prep time is minimal, the instant pot does the hard work and reduces the cooking time right down.

• This is a real family friendly dish that kids and adults love.

• Instant pot pulled pork is easy to freeze so enjoy some now and save some for later. You can also make these great tacos with the leftovers.

Instant Pot Pork Butt Ingredients

Find the full list and quantities in the recipe card below.

Pork Butt

I have used boneless pork butt, also known as Boston Butt. You can either use bone in pork butt or boneless in the recipe or use pork shoulder which is a similar cut of pork.

What is the difference between a pork butt and pork shoulder?

Both pork butt and pork shoulder are tough and fatty cuts that come from the shoulder area of the pig. The high fat content makes these cuts ideal for slow cooking.

Pork butt is a cut that is higher on the foreleg, whilst pork shoulder has more muscle and is further down, so they are butchered a little differently.

You can also use a pork loin roast - though this cut tends to be leaner so does not give quite such good results for pulled pork.

What temperature should cooked pulled pork be inside?

The ideal temperature for cooked pulled pork is 205ºF. This is higher than the usual recommended 165ºF as the higher internal temperature allows the collagen in the pork butt to break right down. This results in the meat becoming so tender it can literally be pulled apart.

Broth

This recipe uses chicken broth, however you can also use vegetable stock. Use fresh stock, a carton of stock or a bouillon cube as they will all work in this dish.

Dry Rub Ingredients

Sugar - brown sugar has the molasses flavor that you want in this dry rub. It is essential that you don't skip the sugar as it really will affect the taste.

Salt -again don't be tempted to cut back or skip on the salt as you need to properly season the pork and salt helps cut through the fatty pork.

Spices - I have used a combination of paprika, garlic powder and onion powder as that gives great flavor to the pork. However, you could also add in some cayenne pepper, chili powder or some ground fennel seeds. Use the spice flavors that you enjoy.

To Serve

BBQ Sauce - use your favorite barbecue sauce, you can go sweet, smoky or spicy, or a combination of all three, whatever your preference. Some great sauces that I've used in are Texan, Carolina and Kansas BBQ sauces.

How to Make Instant Pot Butt

Find the full printable recipe below.

Prepare the pork by trimming any excess fat cap, removing bones and cutting it into 4 equal pieces.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, salt and spices to make a dry rub. Coat the pork chunks in the dry rub - make sure all sides are well coated.

Use the Instant Pot sauté mode to sear the pork chunks in olive oil until they are browned on all sides. Do this one at a time. Remove and set aside.

Use chicken broth to deglaze the bottom of the pan making sure scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the pork back and add the Instant Pot lid. Set the valve to sealing and set to pressure cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

Allow a natural release for 20 minutes then manually release any remaining pressure. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and for the best results, allow to reset for 10 minutes.

Shred the pork, combine with BBQ sauce and serve.

What is the best way to pull pork?

I like to keep things simple and use either a potato masher or 2 forks to separate the pork once it's cooked. You can also allow the pork to cool and use your hands.

Variations of Instant Pot Pulled Pork

This is honestly such an easy recipe and here are some ideas to pack in flavor:

• Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the chicken broth to cut through the richness.
• For a spicier pork shoulder roast add some ground chili to the dry rub and fresh chilies to the broth.
• Some people also like to add liquid smoke, for an authentic BBQ taste.
• Replace some of the the chicken stock with some regular or cherry cola. Some people also like to add apple juice.
• Add fresh herbs to the cooking broth, eg parsley; thyme or oregano.
• Swap the BBQ sauce for some maple syrup and Dijon mustard.

Tips

When meat is this melt in the mouth tender you can actually 'pull' it gently by mashing with a potato masher. You can also shred it with 2 forks or by using clean hands (when cooled slightly).

Don't forget to use that delicious cooking liquid. I like to add a little of the cooking liquor at the end to loosen the BBQ sauce.

Remember your the inner pot can go in the dishwasher for easy clean up.

Serving Suggestions

When it comes to versatility you really can't beat this great recipe. Use the pork in pulled pork sandwiches, to top your favorite burger, add to rice bowl and salads, top a pizza or stir through some mac & cheese.

Pulled pork, or carnitas - works in Mexican inspired dishes too, like enchiladas, quesadillas, nachos and tacos. The list is endless.

I like to serve this instant pot pork butt with my Easy Corn Ribs or this Winter Coleslaw.

Ever popular Mashed Potatoes are a classic accompaniment to Pulled Pork for a reason and these Sweet Potato Fries also work perfectly.

Reheating

You can reheat pulled pork in the oven or in a skillet on a low temperature, not too high otherwise the pork will dry out. Add some of the cooking juices to prevent the meat from drying out.

Freezing

Pulled pork shoulder is really easy to freeze. I like to cook enough to enjoy now and freeze some in individual portion sized freezer bags for later.

Don't forget to add some juices to the freezer bag to keep the pork moist.

Pulled pork will store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before using.

Pin This Instant Pot Pork Butt - Pulled Pork Shoulder Recipe For Later

What Do You Think?!

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