Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Step 1

Trim off any large pieces of fat from the surface of the pork. Cut the pork into 4 pieces. Sprinkle the salt, sugar, and pepper evenly over all sides of the pork, then pat the seasonings into the meat.

Step 2

Turn an electric pressure cooker on to sauté. Once heated, add the oil. Working in 2 batches, add the pork and sear on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate. Turn off the sauté function, then pour in the water and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the barbecue sauce, then return the pork to the pot.

Step 3

Lock the lid into place and make sure the valve is set to seal. Set to cook on HIGH pressure for 60 minutes. The cooker should take between 10 and 12 minutes to come up to pressure.

Step 4

Open the pressure release valve (quick release) as soon as the cook time is up. Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Set the cooker to sauté to boil and reduce the sauce by about half, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use 2 forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Discard any large pieces of fat.

Step 5

Return the shredded pork to the cooker and mix well with the sauce.