Date Published: Sept 11th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 11th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: easy, mains
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 15 minutes + marinating time | Cook time: 75 minutes

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Get ready for the most ridiculously easy pulled pork recipe that’s ready in 75 minutes! You will need an Instant Pot or any pressure cooker for this along with your favourite BBQ sauce.

Why I love this recipe!

Quick and easy – I never knew you could make pulled pork in such little time and without a slow cooker or cooking for hours! It takes 5 minutes to prep the pork and rest is just setting the Instant Pot and forgetting it. No need to watch it constantly as it cooks.
Easily makes a large batch – a 2kg/4 pound pork shoulder fits well into an Instant Pot and serves up to 6 people at once as a main, or even more if you’re using the pork as a side or inside another dish such as pulled pork tacos or sliders. I use this one recipe as meal prep for lunches for the rest of the week. This pulled pork also keeps well in the fridge or freezer so you can also do multiple batches for a large party the day before.
Budget-friendly! Cheap to feed and easy to impress a lot of people – After learning this recipe, I think this will be my new go-to dish for potluck events. Pork shoulder is relatively inexpensive and you should be able to find 2kg/4lbs of it for less than $30 to feed a party small. Just be sure to pick a good BBQ sauce!
Versatility – As you will notice, unlike many pulled pork recipes, this one does not cook the pork in the BBQ sauce. The pork comes out perfectly cooked, but a little on the blander side. This is intentional so it doesn’t overpower the flavours of your chosen BBQ sauce and also gives you more versatility in how you want to use the shredded pork. You can easily store this pulled pork in batches in the freezer and use it on so many things (keep scrolling to see the different dishes you could use this in!).

How much pork to feed a party?

As a rough guide, multiply the number of guests by 0.3 to get the amount of raw pork you’ll need to cook in kilos. To calculate it in pounds, multiply it by 0.6. This calculation is the amount of raw pork you need to serve each person as a main dish. Use less if you’re using this as a side dish or within a recipe.

For example: 10 guests x 0.3 = 3kg of raw pork to cook.

What to do with leftover pulled pork?

Pork shoulder is often on sale at our local Costco and as a result I regularly find myself with 7kg of pork shoulder for $30 and scrambling to find recipes – I just can’t pass up a good deal! Here are a list of dishes you can use with pulled pork before adding on BBQ sauce:

Mixed with BBQ sauce and served in sliders with coleslaw
Pulled pork tacos
Toasted sandwiches
Burritos
Toppings on okonomiyaki
Mixed with any kind of red pasta sauce for a quick pasta dish
Quick added protein to any soups
Pierogi or dumpling filling
Mixed with a fried rice
Quesadilla
Pulled pork nachos

Pair this recipe with a copycat KFC coleslaw!

Copycat KFC Coleslaw

This is a copycat recipe of the famous KFC Coleslaw. It’s quick, easy, flavourful, and delicious!

September 14, 2025September 11, 2025

How to store leftover pulled pork:

To store: Use the leftover liquid from the Instant Pot and submerge the shredded pulled pork into this liquid and keep refrigerated for a few days or freeze. When ready to eat again, reheat with the liquid and strain the pork out before mixing with BBQ sauce.

You can also freeze it flat in a freezer bag with the pork rolled out in a thin layer, then when you need to use it in a pinch, just break off what you need.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

This recipe was adapted from TatestBetterFromScratch.

Ingredients you’ll need:

Rub:
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru/Korean chilli powder (or substitute for 1/2 Tbsp cayenne) – optional
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 2 tsps garlic powder
- 2 tsps onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1.5 tsps kosher salt
- 1.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2kg/4 pounds of pork shoulder/butt, or pork loin roast, cut into 4 large even pieces
- This will allow more even cooking rather than one large roast which can get tough in the middle.
1 can/355ml/12 fl. oz of regular Coca-cola (not diet, not zero, not flavoured)
Your favourite bottle of barbecue sauce

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the rub together: 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp gochugaru, 2 tsps smoked paprika, 2 tsps garlic powder, 2 tsps onion powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1.5 tsps salt, 1 tsp black pepper.

