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Want pulled pork in a hurry? With the pressure cooker, you can have tender, fall-apart pulled pork in just a little over an hour!
Elise’s low-and-slow slow cooker Mexican pulled pork is fantastic, but when I forget to plan ahead or want it to be ready a little more quickly, I make this speedy version in my Instant Pot. (New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.)
The Ingredients for Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Elise’s spice rub includes chili powder, salt, brown sugar, and a blend of herbs and spices – this mix is so good that I just left it as is. In fact, the only real change that I made was to add some liquid to the pot – you need some in order to properly cook food in a pressure cooker.
You can use fruit juice, broth, or even water, but I went with pineapple juice for its tangy sweetness. I think this complements the spices in the rub nicely!
Tip for the Best Pulled Pork
Whether you make this pressure cooker version or the slow cooker version, try to allow some time for the pork to come up to room temperature before you begin cooking. This helps the pork develop a better crust when you sear it, which means more browned flavor in the finished dish. An hour is ideal, but any amount of time you can give it will help.
How to Serve this Pulled Pork
Make tacos! After you’re done pulling the pork into shreds, run it under the broiler to give them that signature carnitas crispiness. Then toss with the reduced cooking liquid and serve with all your favorite taco toppings.
I’d recommend all or some of the following:
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced radishes
- Thinly sliced red or green cabbage
- Thinly sliced romaine lettuce
- Diced red onions
- Chopped tomatoes
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Also, I recommend toasting your tortillas to give them a little char. You can do their either over the open flame of a gas stove (use heat-proof tongs!) or in a dry skillet.
What to Do with Leftover Pulled Pork
One of the best parts of making pulled pork is that you tend to have a lot leftover. Here are some ideas for using up your leftover pulled pork:
- Pulled pork sandwiches — of course!
- Make chili — mix your leftover pork with broth, tomatoes, beans, and veggies for a thick stew
- Toss with pasta or spiralized zucchini noodles, or serve over cauliflower rice
- Use as a pizza topper
- Egg scramble — pulled pork is so good with scrambled eggs for breakfast! It’s also delicious in breakfast tacos, topped with scrambled eggs and shredded cheese
Read more! 6 Different Meals to Make with Pulled Pork
Storing and Freezing Pulled Pork
Pulled pork will keep for up to five days refrigerated or up to three months frozen. Freeze the pulled pork in batches in quart-sized freezer bags with as much air pressed out as possible to prevent freezer burn.
More Ways to Love Pulled Pork!
- Basic Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Cider Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Dr Pepper Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Chinese Pulled Pork (or make it in the pressure cooker)
- Barbecue Pork Shoulder on a Gas Grill
Instant Pot Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas) Recipe
Ingredients
For the spice rub:
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (if using regular table salt, only use 2 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Scant pinch of ground cloves
For the pulled pork:
- 3 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into two pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice, orange juice, or water
Optional toppings (pick a few!):
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced radishes
- Thinly sliced red or green cabbage
- Thinly sliced romaine lettuce
- Diced red onions
- Chopped tomatoes
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Warm tortillas, corn or flour
- Fresh squeezed lime juice
- Salsa
Special equipment:
- 6-quart electric or stovetop pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot
- Fat separator
Method
1 Season the pork: In a small bowl, combine the spice rub ingredients. Pat the pork dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with half of the spice rub. Turn and rub the spice into the pork until the pieces are evenly coated.
2 Let the pork sit 15 to 60 min: Leave the pork to absorb the rub and to take the chill off the meat, at least 15 minutes or up to an hour. (Room temperature pork will sear better!)
3 Sear the pork: Select the “Sauté” program on your pressure cooker and add the oil to the pot. (If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium heat.)
Use a pair of tongs to lower the pork into the pot so the side with the most fat is facing down. Sear for 5 minutes. Flip it over and sear it for 5 more minutes. Both sides should be browned.
