Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Published June 10, 2021 • Updated February 28, 2026
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I make this keto pulled pork at least twice a month. A sugar-free dry rub, 80 minutes of pressure cooking, and you get that same fall-apart tenderness it takes hours to build on the grill.
I started making this in the Instant Pot about three years ago, and I haven’t gone back to the slow cooker since. The texture is identical, the flavor is the same, and the whole thing is done in under two hours instead of an entire afternoon. When I want that smoky, sweet, shreddable pork for dinner, this is how I do it.
The key is the dry rub. I use a brown sugar-free sweetener (I like golden monk fruit) mixed with paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder. That sweetener caramelizes when you sear the pork, building a bark that tastes like it came off a smoker. I’ve tested this rub with erythritol, allulose, and golden monk fruit, and the monk fruit gives the closest thing to real brown sugar flavor without any aftertaste.
After the rub, I sear the pork on all sides right in the pot using the saute function. Some people skip this step, but I don’t. The browning creates a deeper, more complex flavor in the finished meat, and it only adds about 8 minutes. Then I deglaze with chicken broth, add my favorite BBQ sauce, lock the lid, and let the pressure cooker do its thing for 80 minutes.
When the cook time is up, I let it natural release for 15 minutes before opening the lid. The pork practically falls apart. I pull it out, remove the bone, and shred it with two forks. No resistance at all. Then I toss the shredded meat back into the pot with all those juices and sauce. Every strand soaks up that smoky, tangy liquid, and that’s when it goes from good to something you’ll make again next week.
I serve this a few different ways depending on the night. Straight from the pot over cauliflower rice is my go-to weeknight move. For weekends, I pile it on low carb buns with coleslaw and pickles. My husband likes his with pickled jalapenos on top. My kids just eat it plain off a plate, which says a lot about how good this is on its own.
This is also one of my best recipes for meal prep. I make a full 5-pound shoulder on Sunday and we eat off it all week. It reheats well in the microwave (add a splash of broth to keep it moist) and freezes for up to 3 months without losing texture. I portion mine into freezer bags and thaw overnight in the fridge when I need a fast keto dinner.
If you love pork as much as I do, try my pork loin roast for a leaner cut, my air fryer pork chops for a 20-minute meal, or my creamy pork chops for something a little more indulgent. And if you like pressure cooking as much as I do, try my Swiss steak next.
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Ingredients
1 (5 pounds) bone-in pork shoulder -
2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 tablespoon salt
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1/2 tablespoon pepper
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1/2 tablespoon paprika
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1 tablespoon sugar free golden sweetener
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1 teaspoon onion powder
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1 cup chicken broth
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1/2 cup low-carb bbq saucer
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make dry rub
In a small bowl, mix salt, pepper, paprika, sugar free brown sugar, and onion powder together.
Pat dry
Take the pork shoulder out of its packaging and pat it dry with paper towels. This helps the seasoning stick.
Rub down
Apply dry rub to the pork shoulder.
Sear using sauté mode
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into the Instant Pot. Brown the pork shoulder on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Take the pork shoulder out and set aside. Gently pour chicken broth into the Instant Pot to deglaze the pan. With a wooden spoon, scrape up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Add the barbecue sauce and mix well with the broth.
Pressure cook
Put the seared pork shoulder back into the Instant Pot. Close the lid and make sure the vent is closed. Pressure cook on high for 80 minutes with 15 minutes of natural release. Once it is cooked, remove from the Instant Pot and place in a casserole dish. Remove the bone. Shred using claws or two forks.
Sauce it
Return the shredded pork back to the Instant Pot and toss in the sauce to coat.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use boneless pork shoulder instead of bone-in?
I've made this with both, and honestly, the results are almost the same. Bone-in holds a tiny bit more moisture during the pressure cook, but boneless shreds just as easily and saves you the step of fishing out the bone at the end. I keep the cooking time at 80 minutes for either one. If you go with a leaner cut like pork loin, reduce the time to about 60 minutes, but know that loin won't shred the same way since it doesn't have the fat and connective tissue.
Can I make this in a slow cooker instead?
