Go Back
instant pot with spicy pulled pork
Print Recipe

Spicy Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

Prep a few pounds of this BBQ pulled pork for the week for easy salads and sandwiches.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr 15 mins
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Course: Dinner, lunch
Keyword: bbq pulled pork, instant pot, pulled pork

Equipment

  • Instant Pot (or pressure cooker)

Ingredients

  • 4 lb. pork loin or butt
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce plus extra for serving
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce
  • 1 cup broth vegetable, chicken, or beef
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  • Trim some of the fat off the pork, then chop the pork up into four smaller chunks. If the bone is still in the pork, that is fine. You can cook it with the bone.
  • Mix together the brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
  • Rub the mixture on all sides of the pork. Let it sit with the dry rub for 10 minutes.
  • Turn the Instant Pot onto the Sauté feature. Once it is hot, add in a bit of cooking oil (olive oil or canola oil) to it and place two of the chunks of pork.
  • Sear on each side for 3 minutes, flipping with a pair of tongs. Remove the two pork chunks and repeat again with the other two. You may need to scrape up the burnt pork bits on the bottom with some extra oil and a wooden spoon.
  • While cooking, mix together the BBQ sauce, hot sauce, broth, and apple cider vinegar.
  • Move all of the seared pork chunks to the Instant Pot, then pour in the sauce.
  • Seal the lid and switch the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual. Set the timer for 50 minutes. The Instant Pot will take some time to come to pressure, then the timer will start.
  • When the timer goes off, instantly release the pressure. Make sure the Instant Pot isn't under a shallow counter, the steam will need space! For your safety, press the seal with a wooden spoon to avoid burns.
  • Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid and turn off the Instant Pot. Using tongs, move the pork to a cutting board or shallow bowl to shred the pork with two forks. Remove any bones at this time.
  • Move the shredded pork back to the sauce and mix. Serve on toasted sesame buns with coleslaw and extra BBQ sauce.

Notes

For a spicier sauce, add in less BBQ sauce and more hot sauce. For example, add in 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce and 3/4 cup of hot sauce.