Massage the rub mixture into the pork pieces and marinate for at least 1 hour or better if overnight.

Place the marinated pork into the Instant Pot and pour a can of Coca-cola around the pork.

Close the instant pot lid and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 75 minutes then let it natural release for 15 minutes before carefully venting it.

Remove the cooked pork from the juices into a glass bowl or pot and use 2 forks to shred the pork. It should be perfectly cooked and very easy to shred. If you’re finding it tough, then cook for a bit longer. Remember, the flavours are meant to be subtle to not overpower your choice of BBQ sauce. Don’t adjust any seasoning the seasoning until after you’ver added your sauce.

Mix with your favourite BBQ sauce poured over top. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Insanely Easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

Rub:
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru/Korean chilli powder (or substitute for 1/2 Tbsp cayenne) – optional
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 2 tsps garlic powder
- 2 tsps onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1.5 tsps kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2kg/4 pounds of pork shoulder/butt, or pork loin roast, cut into 4 large even pieces
- This will allow more even cooking rather than one large roast which can get tough in the middle.
1 can/355ml/12 fl. oz of Coca-cola
Your favourite bottle of barbecue sauce

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the rub together: 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp gochugaru, 2 tsps smoked paprika, 2 tsps garlic powder, 2 tsps onion powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1.5 tsps salt, 1 tsp black pepper.
Massage the rub mixture into the pork pieces and marinate for at least 1 hour or better if overnight.
Place the marinated pork into the Instant Pot and pour a can of Coca-cola around the pork. Close the instant pot lid and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 75 minutes then let it natural release for 15 minutes before carefully venting it.
Remove the cooked pork from the juices into a glass bowl or pot and use 2 forks to shred the pork. It should be perfectly cooked and very easy to shred. If you’re finding it tough, then cook for a bit longer. Remember, the flavours are meant to be subtle to not overpower your choice of BBQ sauce. Don’t adjust any seasoning the seasoning until after you’ver added your sauce.
Once shredded, mix with your favourite BBQ sauce poured over top. Done!

Date Published: Feb 27th, 2024 | Last Updated: Feb 27th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

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After making my first ever short ribs dish through this insanely good recipe, I’ve become hooked! Short ribs was never a cut of meat I’ve worked with before and it often requires extremely long cooking times to break down the connective tissue, but praise the Instant Pot! It cuts down cooking times from 3 hours to just 1 hour and it produced extremely soft fall-off-the-bone results. If you’re unfamiliar with short ribs, you can check out my other short rib recipe for a bit of background information, including the differences between the cuts of short ribs.

This recipe is originally from Giada. I’ve altered it for Instant Pot cooking methods to cut down on cooking times and still produce identical results.

Unlike the classic braised short rib with red wine sauce, this meat is shredded then served in a slightly more subtle tomato-base sauce with a touch of Dijon mustard and a cup of red wine (rather than half the bottle). The rich meaty sauce is tossed through your choice of any style of pasta and served with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. The deliciously flavourful sauce with the soft shredded meats is balanced out by the pasta, making this the perfect pasta dish to make to impress. You’ll be amazed by how much flavour you can get from so few ingredients!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1.8kg (4 lbs) beef short ribs, English cut (Cross cut/Korean cut is fine too but it will take longer to sear and it’ll be annoying to remove all the little round bones at the end)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
1 cup red wine – any will do, even the cheap stuff! I use cabernet sauvignon
3 Tbsps Dijon mustard
2 cups beef broth
4-6 portions of pasta – any kind you like
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling when serving

Directions:

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the short ribs.

Turn your instant pot on to the SAUTÉ setting on HIGH heat. Add a drizzle of oil and sear the short ribs in batches, making sure you brown every side. Set aside the seared ribs.

Tip: Watch out for the oil splattering! A splatter guard will work wonders here and extra long tongs or extra long chopsticks will be even better to avoid getting hot oil on your hands when you turn the ribs to sear each side.

Turn the heat down to MED and add in the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant, making sure you scrape up any browned bits from the beef on the bottom and sides of the pot (the precious brown bits give us extra flavour and the moisture from the onions will help soften it from the bottom of the pot).

