Instant Pot Pork Butt (Boston Butt)
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Make absolutely perfect, fall-apart tender, Instant Pot pork butt loaded with your favorite bbq sauce! BBQ pulled pork has never been faster or more delicious when you use this easy cooking method.
Instant Pot Pork Butt Recipe
Pork butt is the ideal choice to make perfect BBQ pulled pork. And when you cook it in your Instant Pot, dinner is done quickly and perfectly, every single time. This easy pork butt recipe has great flavor and is so simple to make. It’s totally fool-proof and is always a crowd pleaser!
Make it for an easy weeknight dinner, for game day, or for an easy meal when you’re hosting a party. It’s the best recipe to use for pulled pork sandwiches or a carnitas salad!
And if the electric pressure cooker isn’t your thing or you don’t have one, then there’s a slow cooking method for this recipe too! The cook time will be longer, but the result will still be juicy pieces of pork that are tender and oh so flavorful.
Why It’s Worth Making Pork Butt in an Instant Pot
- Cooks quickly. You can make pulled pork in a fraction of the time when you use the Instant Pot. It’s the best “hack” I’ve found to make shredded pork and it’s now my favorite way to prepare it. Serve this dish with creamy dairy free mashed potatoes, turmeric carrots or your favorite slaw, and you’ve got a quick meal ready to go in no time!
- Easy freezer meal to serve a crowd. If you need an easy way to serve a lot of people, this is a great recipe to turn to. One batch of this pulled pork recipe makes 6 hearty servings. It is easy to double or triple the recipe, giving you tons of leftovers, or more servings for more people.
- Adaptable for many different diets. Depending on what barbecue sauce you use, you can make this pulled pork recipe fit into many different diets. Make yummy Whole30 pulled pork, Keto pulled pork, or any other way you want!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
These simple ingredients are all that you need to make the most flavorful Instant Pot pork butt recipe:
- Pork Butt – This boneless cut of meat is also known as Boston butt. The name is a bit misleading, because it doesn’t come from the back end of the animal. Rather, it’s a cut taken from the shoulder of the pig, just behind the neck. The average weight of this portion of the pork shoulder is 3-4 pounds.
- BBQ sauce – You can make some deliciously sticky sweet homemade bbq sauce or use your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce. To make this recipe Whole30 or Paleo, just use a compatible sauce brand. For Keto friendly, use a sugar free bbq sauce that is low in net carbs.
- Onion – Slice up a yellow onion or white onion to add loads of flavor to this easy recipe.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic adds so much more flavor than dried garlic powder! If you do not have fresh garlic cloves, a half teaspoon of garlic powder will work, too.
- Water – The Instant Pot needs to create steam to build pressure, so you’ll need to add some liquid to the inner pot. This will also help keep from having a burn notice during the cooking process.
- Oil – I recommend using a high smoke point variety, like avocado oil or olive oil, to sear the roast.
Best Cut for Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder is the best cut of meat for making pulled pork. It’s a large, budget-friendly cut.
It has a large fat cap, plenty of marbling, and tough muscle fibers. When cooked under pressure in the Instant Pot, the fat renders down, creating meat that is ultra tender, flavorful, and easy to shred.
How to Make Instant Pot Pork Butt
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
- Prep the ingredients. Slice the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the pork shoulder into four pieces, each about 2-3 inches wide. Cutting the pork helps it fit into the inner pot for searing, and helps it to cook evenly and a little faster than if you were to cook one large piece.
- Sear the meat, onion, and garlic. Set the Instant Pot to the sauté function and heat half of the oil in the inner pot. Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot, add the pork pieces and sear them on all sides. This takes about 4-5 minutes per side. Once there is a nice crust, set the pork aside.
Add the rest of the oil and sauté the onions and garlic until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Then return the pork to the inner pot. Add the water and half of the bbq sauce. Carefully close and secure the lid.
- Pressure cook the pork butt in the Instant Pot. Manually set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 70 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally. Once the time is up, perform a natural pressure release. When the steam release valve falls, carefully open the lid.
