This Honey BBQ Instant Pot Pulled Pork delivers fall-apart tender meat in a fraction of the time. Tossed in a sweet and smoky glaze, this easy pressure cooker recipe is the ultimate crowd-pleaser for busy weeknights or game-day crowds!
Cooking pulled pork in the instant pot keeps it so tender and juicy, and the cooking time is much faster. For other easy Instant Pot recipes, see my Instant Pot Sloppy Joes or my Instant Pot Sour Cream Pork Chops!
My favorite Instant Pot Pulled Pork recipe!
Whenever I’m craving the deep, smoky flavor of pitmaster-style barbecue but don’t have twelve hours to watch a smoker? This Honey BBQ Instant Pot Pulled Pork cuts the cooking time down to under two hours without sacrificing a single drop of flavor.
There’s nothing I love more than using my pressure cooker when I’m short on time – because it takes so much less time than any other cooking method! We love a good pulled pork sandwich around here, and this tasty, honey-glazed number is an absolute favorite. My kids and husband usually lick their plates clean (shhhh). And yes, I also make a mean Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork, but sometimes the instant factor counts. Especially when you’re a “type C” mom and forgot to put the roast in the crock early enough! 🤣
The secret to fall-apart tender pork
By pressure cooking pork shoulder with a rich blend of brown sugar, spices, and tangy apple cider vinegar, the meat infuses with deep seasoning while locking in maximum juiciness. It couldn’t be any easier to make – just brown the seasoned meat and then pressure cook it right in the sauce. You can use individual spices or make your life even simpler by using your favorite pre-made BBQ rub.
And just like that, you’ll end up with a pot full of fall-apart tender meat! Finishing it with a generous drizzle of sweet honey creates that perfect sticky, caramelized coating that everyone loves – perfect for sandwiches, baked potatoes or nachos!
I like to use these ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
- BBQ sauce: Use one you like, because this is the flavor driver here! We like Sweet Baby Ray’s or Stubb’s best.
- Seasoning: You can use the individual seasonings in the recipe, or, if you’re too tired to measure out five different spices – just use your favorite BBQ rub! Make sure to cut back on salt if your rub has salt added.
- Apple cider vinegar: Don’t worry, this doesn’t make the dish taste like salad dressing. It helps break down the meat and it adds a great balance to the sweetness of the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce: Maybe I’m old-school, but I always have a bottle of Worcestershire sauce in my fridge. If you don’t want to bother with it, just use soy sauce instead!
Which pork cut is best for pulled pork?
Pulled pork works best with a pork shoulder roast.
I know a lot of people prefer using pork loin to cut back on the fat, but it just doesn’t get the same results. You can use it, but it will definitely not taste like from your favorite BBQ joint.
In full disclosure: I do trim a lot of the fat from the shoulder roast because my kids think it’s gross, but I do leave some on for flavor.
How to make Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot
Now we’re going to go through the steps to make pulled pork – with tips, explanations and photos! For the plain printable recipe card, scroll down to the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Prep the meat
Start by cutting your pork roast into 2-3 inch cubes – it’s much easier to cook it in the instant pot this way. It also gets more surface for seasoning and browning, and it cooks much faster!
Place it in a bowl with brown sugar, salt and spices and toss well. Set it aside for 10-15 minutes to allow the meat to “soak up” some of the flavor of the seasoning.
Step 2: Brown the meat
Put your instant pot on “sauté” and heat some oil in it. Add the meat in batches, and brown it on every side. Set the browned meat aside on a plate.
Step 3: Deglaze the instant pot
There will be browned bits at the bottom of your instant pot, and to avoid the BURN warning during pressure cooking, you need to release all of them.
Add the chicken stock to the instant pot and scrape ALL browned bits off the bottom of the pot. You’ll want to be very thorough with this!
Add apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the instant pot and stir it in well. Stir in the browned meat.
Step 4: Pressure cook
Close the instant pot and set the valve to “sealing”. Pick “pressure cook” (or “manual” on older models) on “high” for 60 minutes. Once cooking time is up, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes (just switch off the instant pot and leave it alone), then manually release any remaining pressure.
Step 5: Shred the meat
Open the instant pot and remove the meat pieces. Shred with two forks on a large wooden cutting board or in a large casserole dish.
Step 6: Finish the sauce
Stir a slurry of cornstarch and cold water into the cooking liquid in the instant pot, alongside more BBQ sauce. Set the instant pot to “sauté” and bring to a boil, then cook for a couple of minutes until thickened.
