Pulled Pork

Name: Pulled Pork
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 equal pieces; 120 g yellow onion, finely chopped; 300 ml unsweetened apple juice; 30 ml apple cider vinegar; 10 g fine salt; 2 g black pepper; 6 g smoked paprika; 3 g garlic powder; 2 g onion powder; 200 g tomato passata; 25 g brown sugar

Pork

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Tender, smoky pulled pork made entirely in the Instant Pot, with a simple homemade tomato-vinegar sauce. The first 8-minute pressure cycle is followed by a longer cycle because pork shoulder needs much more time to become easy to shred.

20 min + About 100–130 min, including heating and pressure release 4 servings 570 kcal🤖 Instant Pot · Beta

🧪 Beta recipe for Instant Pot: please check the settings against your model’s manual – especially fill level, temperature and speed with hot ingredients. Feedback welcome at support@ki-kochhilfe.de.

Ingredients

1 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 equal pieces
120 g yellow onion, finely chopped
300 ml unsweetened apple juice
30 ml apple cider vinegar
10 g fine salt
2 g black pepper
6 g smoked paprika
3 g garlic powder
2 g onion powder
200 g tomato passata
25 g brown sugar

Preparation

1Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Cut it into 4 pieces of roughly equal size so they cook evenly. In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Rub the mixture over all sides of the pork. Keep the tomato passata and brown sugar aside for after pressure cooking; thick sauces can scorch during pressure cooking.
2Select Sauté (Normal) for 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion and pork to the inner pot. The pork shoulder usually releases some fat as it heats; turn the pieces a few times with tongs or a spatula. The meat does not need to be deeply browned in this short step. If the bottom looks dry or the onion starts sticking, add 1 tablespoon from the measured apple juice.

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Pro tips

Problem: The cooker displays a Burn warning — Lösung: Cancel the program and wait until it is safe to open the lid. Scrape the bottom very thoroughly with a flat spatula to remove stuck onion, meat, or seasoning. Check that there is at least 250 ml of thin liquid in the pot, then restart pressure cooking.
Problem: The pork is still tough after pressure cooking — Lösung: It needs more time, not less. Cut or separate the largest pieces if practical, add a little apple juice or water if the pot looks low on liquid, and cook for another 8 minutes on Pressure Cook (High). Let the pressure release naturally and test again.
Problem: The meat looks pale rather than smoky or browned — Lösung: The brief Sauté step is mainly for building flavor, not for fully browning every surface. Smoked paprika and the reduced sauce provide color and smoky flavor; do not extend Sauté so long that the onion or seasoning scorches.
Problem: The sauce is too thin — Lösung: Remove the pork before reducing the sauce. Use Sauté (Normal) for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until it coats the back of a spoon. Add the shredded pork back only after the sauce has thickened to your liking.
Problem: The sauce tastes too sweet or too sharp — Lösung: For a sauce that is too sweet, stir in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar at a time. If it tastes too sharp, add a little brown sugar. Taste after each small addition rather than correcting it all at once.

Instant Pot pressure cooker pork American-inspired beginner-friendly

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This recipe was added to our gallery anonymously with the creator's consent. Published: 30/10/2026.