In Canada it seems we now only have two seasons: winter and humid. When it’s too hot to barbecue, and you want to keep the heat down in the kitchen, look no further than a pressure cooker. It will cut down on energy usage and get dinner on the table in no time at all! Our pulled pork pressure cooker recipe cooks up tender and moist in less than one hour (with only 45 minutes of actual cooking)!
Even in wintertime, pulled pork is the ultimate easy comfort food recipe!
Are you cooking more at home too? Despite funny memes like the one below rampant on the internet, we’re eating better than ever. We’re reaching for healthier versions of comfort food, like the crispiest chicken wings without frying, which we’ll post in the next few weeks.
With both of us home, and having more time to cook, we’re relaunching ‘The Unknown Chef’ – our recipe category on Birdz of a Feather. You’ll notice new recipes in your inbox in the upcoming weeks. The good news is that we’re adding printable recipes so you can try them too! You’ll find a printable version of this pulled pork recipe at the bottom of this post.
On to the recipe!
Spice it Up
We reorganized our dedicated spice drawer. Now we can easily see what we have in stock to quickly mix up a dry rub for recipes like this!
Simply cut the pork into 4 pieces.
Then toss then with the spice mixture.
Under Pressure
Our secret to making the best pulled pork recipe (aside from how fast a pressure cooker cooks it) is liquid smoke! Hopefully you can find it in your local grocery store. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back.
After rubbing the spice onto the pieces, nestle the pork into the liquid ingredients. Close the lid, turn on the stove and go do something else for 45 minutes. Then you can slow release the pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
Traditionally, if we were cooking this dish in a slow cooker, it would have taken 4 – 6 hours. Not only do we save time and energy, but we also save money when you take into account that the slow cooker runs on electricity (we upgraded years ago to gas range and cooktop). It’s a win-win for sustainability all around!
Pull Apart
After only just an hour, the pork comes out fork tender and ready to shred into porky deliciousness! It’s so tender, it pulls apart easily with two forks.
Grab a ciabatta bun and you’ve got a quick, delicious meal!. This bun happens to be gluten free, but grab your favourite. It’s amazing how far gluten-free bread has come in the last decade!
You could add toppings if you wish, but we keep it simple and let the porky deliciousness shine.
Store leftovers (if you have any) in a container in the fridge for the next day. Feel free to add BBQ sauce if you wish when reheating, if you find the sauce has soaked into the meat.
Here’s what we do with leftover pulled pork the next day. Stay tuned for our Chipotle Guacamole Pulled Pork tacos!
If you have leftovers, this recipe freezes well. We always keep some on-hand to defrost for an even quicker meal.
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Don’t forget to check out our pulled pork recipe below. You can print it out now or pin this for later:
Now that we’ve got faster, more energy efficient cooking options figured out, it’s a great tie-in to get meal planning organized and under control too! If you missed our Sustainable Sunday series, check out our post on Meal Planning and Food Inventory here.
Hubs and I debated whether the pressure cooker would produce a chicken soup as good as my grandmother used to make. What else could we do but challenge each other to a chicken soup cook-off! Using my grandmother’s recipe vs. a modern day recipe specifically for the pressure cooker, we tested each one out. Which recipe won? You’ll find out here!
This is our very first printable recipe post, so if you have any issues with the printable version please let us know 🙂
You're Pulling My Pork - Pressure Cooker Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork shoulder cut into 4 pieces
- 2 TBLSP paprika
- 2 TBLSP chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Liquid Ingredients
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tsp honey Optional. If you don't want to add sweetness, leave it out.
Instructions
Pulled Pork
- Cut the pork into four pieces. Use a glass dish to contain the spice mix and rubbed the spices all over each piece coating every side.
- Add liquid ingredients to pressure cooker and nestle pork into bottom of pot.
- Seal cooker, turn heat to med-high. Reduce to med-low once up to pressure (the red ball will drop and steam will start to escape). Cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove the pressure cooker from the burner, let it naturally reduce in pressure for 15 minutes (slow release method), then removed the lid. It's always a good idea to wear an oven mitt when releasing the lid, regardless of whether you use the slow or quick release method in your recipes. The steam can be extremely hot!
- After only just an hour, the pork comes out fork tender and ready to shred into porky deliciousness! Remove the pieces to a clean glass dish, leaving the liquid behind (you don't want to reuse the dish that had raw meat in it). Shred the pork with two forks.
- Put the pressure cooker back onto the burner and use it just like a regular pot allowing the liquid to reduce. Reduce sauce for 15 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Pour reduced sauce over pork, mix well and serve on buns.