I've done it both ways. For the slow cooker, I still do the dry rub and the sear on the stovetop first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. The texture comes out the same. I just prefer the pressure cooker because I don't have to think about it all day.
Do I have to sear the pork first?
You don't have to, but I always do. Searing caramelizes the sweetener in the rub and builds a deeper flavor that you can't get from pressure alone. One of my readers pointed out that the Maillard reaction happens during pressure cooking too, which is true, but the direct contact with the hot pot creates a specific kind of crust I prefer. It takes about 8 extra minutes and I think it's worth it every time.
How do I reheat leftovers?
I reheat mine in the microwave with a splash of chicken broth over the top to keep it moist. Two minutes, stir, then another minute. The broth is key because the pork dries out fast without it. You can also reheat in a skillet over medium heat. I toss in a spoonful of BBQ sauce and stir until everything is warm and coated.
Can I freeze this and how long does it last?
I freeze this all the time. It keeps for up to 3 months in the freezer without losing much texture. I portion it into quart-size freezer bags, press out the air, and lay them flat so they stack. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat with a splash of broth. In the refrigerator, leftovers keep for about 4 days in an airtight container.
What can I use instead of sugar-free golden sweetener?
I've tested this with erythritol, allulose, and golden monk fruit. My favorite is the golden monk fruit because it caramelizes the closest to real brown sugar. Erythritol works but has a slight cooling effect some people notice. Allulose browns nicely too. Just match the amount 1:1 since most of these are similar in sweetness to sugar.
What sides pair well with this?
My go-to is coleslaw right on top of the pork. I also love it over cauliflower rice or wrapped in butter lettuce. For something heartier, I've served this alongside roasted broccoli with parmesan. Lettuce wraps are my favorite low carb swap for buns when I want to keep things light.
How do I make this spicier?
I add about half a teaspoon of cayenne to the dry rub when I want heat. You can also stir in a few diced jalapenos before the pressure cook, or just hit the finished pork with your favorite hot sauce at the table. My go-to is a chipotle hot sauce because the smokiness matches the rub.
I make this almost every week now. Easiest meal prep I've found.
Confession: two years of Instant Pot ownership and I'd only ever made soup. First time with a bone-in shoulder, first time using the sauté sear. I kept thinking I was burning the paprika rub instead of getting any crust. The 80 minutes felt like a guess, but the pork came off the bone so cleanly it was almost concerning. For anyone who's made this more than once: does the sear hold through the pressure, or does it mostly soften back? Mine looked intact, for what that's worth.
I wasn't sure bringing Instant Pot pulled pork to a cookout where my neighbor shows up with his whole smoker setup every time was a great idea, but I had a five-pound bone-in shoulder and a free Saturday so I just did it. The sear in the sauté mode gives it this crust that had two people convinced I'd started it before sunrise. Had to walk them through the 80-minute pressure cook thing twice before they believed me. I'll take that. Four stars because I'm not ready to say it fully replaces a real low-and-slow on smoke depth, that's just honesty, but the texture was exactly right and for what I needed that afternoon I wouldn't change anything. Double batch next time.
Convincing people at a cookout with a smoker right there is a better test than any rating. I drop a splash of liquid smoke into the broth when I want more of that depth, maybe half a teaspoon. Hope the double batch behaves, Josh.
Lifted it out and it just sagged under its own weight, that's when I believed. No bark, but everything else is there.
That sag is the whole point, Tiffany. For bark, I 5 minutes under the broiler after shredding. Not the real thing, but you get char and crunch.
Cut the shoulder in half before rubbing. More surface area for the dry rub to work, and both halves sit flat in the pot so the sear covers the whole outside. Adds ten minutes but shows up in the bark.
Shredding it was almost meditative, the fibers just fell apart at 80 minutes. My husband, who barely comments on anything I make, asked if we could do this every Sunday. Rub could use a little more salt for us, but easy fix.
