Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork (Tacos and Rice Bowls)

Juicy and fall-apart tender, Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork is an easy main dish with only 15 minutes of prep time. It’s a delicious and versatile protein for your sandwich, rice bowl, or tacos. Use this make-ahead recipe to feed a crowd at your next potluck or BBQ party. {stovetop, slow cooker, and stovetop pressure cooker methods included}

Pulled pork has to be one of the most loved summer meals or potluck recipes! Juicy, flavorful, and endlessly versatile, it makes an amazing dish to feed a crowd. Most people have their favorite BBQ flavored pulled pork, but today, I’m going to show you how to make this Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork recipe that will be your new favorite!

Instant pot is your best friend here as it creates no mess and cooks a lot faster than a crockpot. In fact, I think it’s the secret to moist pulled pork. It’s such an easy recipe with amazing results and you’ll get the most tender pulled pork packed with sweet and savory flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple Asian ingredients but big on flavors. It only requires a few common ingredients from the Asian pantry, but you’re guaranteed the MOST FLAVORFUL, FINGER-LICKING deliciousness.
• Yield incredible fall-apart tender and succulent meat in less time! With the pressure cooking feature, the pork stays moist in the liquid and there’s no worry about meat getting dry. You’ll have enough juice to drizzle for extra flavor too. Also, it reduces the cook time which usually takes up 8 hours in a crockpot to just 60 minutes.
• Amazing versatility and freezer-friendly. There are so many ways to serve (tacos, rice bows, salad, and more!) and repurpose this pulled pork recipe!

The Ingredients You’ll Need

• 2.5-3 lbs pork shoulder (pork butt) – see below for the best cut of pork to use.
• Onion
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Chicken stock
• Seasonings: Soy sauce, sake (Japanese rice wine), and brown sugar

How to Make Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork

1. Heat oil in the Instant Pot and then add the pork shoulder to sear on both sides. Then transfer the pork to a clean plate and set aside.
2. Add the ginger slices and mashed garlic cloves in the pot, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Once fragrant, add the chopped onion and coat with oil.
3. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, sake, brown sugar and mix well. Add the pork shoulder back into the pot. Cover and lock the lid. Cook 60 minutes on high pressure. 
4. After 15 minutes of pressure release, shred the pork with two forks. It’s ready to be serve.

Pulled Pork with Extra Char

In my recipe card below, I will also show you how to get the extra char for the pulled pork by putting it under high broil in the oven. It is an extra step, but the pulled pork will benefit big time from this. If you don’t want to crank the oven, you can also crisp up the meat in a pan over the stovetop.

This pulled pork is an instant win! No pun intended.

The Best Cut of Meat to Make Pulled Pork

Pork shoulder is the most common cut for making pulled pork. It is the thinner, bottom cut of the “shoulder” area of a pig’s forelegs. You can also use Pork Butt or Boston Butt, which is from the top cut, thicker section of pork shoulder. It has more fat marbling compared to pork shoulder. Both would work fine for this pulled pork.

Alternative Cooking Methods

I hope you enjoy making this Asian Pulled Pulled with your instant pot. It is a great tool for juicy, tender, fall-apart delicious pulled pork that you and your family are happy to come home for. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also use these two methods.

• Stovetop Method: You can cook covered on a low simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the pork can be easily shredded with a fork.
• Slow Cooker Method: In your slow cooker, cook on high for 5-6 hours if you split the meat in half, or low for 8-10 hours. Cooking low and slow is best to break down all the collagen and connective tissues and you’d get fall-apart tender texture.

Ways to Use Asian Pulled Pork

Once the pulled pork is cooked, the rest is easy peasy. Who doesn’t like the idea of one single batch of meat being used in countless creative ways?

• Taco. Add shredded veggies, cilantro, and spicy mayo, and squeeze in fresh lime juice!
• Rice bowl. Top it off with a fried egg, kimchi, and finish off with some green onions.

Here are just some magical meals you can dish up with pulled pork:

• Fried rice. Use this classic fried rice as your template and add in the pulled pork.
• Sandwich. Make pulled pork sandwich!
• Steamed pork buns. So delicious with some fresh or pickled cucumber and red onions.

Like things spicy? I recommend dousing your pulled pork with a drizzle of Spicy Mayo! You’ll need just 3 ingredients to make this amazing sauce with a kick.

Delicious Sides to Serve with the Asian Pulled Pork

• Asian Coleslaw with Sesame Dressing
• Asian Cabbage Salad
• Grilled Corn with Miso Butter
• Quick Korean Fresh Kimchi
• Japanese Potato Salad

Storage and Reheating

How do you store leftover pulled pork?

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months in the freezer.

What is the best way to reheat the pulled pork?

You can reheat the pulled pork in the microwave, but it tastes the best when you reheat it in a skillet. In a frying pan, add very little oil and cook the leftover meat for a few minutes until warmed through. If it gets too dry, just sprinkle in some water.

Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork (Tacos and Rice Bowls)

4.86 from 89 votes

Juicy and fall-apart tender, Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork is an easy main dish with only 15 minutes of prep time. It's a delicious and versatile protein for your sandwich, rice bowl, or tacos. Use this make-ahead recipe to feed a crowd at your next potluck or BBQ party. {stovetop, slow cooker, and stovetop pressure cooker methods included}

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 onion (11 oz, 312 g)
• ▢ 5 slices ginger (cut a 1-inch, 2.5 cm knob)
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic
• ▢ 2¾ lb pork shoulder (pork butt) (2½–3 lbs pork will work for this recipe)
• ▢ 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 Tbsp neutral oil

For the Seasonings

• ▢ 1½ cups chicken stock/broth
• ▢ 5 Tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 2 Tbsp sake (or substitute dry sherry or Chinese rice wine)
• ▢ 4 Tbsp brown sugar (¼ cup, packed)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients.
  
• Cut 1 onion into big chunks.
  
• Cut the ginger knob into 5 slices ginger. Peel and smash 6 cloves garlic.
  
• Cut off and discard the butcher’s twine from your 2¾ lb pork shoulder (pork butt). Season all sides of the roast with 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  

To Sauté the Ingredients

• Press the Sauté button on your electric pressure cooker (I use a 6 QT Instant Pot). When the inner pot is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. Then, add the pork shoulder. Tip: Select the High setting on Sauté mode, if your cooker has the option.
  
• Sear all sides of the pork shoulder, about 2 minutes per side. Then, transfer the pork to a clean plate and set aside.
  
• Add the ginger slices and smashed garlic cloves to the pot and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Once fragrant, add the chopped onion and toss to coat with the oil.
  
• Next, add 1½ cups chicken stock/broth, 5 Tbsp soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp sake and stir to combine.
  
• Add 4 Tbsp brown sugar and mix well, scraping the juicy brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Finally, add the pork shoulder back into the pot.
  

To Cook under Pressure

• Cover and lock the lid. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button to stop the Sauté function. Then, select the Pressure Cooking mode. Set the cooking time to 60 minutes and select High pressure. Then, press Start. It‘ll take about 15 minutes to reach full pressure.
  
• In a Stovetop Pressure Cooker: If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker, close and lock the lid and set over medium-high heat until the cooker reaches high pressure. Then, reduce the heat to low to maintain high pressure for about 60 minutes. In a Slow Cooker: In your slow cooker or crockpot, cook on High for 5–6 hours or Low for 8–10 hours. In a Pot on the Stove: Cook, covered, in a heavy-bottomed pot on a low simmer for 2–3 hours on the stove.
• When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Slide the steam release handle to the Venting position to quick release the pressure until the float valve drops down; alternatively, you can let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes. Then, unlock and remove the lid and transfer the roast to a rimmed baking sheet pan.
  

To Prepare the Pulled Pork

• Shred the pork with two forks.
  
• While optional, I recommend removing the excess oil and fat from the cooking liquid in the pot. To do so, gently submerge a ladle into the liquid to skim off only the oil and fat at the surface, leaving the flavorful liquid behind. Here, I discarded ¾ cup of oil.
  
• Put the pulled pork back into the pot, and give everything a good toss so that the pork soaks up the flavors of the sauce.
  
• Press the Sauté button again to reheat the pork. Serve immediately. Or, if you want to give the pulled pork a nice char (optional), transfer it to an oven-safe skillet.
  
• Then, put the skillet in the oven and broil on High for 3–5 minutes until the shredded pork on the surface crisps and browns.
  

To Serve

• To Prepare Asian Pulled Pork Rice Bowls: Shred iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots, chop green onions, and thinly slice red radishes. Pan-fry eggs. Make Spicy Mayo. Put the pulled pork and the toppings over hot steamed rice in a bowl. Garnish with black sesame seeds.
  
• To Prepare Asian Pulled Pork Tacos: Shred iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots, chop green onions and cilantro, and thinly slice red radishes. Make Spicy Mayo. Put the pulled pork and toppings in the tortilla. Garnish with wedges of lime.
  
• Instant Pot Asian Pulled Pork is a comforting and versatile protein that works in many popular dishes! Try it in taco rice, add it to lettuce wraps and fried rice, fill steamed buns with it, or enjoy it in pulled pork sandwiches.

To Store

• Keep the pulled pork in an airtight container for 3–4 days in the refrigerator and up to 2–3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 313 kcal · Carbohydrates: 8 g · Protein: 48 g · Fat: 8 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 125 mg · Sodium: 702 mg · Potassium: 842 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 5 g · Vitamin A: 4 IU · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 35 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: instant pot, Pulled Pork

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 10, 2018. It’s been republished with more information on July 24, 2023.