Pressure Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

By Sarah DiGregorio

Pressure Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
2 hours
Rating
5(1,412)
Comments
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A pressure cooker provides a nifty shortcut to perfect pulled pork. This recipe calls for braising the meat in a dark soda like Dr Pepper or Coca-Cola, and the results are lush and tender — savory, slightly sweet and tangy. Once the pork is done, you can customize it to your taste using your favorite barbecue and hot sauces. Adding lots of black pepper and a few dashes of Southern-style hot sauce, like Crystal, Louisiana or Tabasco, is a very good idea. Like many braises, the pork improves overnight and can be cooked up to three days in advance; shred and warm it gently on the stovetop before tossing it with sauce and serving. The pork makes satisfying sandwiches on soft rolls (try coleslaw as a topping), but it could also be used in tacos or served over grits. (You can find the slow-cooker version of this recipe here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 1tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1tablespoon onion powder
  • 2teaspoons hot or sweet smoked paprika
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 3 to 4pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of skin and excess fat and cut into 4 large chunks
  • 2tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1yellow onion, chopped
  • 1(12-ounce) can dark soda, like Dr Pepper, root beer, cola or birch beer
  • ½ to 1½cups homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce
  • Hot sauce (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

593 calories; 40 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 693 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix the garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the pork and turn to coat in the spice mix. Put the oil in a 6- or 8-quart electric pressure cooker and turn on the sauté setting to warm the oil. (Use the “normal” heat setting if your pressure cooker has that option.) Working in batches, add the pork and brown on two sides, about 2 minutes per side. If the bottom of the pan gets too dark or you get a “hot” or “burn” warning, turn the heat down to “less,” if your pot has that option, or turn it off entirely and allow the pork to continue searing. Turn it back on if the pot cools too much.

  2. Step 2

    Add the onion to the pot. Add the soda and stir to thoroughly scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for one hour. Turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Open the lid. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the pork and onion bits to a large serving bowl. Using two forks, coarsely shred the meat. Add ½ cup barbecue sauce and a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to moisten. (Discard remaining cooking liquid.) Taste and add salt, pepper, hot sauce, and more barbecue sauce as you like. Serve with soft rolls and extra sauce on the side.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,412 user ratings
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Comments

Sierra

After shredding it, put it in a tray and stick it under the broiler for 5 minutes. Makes a huge difference in texture.

No common sense

Since the recipe didn’t say to put the pork back in the cooker, my pulled pork was very oniony and the meat was raw and I was hospitalized. The recipe didn’t say to open the can of soda before putting it in the pressure cooker. Oops! After I received the insurance settlement, I rebuilt my kitchen and tried it again with the pork in the pot and opening the soda can and pouring the liquid in this time. It was much better and there were no explosions or hospital visits.

Anna

Just realized that this recipe doesn’t tell you to add the pork back into the pressure cooker!

Justin

Any suggestion to replace the soda with something else without added sugar? Would regular soda water do the trick or are the sugars needed? Thanks

Meghan

@Justin use beer!

SteveD

After a week of Ohio heat that would have made a dip in the Hades a welcome relief, we turned to no-stove recipes like this one. The spice blend and Dr. Pepper made me skeptical, but the results surpassed all expectations. The meat was moist with a texture almost identical to long-smoked pork. I’ve had much worse at BBQ joints that smoke their meat for half a day. Be sure to trim the pork shoulder well. You shred the pork outside the cooking liquid and only use a few tablespoons afterward to moisten it, but removing the excess fat prevents the meat from getting greasy. Some in my family don’t dig barbecue sauce so I used a bit more of the cooking liquid to moisten the meat instead so everyone could sauce as they liked. Made pulled pork mac and cheese with the leftovers the following night using one of the fancier boxed versions, also delectable.

Nadz

I made this once and found it too sweet...going to try again using a dark beer e.g. Guinness instead of dark soda and see how that turns out.

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