4 Sprinkle the remaining spice rub over the pork, then pour the pineapple juice over the top.
5 Pressure cook the pork: Place the lid on your pressure cooker. Make sure that the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position. Select the “Manual” program on the pressure cooker and set the time to 1 hour and 15 minutes at high pressure. (For stovetop pressure cookers, cook for 60 minutes at high pressure.)
It will take about 10 minutes for your pressure cooker to come up to pressure, and then the cooking time will begin.
6 Release the pressure: After the cooking time ends, let the pot sit and naturally release pressure for about 20 minutes, then vent the remaining steam. (For stovetop pressure cookers, perform a quick pressure release.)
7 Separate the pork and cooking liquid: Use tongs to transfer the pork to a large baking dish or sheet pan, but be very gentle -- the pork will be VERY tender and will fall apart easily!
Then, use heat-proof mitts to lift the inner pot out of the pressure cooker, pour the cooking liquid into a fat separator, then pour the liquid back into the pot. Reserve the fat.
(Alternatively, let the cooking liquid stand for about 10 minutes until the fat floats to the top, then use a shallow spoon to skim as much fat as possible from the surface.)
7 Reduce the cooking liquid: Return the pot to the pressure cooker, select the “Sauté” program, and let the cooking liquid reduce for 10 minutes. (If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker, do the same thing over medium heat.)
8 While the liquid is reducing, use a pair of forks to shred the pork.
9 Broil the pulled pork until crispy (optional for carnitas): To make crispy carnitas, place the pan of shredded pork 6 to 8 inches below the broiler and broil for 5 to 10 minutes until the tips and edges of the pork are browned and crispy.
It's fine to skip this step if you're making a recipe where you don't need the pork to be crispy.
10 Toss the shredded pork with the reduced liquid and serve: Return the pork to the pot with the reduced cooking liquid and toss to coat the pork evenly. If the pork seems a little dry, add a tablespoon or two of the reserved fat.
Serve it in tacos with the fixings listed above, or in burritos or rice bowls, or on a tostada salad.
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Author of The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook and The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook. A self-taught cook and classically-trained soprano, Coco Morante writes and sings in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her husband and their beagle. For more recipes, visit her blog, Lefty Spoon.
Instant Pot Mexican Pulled Pork (Carnitas)
Great recipe! The meat came out so moist and delicious.
Changes: I did a 2.2 pound pork loin. I used 1.5 cups of orange juice for some extra liquid. Kept the spice rub mostly the same except swapped our cayenne for sweet paprika and a pinch of nutmeg since I didn’t have cloves. I didn’t have a fat separator so I skipped that step, but it ended up okay because I don’t think my cut was that fatty. Followed all other ingredients/steps closely.
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Delicious. I didn’t have garlic or onion powder for the rub, so I threw in some chopped garlic and shallots right after I seared the meat, for the pressure cook. I also had to add about 1/4 cup water (in addition to the OJ) because there wasn’t enough liquid and my Instantpot was beeping that the contents were burning about 10 minutes in. Don’t skip the part about separating the fat from the sauce! The sauce is delish, but you don’t want all of that grease. I made a corn and tomato salad to put on top of my taco. -sooooo good!
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Absolutely delicious! I made it with 1/4 cup lime juice and 1/2 cup water. So good! I’ve made carnitas before but this recipe was easier and more flavourful.
Thank you.
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Loved it! Delicious. Do you happen to have nutrition information?
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Hi, Rosie! We don’t currently calculate nutritional information on our recipes. I’d recommend using an online nutritional calculator like this one.
I have made this recipe 6 times now and every time has been amazing! I’ve used bone in pork shoulder and boneless and it makes no difference in the awesomeness. I omit the onion powder, cinnamon and cloves (because I don’t have them in my pantry) and I always let the spiced rubbed pork sit on the counter for an hour before cooking. I use pineapple juice and follow your instructions. It smells amazing as it cooks! I’m too lazy/hungry to ever reduce the liquid or broil the pork afterwards, but I bet it makes it even better! Outstanding recipe…. the spice rub really nails it
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