Add in the tomatoes, red wine, Dijon mustard, and beef stock. Mix everything together and simmer for 3 minutes for the alcohol to cook out.

Add back in the seared ribs (from step 2) and submerge them in the liquid. Cancel the instant pot sauté setting and put on the lid. Set the instant pot to PRESSURE COOK and HIGH for 1:00 hour with 10 minutes of natural release.

When the timer has finished, turn off the instant pot and open it. You should have a very tender fall-off-the-bone short rib! Very carefully, remove all of the meat and bones into a separate bowl. Discard all the bones and use two forks to shred the meat. Cover the meat to keep warm and set aside.

Liquid left over after the meat and bones have been removed

Make the sauce: Once all the meat and bones have been removed, you should only have vegetables left in the liquid. Skim off any excess oil that may be floating on top. Use a stick blender to blend the liquid until smooth (you can also pour it into a blender if you don’t have a stick blender) then pour it into a saucepan or wide based pan. Turn the heat to MED and simmer for 15-20 mins to reduce the sauce until you get a thickened syrupy consistency. This will take a while because there will be a decent amount of liquid to cook down since the instant pot does not evaporate any liquid as it cooks. Once the sauce has thickened, add the shredded meat (from step 6) into the sauce and stir through until warmed. Turn off the heat.

Make the pasta: While the sauce is reducing, make the pasta according to instructions. Strain when finished and set aside.

To serve: Divide the pasta into serving bowls and spoon the sauce with meat over top. Add a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese overtop before serving. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Damn Good Short Rib Ragu (in an Instant Pot)

Date Published: Feb 27th, 2024 | Last Updated: Feb 27th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients:

1.8kg (4 lbs) beef short ribs, English cut (Cross cut/Korean cut is fine too but it will take longer to sear and it’ll be annoying to remove all the little round bones at the end)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
1 cup red wine – any will do, even the cheap stuff! I use cabernet sauvignon
3 Tbsps Dijon mustard
2 cups beef broth
4-6 portions of pasta – any kind you like
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling when serving

Directions:

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the short ribs.
Turn your instant pot on to the SAUTÉ setting on HIGH heat. Add a drizzle of oil and sear the short ribs in batches, making sure you brown every side. Set aside the seared ribs.
- Tip: Watch out for the oil splattering! A splatter guard will work wonders here and extra long tongs or extra long chopsticks will be even better to avoid getting hot oil on your hands when you turn the ribs to sear each side.
Turn the heat down to MED and add in the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant, making sure you scrape up any browned bits from the beef on the bottom and sides of the pot (the precious brown bits give us extra flavour and the moisture from the onions will help soften it from the bottom of the pot).
Add in the tomatoes, red wine, Dijon mustard, and beef stock. Mix everything together and simmer for 3 minutes for the alcohol to cook out.
Add back in the seared ribs (from step 2) and submerge them in the liquid. Cancel the instant pot sauté setting and put on the lid. Set the instant pot to PRESSURE COOK and HIGH for 1:00 hour with 10 minutes of natural release.
When the timer has finished, turn off the instant pot and open it. You should have a very tender fall-off-the-bone short rib! Very carefully, remove all of the meat and bones into a separate bowl. Discard all the bones and use two forks to shred the meat. Cover the meat to keep warm and set aside.
Make the sauce: Once all the meat and bones have been removed, you should only have vegetables left in the liquid. Skim off any excess oil that may be floating on top. Use a stick blender to blend the liquid until smooth (you can also pour it into a blender if you don’t have a stick blender) then pour it into a saucepan or wide based pan. Turn the heat to MED and simmer for 15-20 mins to reduce the sauce until you get a thickened syrupy consistency. This will take a while because there will be a decent amount of liquid to cook down since the instant pot does not evaporate any liquid as it cooks. Once the sauce has thickened, add the shredded meat (from step 6) into the sauce and stir through until warmed. Turn off the heat.
Make the pasta: While the sauce is reducing, make the pasta according to instructions. Strain when finished and set aside.
To serve: Divide the pasta into serving bowls and spoon the sauce with meat over top. Add a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese overtop before serving. Done!