Transform a simple pork shoulder into an irresistibly tender and flavorful feast with this easy Instant Pot Pork Shoulder recipe, guaranteed to be the highlight of your dinner table.
We make it all the time, because the meat can be used in so many different ways. It’s ideal for meal prep. We always make tacos, pulled pork sliders, and Vietnamese pork bowls with it. It is also a great topping for stuffed potatoes or on gnocchi. Or you can enjoy it with rice or noodles. There are so many ways you can enjoy it!
Why You’ll Love It
- Pork shoulder usually takes a lot of time to cook because you have to allow the meat to breakdown and become tender. In the oven, this can take a couple of hours at the least, but when you use the Instant Pot or a pressure cooker to make it, the time is reduced significantly. You can get super tender pork shoulder in just 60 minutes.
- Using the Instant Pot to cook pork shoulder ensures that the meat turns out incredibly tender and juicy. The pressure cooking method helps to break down the tough connective tissues in the pork shoulder, resulting in meat that practically falls apart with each forkful.
- Whether you’re craving classic barbecue pulled pork, savory pork tacos, or a flavorful pork stew, the Instant Pot can handle it all. Plus, you can easily experiment with different seasonings, sauces, and cooking liquids to customize your pork shoulder recipe to suit your taste preferences.
» You might also like this Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe.
Ingredients You Need
- Pork shoulder: The main ingredient used for this recipe is the pork shoulder. When buying pork shoulder, make sure the skin is removed.
- Cooking oil: You can use any vegetable oil you like for this recipe.
- Broth: Use vegetable or chicken broth for this recipe. The broth will not just add flavor to the dish but will also ensure it cooks easily and doesn’t dry out.
- Carrots: Adding fresh carrots add flavor and color to this dish.
- Celery stalk: It adds an earthy and salty flavor.
- Onion: It adds a slightly sweet and savory flavor to the dish.
- Garlic: It adds an intense and savory flavor to this dish.
- Paprika: Paprika has a slightly sweet and spicy flavor that tingles the taste buds.
- Cumin: Cumin has a nutty, warm, and slightly sweet flavor.
- Orange juice: Orange juice adds a citrusy and slightly sweet flavor. It is used as a glaze.
- Seasoning: Season this instant pork shoulder with salt and black pepper according to your taste.
Equipment Needed
- Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus to make all of my recipes, but you can use any size or brand of electric pressure cooker. If you’re using an 8-quart pot, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly, as it requires more water to build steam.
Helpful Tips
- Refrain from moving the pork around in the pot until it’s had long enough to brown.
- If your pot becomes too hot on high and starts to beep with the HOT warning, you can periodically turn it to Low or if you don’t have a low setting, you can turn it off for 30 seconds.
- Be careful when you deglaze the pot, it will be really hot and could splatter back up at you. Wait 30 seconds to pour in the water.
How to Make Instant Pot Pork Shoulder
For this recipe, you will first sear the pork on sauté mode, deglaze the pot, and then add the other ingredients into the pot to finish cooking. Searing the pork adds a lot of great flavor, so don’t skip this step!
Step 1: Season & sauté
Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and set it to high. Season the pork with salt and pepper. When the pot is hot, add the cooking oil and let it heat up for a few seconds. Add the pork to the pot and brown it on all sides. This takes about 3-4 minutes per side. Refrain from moving the pork around in the pot until it’s had long enough to brown.
If your pot becomes too hot on high and starts to beep with the HOT warning, you can periodically turn it to Low or if you don’t have a low setting, you can turn it off for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Deglaze the pot
When the pork is all browned, turn off sauté mode and transfer the pork to a plate. You need to pour in the water and deglaze the pan, but be careful not to do this right after turning off the pot because it will be really hot and could splatter back up at you. Wait 30 seconds to pour in the water.
Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Squeeze the juice from the orange into the pot, then put the rind in. Add back in the pork and nestle it in.
Step 4: Pressure cook
Lock on the lid and set the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. When the time is up, allow a natural release of pressure, typically 10-15 minutes. Remove the pork from the pot and slice or shred to use how you wish.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few ingredients that you can add to make this taste even better:
- Brown sugar: The juice from an orange is a great way to bring sweetness to this dish. However, if you don’t have an orange or orange juice, you can use brown sugar as well.
- Herbs: Use fresh or dried herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage to add more flavors to this dish.
- BBQ sauce: Add some BBQ sauce to the pot to get southern-inspired flavors.
- Asian flavors: To get Asian flavors in this dish, use soy sauce, sriracha, and hoisin sauce.
How to Store Instant Pot Pork Shoulder?
Once the pork shoulder reaches room temperature, place it in an air-tight container and refrigerate. It will last for up to a week. You can make portions and store them in a freezer-safe container to extend its shelf-life. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat on the stovetop and enjoy.
You can serve this dish with any side dish you like. That’s the best part – they go with everything.
Try serving them with these sides that you can also make in the Instant Pot:
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Best Instant Pot Pork Shoulder
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 pound (907 g) pork shoulder skin removed
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) cooking oil
- 1 cup (237 ml) water or broth
- 2 carrots cut in chunks
- 1 celery stock cut in chunks
- 1/2 onion cut in chunks
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) cumin
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1/2 orange
Instructions
- Press the saute button and set it to high. Season the pork with salt and pepper. When the pot is hot, add the cooking oil. Add the pork and brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove the pork. Pour in the water and deglaze the pan. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Squeeze the juice from the orange, then put the rind in the pot. Add back in the pork and nestle it among the veggies.
- Lock on the lid and set the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. When the time is up, allow a natural release of pressure, typically 10-15 minutes. Remove the pork from the pot and slice or shred to use how you wish.
Notes
- Refrain from moving the pork around in the pot until it’s had long enough to brown.
- If your pot becomes too hot on high and starts to beep with the HOT warning, you can periodically turn it to Low or if you don’t have a low setting, you can turn it off for 30 seconds.
- Be careful when you deglaze the pot, it will be really hot and could splatter back up at you. Wait 30 seconds to pour in the water.
Nutrition
Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
I was surprised how much you could taste the orange. So good.
I love to make a big batch of meat that I can shred and use for things. This was a good recipe for that.
So good for freezing. I can pull if out and make so many different things.