Instant Pot Sweet Pulled Pork is a sweetened version of traditional pulled pork made easier in the pressure cooker. Enchilada sauce is combined with sweet barbecue sauce to give it a unique flavor the whole family will love.
This pulled pork recipe is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight meal. It goes great in sandwiches, burritos, salads, and burrito bowls.
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The Best Sweet Pork (Instant Pot Recipe)
This pressure cooked pulled pork is similar to Cafe Rio sweet pork. Enchilada sauce is combined with sweet barbecue sauce to give it a unique flavor.
It's easy to make and great for weeknight meals. You can meal prep it on the weekends and freeze or even use it throughout the week.
It's great in enchiladas, quesadillas, and taquitos. It pairs so well with so many dishes.
Sweet Pulled Pork Ingredients
- boneless pork shoulder roast (I get mine from ButcherBox)
- salt and pepper - I use coarse kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
- avocado oil - it is virtually flavorless and has a high smoke point
- broth (I use chicken or vegetable) - I prefer vegetable broth in this recipe, but chicken works really great as well
- brown sugar - this is measured unpacked. Dark or light brown sugar both work well in this.
- green enchilada sauce - I use mild green enchilada sauce. You can use store-bought or homemade
- barbecue sauce - our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's. Use your favorite brand and flavor.
Products Needed for Instant Pot Sweet Pork
How to Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork with Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce
Detailed instructions and measurements to make Instant Pot sweet pulled pork are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Cut the pork shoulder roast into 4 large sections.
- Searing your pork roast is optional, and not required. It adds flavor, but you can skip this part if you prefer. Turn the Instant Pot on to SAUTE. Add avocado oil.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, sprinkle the pork roast with salt and pepper and add to the Instant Pot. Sear on each side for about a minute. Just until it develops a nice golden brown exterior. You are not cooking it through.
- Press CANCEL. Remove the pork shoulder and set it aside.
- Pour in the broth and deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot insert by scraping the browned bits from the bottom. This will help prevent your Instant Pot from giving a burn warning if it's sensitive.
- Add the brown sugar, enchilada sauce, and bbq sauce to the Instant Pot. Whisk to combine.
- Add the pork back to the Instant Pot turning to coat in the sauce.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to SEALING. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 60 minutes.
- Press CANCEL and QUICK RELEASE the pressure.
- Open the lid and shred the pork. It is ready to serve at this point, but you can also thicken the cooking liquid if you would like. If you want to thicken it, remove the pork, turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add a corn starch slurry (½ tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ½ tablespoon of cold water) to the liquid and whisk until thickened.
- Serve in whatever way your family loves. You can serve it in sandwiches, burritos, taquitos, salads, and burrito bowls. The options are endless. We love ours served on a brioche bun.
Tips, Tricks, and FAQs for Perfect Sweet Pork
- If the pork is tough when you try to shred it, it has not been cooked long enough. If you got a larger pork roast than listed in the recipe, you may need to cook it longer.
- The pork should easily shred and fall apart when it is removed from the Instant Pot. The pressure cook time is calculated for a 4lb boneless roast that has been cut into 4 equal pieces.
- You don't have to thicken the liquid in the Instant Pot, but it's delicious poured over the shredded pork. It has a lot of flavor and works well as a sauce.
- You can shred the pork in your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or just use two forks. It should be falling apart when you remove it from the pressure cooker.
Yes, here is the recipe for making Slow Cooker Sweet Pulled Pork.
I think that slow cooking allows the flavors to meld together longer. Overall, they taste very similar.
I prefer to use boneless pork shoulder, but pork loin roast and pork butt work great as well.
It's not required, but highly recommended. It adds an additional flavor to the pork you won't have otherwise. You can skip this step if you'd like.
Yes, you can overcook pork in a pressure cooker. If it cooks too long it will develop a weird texture and be dry.
Yes, pork loin is an excellent choice when making pulled pork. Keep in mind that pork loin is not the same as pork tenderloin.
This pulled pork recipe requires cooking in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 60 minutes.
How to Serve Instant Pot Sweet Pulled Pork
You can serve this up in so many ways. It's extremely versatile.
It's great served in sandwiches, burritos, salads, quesadillas, and burrito bowls. You can even put it in taquitos or enchiladas.
We really like serving these on brioche buns with coleslaw and extra barbecue sauce.
Sweet Pulled Pork (Instant Pot) Substitutions and Alterations
pork shoulder - You can also use a boneless pork butt or a pork loin roast if you prefer. Your grocery store may also have a picnic roast and that would work as well. Pork loin roast will have less saturated fat than shoulder roast.
brown sugar - if you want to lower the calories, you can use a brown sugar substitute.
barbecue sauce - we really like using Sweet Baby Ray's brand because of the sweetness, but you can use whatever brand is your favorite.
Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola - some people like to add Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola for extra sweetness and to help the meat break down. I have not personally tried this.
avocado oil - you can use any sort of mild tasting, high smoke point oil. You want it to sear, but not burn.
other Instant Pot recipes you might like
- Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy
- Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
How to Store Sweet Pork in the Refrigerator
When storing in the refrigerator, store it in an airtight container with the liquid from the Instant Pot. By storing it with the liquid, it will help it stay moist and flavorful.
It will be good for up to 3 days.
How to Store Sweet Pork in the Freezer
Allow the shredded pork to cool completely. Once cooled, add the pork and the liquid to a freezer safe zip top bag.
Release as much air as possible and freeze flat. It will be good up to 6 months.
How to Reheat Sweet Pulled Pork
When you're ready to reheat the pork, low and slow is best. You will need to thaw the pork if you are removing it from the freezer.
You can heat in the oven at 300°F until heated through, or in the microwave. Start with 1 minute and then do 30 second increments until heated through.
other pork recipes you might like
Sweet Pulled Pork (Instant Pot Recipe)
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 4- pound boneless pork shoulder roast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup unpacked brown sugar
- 15 ounces green enchilada sauce
- ¼ cup sweet barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Cut the pork shoulder roast into 4 large sections.
- Searing your pork roast is optional, and not required. It adds flavor, but you can skip this part if you prefer. Turn the Instant Pot on to SAUTE. Add avocado oil.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, sprinkle the pork roast with salt and pepper and add to the Instant Pot. Sear on each side for about a minute. Just until it develops a nice golden brown exterior. You are not cooking it through.
- Press CANCEL. Remove the pork shoulder and set it aside.
- Pour in the broth and deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot insert by scraping the browned bits from the bottom. This will help prevent your Instant Pot from giving a burn warning if it's sensitive.
- Add the brown sugar, enchilada sauce, and bbq sauce to the Instant Pot. Whisk to combine.
- Add the pork back to the Instant Pot turning to coat in the sauce.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to SEALING. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 60 minutes.
- Press CANCEL and QUICK RELEASE the pressure.
- Open the lid and shred the pork. It is ready to serve at this point, but you can also thicken the cooking liquid if you would like. If you want to thicken it, remove the pork, turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add a corn starch slurry (½ tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ½ tablespoon of cold water) to the liquid and whisk until thickened.
- Serve in whatever way your family loves. You can serve it in sandwiches, burritos, taquitos, salads, and burrito bowls. The options are endless. We love ours served on a brioche bun.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It should only be used for estimation purposes and is not a guarantee of any kind. Nutritional information varies widely between brands and types of ingredients used. It is recommended that you calculate the nutritional information based on your own ingredients and brands used. Sweetly Splendid, LLC makes no guarantees as to the exact nutrition information.
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