Instant Pot Pork Butt (Pulled Pork)

Instant Pot Pork Butt (Pulled Pork)

Cooking pork butt in your Instant Pot becomes tender, shreddable BBQ pulled pork with this simple pressure cooker method! It's meal prep friendly and freezes well, too.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 20

Total Time1 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 439kcal

Author: Madison Wetherill

Equipment

1 Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
4 lb. boneless Boston butt (also known as pork butt)
3 tablespoons avocado oil divided
¼ cup water
2 cups barbecue sauce divided

Instructions

Peel and slice 1 medium onion, mince 3 cloves garlic, and cut the 4 lb. boneless Boston butt into four pieces, each weighing approximately 1 pound.
Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil in the inner pot. In batches, brown the pork pieces on all sides. This takes about 3 minutes per side. Set the pork aside.
Add the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil, then sauté the onions and garlic until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Return the pork to the inner pot. Add ¼ cup water and 2 cups barbecue sauce. Carefully close and secure the lid. Close the pressure valve by setting it to "Sealing".
Set the Instant Pot to cook on High Pressure for 70 minutes. After cooking, allow for a Natural Pressure Release so the pressure can naturally dissipate. Once the steam release pin falls, carefully remove 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 remaining 1 cup barbecue sauce.
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and bring the pork to a simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve the pulled pork as desired.

Video

Notes

Save some of the cooking liquid. Discard some of the liquid before returning the shredded pork to the pot, but leave enough behind to help keep the meat juicy as you stir in the remaining BBQ sauce.

For slow cooker instructions, see the FAQ section of this post.

Nutrition