I was inspired to make this recipe by Alex at The Defined Dish. She has a fabulous pulled pork recipe on her website and if you don’t follow her, you should definitely check out her website! She is awesome and all of her recipes are healthy and super easy!
Yesterday happened to be another one of those busy days, with back to back meetings right before dinner hour. So I knew in order to get a healthy, delicious meal on the table for my family, an instant pot and some planning was going to have to come into play. Pulled pork is always a big hit with everyone here a The Bowers household. While my husband and I might eat ours with a side of coleslaw, or in a Siete tortilla, the kids can enjoy theirs as a BBQ sandwich or in a regular flour tortilla.
This pulled pork has so much flavor! You really don’t need BBQ sauce, but when you can make your own sauce, free of sugar, that comes together in 15 minutes, who can resist?! I hope you love this recipe s much as we did!
Adapted from: The Defined Dish
Ingredients for the Pulled Pork:
1 4-5 lb. bone in pork shoulder or pork butt (ask your butcher to cut it into 4-5 big chunks)
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
Optional Homemade BBQ Sauce
Season the pork chunks with salt, pepper and cumin. Turn on your instant to the Sauté Setting. Add the olive oil to the pot and let it get hot. Then add the seasoned pork to the pot and cook the pork pieces on both sides until they are slightly brown (You may have to do this in 2-3 batches. Just set the other pork off to the side until all pieces have been browned).
Remove all the pork from the pot and add the onions and garlic, and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add all of the pork pieces back into the pot. Add the apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, chili powder and garlic powder and stir it all together to mix the flavors. Hit cancel, and then reset your Instant Pot to High for 90 minutes. Close the lid and lock and be sure the pressure is sealed. Hit start. Now it is time to relax and let things cook!
Once the 90 minutes is up, you can either let it naturally release, or do a quick release. Just be VERY CAREFUL of the steam. Open the instant and remove the bones and discard them.The pork should shred easily with 2 forks. Remove any unwanted fat and discard.
Serve your pulled pork with the Homemade BBQ Sauce below! You can serve it in a Siete Tortilla, or with a side of slaw!
Ingredients for Homemade BBQ Sauce:
1 16 oz can tomato sauce (I like Trader Joe’s)
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp coconut aminos
2 cloves garlic, crushed
kosher salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Serve with the BBQ Pulled pork or let cool and store in a mason jar and use for up to 1 week and use on anything!!