We've been keto about a year and I've had this pinned for months, but we're cutting out nightshades for my husband so the dry rub has me stuck. Paprika is kind of running the show here. Is it mostly doing color/flavor work, or does it actually affect the bark when you sear on saute mode? I've made IP pulled pork before but always with a commercial rub, so I genuinely don't know what each component is doing. Smoked cumin feels like the closest swap, and I'd probably lean heavier on the onion powder to compensate, but I don't want to guess wrong on an 80-minute cook and end up with something flat. He can have the low-carb BBQ sauce fine, it's just the rub stage where I have to work around the nightshade thing. Did you use smoked or sweet paprika? That changes what I'm actually trying to replace.
Sweet paprika in mine. The bark question is the real one: paprika's doing color and a bit of background sweetness in this rub, not the crust. Bark forms when the sweetener caramelizes on saute mode, so you can skip it entirely and still get that exterior.
Your smoked cumin idea is right. Same 1/2 tablespoon, lean heavier on the onion powder like you planned. I'd throw in garlic powder too. Fills in where the paprika was doing flavor work. The 80-minute pressure time won't change.
Seven batches in and skipping the reduce step is not an option. Pull the pork, hit sauté for five minutes, fold it back in. The flavor concentrates in a way bbq sauce alone never does.
The broth and rub drippings cook down into something that's not just bbq sauce anymore. Five minutes max though, the sweetener in the rub starts to catch after that.
Added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the broth and the pork had this brightness I wasn't expecting. Can't make it the other way anymore.
That brightness is real. ACV does something to the chicken broth that you can't get any other way. Stealing it.
Tried four other Instant Pot pulled pork recipes before this one. The difference is the sear first, the dry rub actually forms a crust instead of just steaming off under pressure. 80 minutes and mine was falling apart before I even touched it with a fork. Replacing my old recipe.
That crust doesn't happen without the sear. I've tested it both ways and the no-sear version just tastes like braised pork.
My mom slow-cooked a shoulder every Sunday. Stopped expecting that feeling after going keto. The dry rub here and 80 minutes of pressure got me closer than I thought.
Sunday slow-cooked shoulder is hard to recreate. Bone-in matters. Collagen from that bone does something under pressure that boneless misses. I tested this probably thirty times before I stopped touching the rub. If you have time, let the dry rub sit on the meat overnight, not just an hour before. Not your mom's Sunday, but I get it.
Pulled pork was one of those things I quietly wrote off when I went keto (BBQ sauce is basically sugar soup). Finally made this a few weeks back with the sugar-free rub and a low-carb sauce I had on hand, and the 80-minute pressure cook actually works. Falling apart, real BBQ flavor. I've been missing this for two years and didn't need to be.
Two years for no reason. The dry rub does everything the sauce was hiding anyway.
Made this Sunday for meal prep and I'm on day five with zero complaints. The shoulder shreds clean after 80 minutes and reheats better than anything else I've tried this week. Next batch I'm doing the full 5 pounds.
That's exactly what it's good for. I add a splash of chicken broth when I reheat, keeps it from drying out. The 5 pounder is worth it.
I've tried more Instant Pot pulled pork recipes than I'd like to admit, and I stuck with the same one for about a year. Didn't expect the sugar-free golden sweetener (most recipes stop at paprika and salt), but that's what made the bark. At 80 minutes the shoulder hit a fall-apart spot my usual recipe never quite reached. Four stars, and honestly I should've found this sooner.
The sweetener caramelizes on the sear. That's the whole bark. Without it you just get regular pulled pork.
The second I opened the lid after the pressure released, that smell hit me and I was back at my dad's house on the Fourth of July, the whole backyard smelling like smoke and bark and pork that had been on since 6am. He passed a few years ago and that smell was just gone from my life, or so I thought. I've been keto almost two years and I pretty much accepted that kind of fall-apart tenderness wasn't something I was going to get back, definitely not in 80 minutes on a weeknight. The paprika and the sugar-free sweetener in the dry rub, the way it caramelizes on the sear before the lid goes on, that's what does it. I pulled it apart and the drippings soaked back through the meat and I had to just stand there for a second. Four batches in and I'm still not casual about it.
That smell when the lid comes off. Four batches in and I still stop for a second too. The sweetener caramelizing on the sear is what makes it smell like real bark instead of just braised pork. Glad you have it back.