Made with a homemade rub and a delicious braising liquid, this Instant Pot Pulled Pork is incredibly juicy, fall-apart tender, and always a crowd favorite.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cayenne, and brown sugar together in a small bowl.
Cut the pork roast into large chunks that are each about 3 to 4 inches in size and pat dry with a paper towel.
Starting with half the rub, sprinkle the rub over the pork and use your hands to rub the seasoning blend evenly into the pork, adding additional rub as needed.
Pour the apple juice and liquid smoke, if using, into the inner pot. Add in the seasoned pork.
Place the lid on the pressure cooker, ensuring the lid is locked or the venting knob is closed. Set to cook on high pressure for 40 minutes if using pork shoulder or pork butt. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes if using a pork loin roast. To set the cooking time, hit manual or pressure cook and then use the +/- buttons to adjust the timer.
Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for AT LEAST 15 minutes.
After pressure has been released, remove the chunks of pork from the Instant Pot and place them into a large mixing bowl. Let the pork rest for 15-20 minutes before shredding.
Pour the cooking liquid into a glass measuring cup over a fine mesh strainer. If you would like to remove some of the fat that had rendered into the cooking liquid, place the liquid into the freezer for 5-10 minutes. The fat will rise and solidify, making it easy to scoop out and discard.
After the pork has rested, pour ¼ cup of the strained cooking liquid over the pork. Shred the pork using 2 forks, a handheld kitchen mixer on medium-low speed, or a stand mixer on low speed with a paddle attachment. Add in additional cooking liquid and/or barbecue sauce as desired.
Serve as desired.
Notes
Apple Juice: If you do not have apple juice, you can opt to use pineapple juice, beer, root beer, or water.Pork: If you opt to NOT cut the pork into chunks, you will need to cook for 40 minutes per pound on High Pressure, for pork butt or shoulder, and for 30 minutes per pound on High Pressure for a pork loin roast. You may also have to cut the cooked pork into large chunks for easier shredding. Frozen Pork: If your frozen pork roast is already cubed, add 10 minutes to the cooking time (50 minutes for pork shoulder/butt and 40 minutes for pork loin). If your frozen pork roast is not cubed, you will need to cook for 50 minutes per pound for pork shoulder or pork butt and 40 minutes per pound for pork loin.Storage: Store leftover pulled pork in the refrigerator for 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The addition of BBQ sauce is NOT necessary. The pulled pork is plenty flavorful without it.