This is the best pulled pork recipe I’ve made. It is so easy and quick. It was done, including the prep work, in a little more than an hour. It takes about 15 minutes to get the pressure to build. InstantPots are faster than stovetop braising, but still the process takes some time and planning. You probably have most of the ingredients in your house. I bought a 3 lb cryovac package of boneless pork shoulder from Shaw’s. There is even a picture of a slow cooker on the label. I guess I am a visual person.

I used Jack Daniels bbq sauce and Dr. Pepper for the soda. I didn’t want to use a sweet sauce, because there’s soda and brown sugar already. There is no browning, which makes it quick to throw together. A pinch of this, a splash of that and you are ready to cook.

My least favorite and favorite thing about this recipe is that you don’t keep the cooking liquid when the pork is done. You pull the pork and then add 1/2 cup of new bbq sauce. I think next time I might hold off on the bbq sauce if I use it for something other than in a bun. The meat is amazingly tender. I let the cooking liquid cool, then I put it in a container. Once it is cooled more, I put it in the freezer until trash day. A lot of fat cooks off the pork. You do not want to pour that down your drain. It’s a little work but so worth it.

3 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 large chunks

1 can Coke or Dr. Pepper

2 1/2 cups bbq sauce,  divided

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

Rolls for serving if you’d like.

Add pork to a lightly greased InstantPot. Pour soda over the pork.

Add 2 cups bbq sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder to the pot. With a spoon, just lightly mix the ingredients over the pork. Swirly, swirly.

Place lid on InstantPot turning the valve to a locked/closed position. Set the pot, using the manual setting on high, for 45 minutes. It will take about 10-15 minutes for the pressure to build. I cannot rest peacefully until the cooking countdown starts. Do a natural release for 10 minutes after the cooking time. Open the float valve to slow release the rest of the steam. Once the float valve drops, remove the lid.

Using two forks to shred pork into small chunks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a bowl, stirring in the remaining 1/2 cup of bbq sauce. If you think you want to serve the pork, not in a bun, it accompanies mashed potatoes and green beans sans sauce. The meat is so tender, you don’t always need the bbq sauce.

Serve the bbq pulled pork on hamburger rolls if you’d like.

Enjoy!

Here is the original recipe. It has some recipe notes and directions for a slow cooker.