Tender Asian-style pulled pork is a deliciously savory and slight smoky treat. It’s a versatile dish you can enjoy over rice, on noodle bowls, in salads, sandwiches and just about anything you can dream of. This Instant Pot pulled pork recipe is a winner anytime you want it for dinner. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
Want to know the secret to meal prep that will have you winning at dinner and just about any other meal you serve? Making my Instant Pot pulled pork is the answer to just about every meal question you can ask. I love this simple recipe because it really requires minimum effort to make a mouth-watering pork that completely melts in your mouth.
All it takes is an hour to cook in the Instant Pot. You simply follow my prep instructions below and then dump it in the pot. Turn on your rice cooker to have that ready at the same time, or use it to make sandwiches, throw it along with noodles, even top it on salads. There are so many creative things you can do with it. I’d love to know if you think of something amazing too!
In my photos, you’ll see I’ve used my instant pot pulled pork to make a rice bowl. It’s topped with a Chinese Coleslaw, and I love the crispy textures and the melt-in-your-mouth meat together. Plus the rice soaks up the sensational sauce. You’re going to love it whether you follow my rice bowl method or you just make up a big batch of it to portion out and freeze for later use, which I absolutely recommend. It makes crazy nights so much easier to get a tasty meal together.
Just a few things to note before you get started. You’ll want to use the sauté function on the Instant Pot to brown the pork on all sides. It is very simple to do and it gives it so much more flavor than simply adding everything together at once. I recommend pork shoulder for this because it’s a typically tough meat, but using it with this cooking method turns it into fork-tender meat. In fact, when it’s finished, you’ll need only 2 forks to shred the meat.
Another thing you should know is that the cooking liquid will look like it’s not enough, but I assure you that it’s plenty to cover the pork once it’s finished cooking. You can thicken up that rich herb-infused sauce to serve on top of the meat. In sandwiches or in a bowl, it just adds that extra something to the softened meat texture to give it those satisfying and comforting Asian flavors. You’ve got to try this in your kitchen for a fast way to meal prep for a chaotic night.
More delicious Instant Pot recipes
- Pressure Cooker Curry Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Asian Instant Pot Chicken Rice
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Congee with Spinach
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 (3.5 to 4 lbs, 1.6 kg to 1.8 kg) pork shoulder , cut into 3 to 4 pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instant Pot
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (or soy sauce0
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 thumb ginger , sliced
- 6 garlic cloves , smashed
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika powder
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 onion , chopped
Slurry
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Thoroughly pat dry the pork with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
- Add oil into the Instant Pot. Swirl to coat the bottom. Turn on the Saute function of the Instant Pot and wait until it shows as hot. Add the pork. Cook until all sides are golden brown, about 10 minutes. You might need to cook the pork in two batches. Add more oil, if needed. Transfer the browned pork to a big plate. Immediately add the water. Use a spatula to scrape off any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Turn off Saute function.
- Add the remaining Instant Pot ingredients. Stir to mix well.
- Transfer the cooked pork back into the Instant Pot. Cover the pot and seal the pressure valve. Use Manual mode on high pressure for 1 hour. Use natural or fast pressure release when done.
- Remove the pork from the pot and transfer to a big plate.
- Turn on the Saute function again to bring the sauce to a boil. Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Slowly add half of the mixture into the pot. Stir to mix well to thicken the sauce. If the sauce is still thin, slowly add the cornstarch slurry while stirring, until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Turn off the Saute function immediately and transfer the sauce to a big bowl.
- To serve, shred the pork using two forks. Serve hot with the sauce, on top of steamed rice, or stuff into dinner rolls to make a sandwich with homemade Chinese coleslaw.
Notes
- To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos to replace the light soy sauce and dark soy sauce and use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.
This is definitely something I need to make. I love this recipe. So easy and those flavors….YUM!
For those of us who don’t have an instant pot or other pressure cooker, could you add some instruction for alternate methods? I assume just cooking in a pot but for how long?
I don’t have an instant pot so I made this in the crockpot. I think I put it on high for 6 hours but I’m not sure. It’s not really a problem if you overshoot, though. It’ll just get more tender.
Asia Meets Mexico:
Made this last night just as the recipe is written – fantastic flavors. My pork roast had the layer of fat on one side. I browned this side good then the others and cooked as written. With the layer of scored fat up out of the liquid from my electric pressure cooker I actually got the crispy fat I love. Shredded my pork, added shredded crookneck squash, shredded pepper jack cheese all tossed with some sauce and wrapped into flour tortillas. Topped with more cheese and sauce. Fantastic pork enchiladas with a unique Asian sauce. This is definitely a winner.
Keep those pressure cooker recipes comin.
For those without a pressure cooker … I’m sure you could get very good results with this recipe by SLOW roasting in an oven.
Thank you Ms. Zhu, you’ve done it again!
PS If I ever figure out posting pictures to Instagram I’ll share photos.
Can I make this with pork tenderloin instead of shoulder?
Awesome recipe! I’ve come back to it a number of times already; it’s great! I’ve also done this recipe using beef. It works amazingly well with the recipe.
This turned out delicious. I substituted the Shao Xing wine for Mirin and used half the quantities stated in the recipe as it was for a small group.
Perfect cooking directions for my new Instant Pot!
In your nutrition section it states that a serving size is 12 g, which is probably 1 tablespoon. However in the ingredient section he stated that the roast could be between 3 1/2 to 4 pounds and should serve eight people. Could you please clarify the serving size as I am watching my calories. I have made the recipe and it smells and tastes delicious.
Thanks
Hi Elaine, sorry about the typo. The nutrition facts are calculated based on 1 of the 8 servings generated from this recipe.
I made this according to the recipe, except without the ginger and wine because I didn’t have either. It was absolutely amazing! Tender and so flavorful. My kitchen smelled like a restaurant. My only warning is not to use more then what’s started for the Chinese 5 Spice since it’s so powerfully flavorful. I will make this again and can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
AMAZING. We made them with puffy folded buns and pickled red cabbage and carrots. Thank you!!!
This was fabulous! We made asian bowls for dinner with this, with coconut rice, roasted sweet potatoes, chopped green pepper, pickled red onion/jalapeño and cilantro. The options with this asian pulled pork is endless!
I had to make a couple subs, due to what I had on hand. I used coconut aminos, keto brown sugar alternative, and cabernet sauvignon. I also separated the fat before I made the gravy. Adding a little heat/spice to the gravy may be a nice option as well.
I made this, along with your coleslaw, my husband loved it and it was incredibly easy, Thank you for the recipe!
Hi, I have an 8lb picnic pork (assume shoulder/butt). Do I need to adjust time/seasonings/liquid since it’s double the weight?
You don’t need to adjust the seasoning as long as the pork will be mostly submerged in the liquid. It might be challenging since mine filled up the bottom of my Instant Pot. Alternatively, you can also double all the seasonings and liquid. In this case you don’t need to adjust cooking time (it will take longer for the pressure to come up but the cooking time stays the same)
I NEVER post for things such as this but I am compelled to do so here. This is, by far, these best combination of Asian spice and pork that I’ve EVER attempted. I’ve used C5S in the past and mostly disappointed with outcome. Your recipe, however, absolutely nails it. Even with a smaller blade roast and adjusted time. I cannot wait to try your duck, this week, and many many more of your recipes. THANK YOU foe posting these! Cheers!
My whole family loved it! Thank you!