Stir in the honey, then add the meat back in and let it sit for a few minutes so the meat can soak up some of the sauce! Then, serve with your favorite sides.
My kitchen notes
Meat cutting: I have tried this recipe with leaving the roast whole, and it’s just too difficult to brown it in the instant pot. Also, cutting the meat into pieces reduces cooking time, but it also intensifies the spices by providing more surface area for the dry rub, and leads to more caramelizing flavors because there’s more browning.
Burn warning: Make sure you catch all the browned bits from the bottom of the instant pot, or you may get a burn warning during pressure cooking! Browning meat will always get a lot of browned bits stuck in the pot for me, so be thorough here.
Thickening: How much cornstarch you need also depends on how much liquid the pork releases during cooking. I have had mildly different results with different roasts, so it can happen. If the sauce doesn’t thicken after a few minutes, add more cornstarch slurry! And make sure the sauce is actually bubbling for the cornstarch to work.
Our favorite pulled pork side dishes
We love our pulled pork on buns with a side of chips, pickles and the BEST Coleslaw (or if you don’t like mayo, try my creamy no-mayo coleslaw!)
Other favorite sides are my Slow Cooker Pineapple BBQ Baked Beans, Baked Mac and Cheese, Creamy Dill Potato Salad or Honey Butter Cornbread!
Freezer tips
Freezing pulled pork is one of my favorite ways to prep ahead for busy seasons!
Just let the pulled pork cool to room temperature, then pack up into freezer-friendly bags or containers. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months), then place in your freezer.
To reheat, defrost the meat in the fridge overnight. Gently heat in a saucepan on the stove (you might need to add some extra liquid) until piping hot all the way through.
We do love this Honey BBQ Instant Pot Pulled Pork year round – but especially during the summer, to avoid heating up the house when making dinner!
Honey BBQ Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon EACH ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon EACH ground paprika and ground black pepper
- 4 pounds boneless pork roast (shoulder preferred, I trim most of the visible fat because my kids don't like it) (cut into 2-3 inch cubes)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1.5 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Add after cooking:
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- slurry of 1-2 tbsp cornstarch + cool water
Instructions
- Season meat:Place brown sugar, salt and all spices in a large bowl. Add the meat and toss to evenly coat. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon EACH ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and ground mustard, ½ teaspoon EACH ground paprika and ground black pepper, 4 pounds boneless pork roast (shoulder preferred, I trim most of the visible fat because my kids don't like it)
- Brown meat:Set the instant pot to "sauté" and add the oil. Brown the meat in batches, set it aside on a plate.2 tablespoons oil
- Make sauce:Pour the chicken stock into the instant pot to deglaze, scraping all browned bits off the bottom of the pot (important, or you'll easily get a "burn" warning during pressure cooking!).Add 1 cup BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, then stir the browned meat back in.1.5 cups chicken stock, 1 cup BBQ sauce, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Pressure cook:Close the instant pot with the lid, then set the valve to "sealing". Choose "pressure cook" (or "manual" on older modelon "high" for 60 minutes.
- Release pressure:Once the cooking time is up, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes (do not skip, it's important to allow the meat to relax or you'll end up with tough pork), then release any remaining pressure manually. Open the lid.
- Shred meat:Remove the meat from the instant pot and shred with two forks.
- Finish the sauce:Stir the remaining ingredients into the cooking liquid in the instant pot. Set to "sauté" and simmer until thickened while stirring often. Add the pork back in and serve on buns.½ cup BBQ sauce, ¼ cup honey, slurry of 1-2 tbsp cornstarch + cool water
Barbara says
One of the best Pulled Pork recipes I’ve ever made! Everyone had “seconds” and there were next to no leftovers Thanks for sharing it.
Nora says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Barbara!
jennifer says
Have you anoher method if you don’t have a pressure cooker or an “instant pot”
Nora says
Jennifer, yes! You can also make it in the slow cooker. Brown the meat in a skillet on the stove, then transfer to a 5-6 quart slow cooker with the chicken stock, BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. I recommend cutting back the chicken stock to 1 cup for the slow cooker. Then, cook on “low” setting in your slow cooker for 8 hours. Shred, add honey and more BBQ sauce as needed and serve! Hope that helps.
Chrissy says
This was the first recipe I tried in my cooker and it was delicious!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Chrissy!