Final Steps for Serving
- Shred the pork. Transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl or cutting board. Use two forks to shred it into bite sized pieces. Set aside any large pieces of fat.
- Simmer the pulled pork in bbq sauce. Remove and discard about 1/2 of the liquid remaining in the Instant Pot. Add the shredded pork to the remaining cooking liquid, and stir in the rest of the bbq sauce. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and bring the pork to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Avoid dry meat: It is possible to overcook pork shoulder, so don't let it simmer for much longer than 5-10 minutes in the barbecue sauce.
Slow Cooker Adaptation
Boston Butt is absolutely delicious when cooked in your crockpot / slow cooker.
Add all the cooking ingredients except water to your slow cooker. Set to low heat and cook for 8-9 hours. Shred the pork and return it to the slow cooker. Stir in the remaining bbq sauce and cover the slow cooker. Simmer the shredded pork for another 15-20 minutes.
Storing Instructions
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container or food storage bag. Keep them in the refrigerator, serving or freezing within 4 days.
To freeze pulled pork: First, allow the meat to cool completely. Then, transfer the meat and any liquid to an airtight, freezer-safe bag or silicone freezer mold.
Squeeze all the air out, then seal the bag and freeze. For best taste, use the pork within 3-4 months. To defrost, set the bag or container on a plate in the refrigerator overnight.
Serving Suggestions
Pulled pork is great with traditional bbq side dishes. Some of my favorites are broccoli & bacon salad and purple cabbage slaw. You can also serve this juicy and tender pork with simple sides like sweet potatoes or french fries
If you are serving the Instant Pot shredded pork as sandwiches, you can add pickles, extra barbecue sauce, and/or mustard. They're also fantastic with a topping of pickled cabbage or broccoli ranch slaw.
Shredded pork butt roast is also great with potato salad, cornbread, rolls, and corn on the cob!
Instant Pot Pork Butt Recipe FAQ
A 4 lb. pork butt that's been cut into pieces 2-3 inches wide and approximately 1 pound each should cook on High Pressure for 60 minutes. Once it's done cooking, allow 15-20 minutes for a natural pressure release.
It is important to note that the Instant Pot cooks based on the density of the pieces of food in the inner pot. So if your roast is larger or smaller, as long as you cut it into pieces approximately 1 lb. each, you do not need to adjust the cooking time at all. However, if you cook your roast whole or cut it into larger or smaller pieces, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
To get the most tender meat, use a natural pressure release (NPR) on your Instant Pot. This means that once the cooking time is done, do not turn or press the steam release valve. Simply do nothing and wait for the pressure to naturally dissipate. A natural release usually takes about 15-20 minutes. If you still find your pulled pork is cooked but not yet fork-tender, it will need to cook for longer. Return the pork to the Instant Pot, close the lid, and cook on High Pressure for another 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally dissipate again, and then try to shred the pork again.
More Instant Pot Dinners
Making this recipe? I'd love to hear about your experience with it!
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Instant Pot Pork Butt
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 - 4.25 lb. Boston butt (also known as pork butt)
- 2 cups barbecue sauce divided
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/4 cup water
Video
Instructions
- Slice the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the pork butt into four 2-3 inch wide pieces, weighing approximately 1 lb. each.
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode. Heat half of the oil in the inner pot. In batches, brown the pork pieces on all sides. This takes about 4-5 minutes per side. Set the pork aside.
- Add the rest of the oil and saute the onions and garlic until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Return the pork to the inner pot. Add the water and half of the bbq sauce. Carefully close and secure the lid.
- Set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 70 minutes. Allow for a Natural Pressure Release and allow the pressure to naturally dissipate. Once the steam release valve falls, carefully open the lid.
- Transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl or cutting board. Use two forks to shred it into bite sized pieces. Set aside any large pieces of fat.
- Remove and discard about 1/2 of the liquid remaining in the Instant Pot. Add the shredded pork to the remaining cooking liquid, and stir in the rest of the bbq sauce. Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode and bring the pork to a simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.
