This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Instant Pot Pulled Pork with a Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce is sweet and tangy and makes awesome pulled pork sandwiches or tacos for game day or a barbecue.
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
This Instant Pot Pulled Pork with a Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce is the latest of my Instant Pot Recipes. Check out my other Instant Pot Recipes, such as the Beef Stew, Chili, or Chicken and Dumplings.
I love my Instant Pot pressure cooker because it cooks everything so quickly, and it turns out delicious. I love that you can saute onions in the Instant Pot and then add all the ingredients and let the pressure cooker do its magic! It is truly a one-pot meal.
This pulled pork is so versatile that it can be used in many recipes. It is one of my favorite foods in which to use for leftovers, except they will be so good that no one will realize that they are leftovers.
How To Make Instant Pot Pulled Pork?
Start with a good quality pork shoulder roast and cut it into 4 large, roughly equal pieces. This will allow it to cook more evenly in the Instant Pot.
How To Make The Pulled Pork Rub
This adds so much flavor to the pulled pork and bbq sauce. You must not skip this step. It will be so worth it and you will be very glad you did.
Be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this pot for the specific instructions and exact ingredient amounts.
To Make the Pulled Pork Rub, you will need the following ingredients: brown sugar, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, paprika, cumin, dried mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried oregano.
In a small bowl, stir all the ingredients together. At this point, you can either use now or store in an airtight container to use in the future.
Rub the Pulled Pork Seasoning all over the pieces of pork. Make the Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce next.
How To Make Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce
This is a short-cut version of the Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce that starts with your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce.
In a bowl, pour a bottle of barbecue sauce, 16-ounces of Dr Pepper, and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. That’s it! Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the ingredient amounts in the recipe card.
How To Pressure Cook Pulled Pork
The next 4 major steps of how to cook the Pulled Pork are shown in the image below.
- Turn on the Instant Pot (plug it in) and press the “SAUTE” setting. Add oil. Once hot, add the seasoned pork pieces and brown on all sides. You may have to do this in batches.
- Place the extra pieces of browned pork in a baking dish while you brown other pieces.
- Once all the pieces are browned, add them back into the Instant Pot and cover with all but 1 cup of the Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce.
- Close and lock the lid. Move the seal to the "Sealing" position. Press "Pressure Cook" and set the Pressure level to High Pressure, and change the time to 45 minutes. It will take a few minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to the pressure level before it starts to cook. After it has finished cooking for 45 minutes, let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for about 15 minutes and then do a quick release.
- Remove the pork into a bowl. With two forks, shred the pork. Stir in remaining Dr Pepper BBQ sauce.
What Can I Serve With Pulled Pork?
- Coleslaw – Serve regular coleslaw or make it colorful with broccoli slaw.
- Chips – Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or potato chips or sweet potato chips!
- Salsa – I love to serve it with pico de gallo salsa or mango pico de gallo salsa.
- Guacamole – serve it with this Game Day Guacamole.
- Mexican Rice – Pulled Pork is always delicious served with Mexican or Spanish rice on the side.
- Southern Squash Casserole – A side dish casserole made with yellow summer squash, sour cream, cheddar, and crushed buttery crackers.
- Chess Pie – For a sweet Southern dessert, serve it with Old Fashioned Chess Pie.
What Recipes Can I Make with Pulled Pork?
Pulled pork is so versatile. It can be used in many different recipes!
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches or Sliders – make sandwiches or sliders and top with coleslaw.
- Pulled Pork Tacos – from Isabel Eats, served inside tortillas with cilantro-lime coleslaw.
- Pulled Pork Nachos – Pulled pork served on top of tortilla chips, and topped with melted cheese and pico de gallo.
You can refrigerate pulled pork for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze it up to 2 or 3 months in the freezer.
Recipe
Instant Pot Pulled Pork (Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce)
Ingredients
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 4 pounds pork shoulder
- 1 recipe pork rub seasoning (See Recipe Below)
- 1 recipe Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce (See recipe below)
Homemade Pork Rub Recipe
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce (Shortcut Version)
- 1 (18-ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
- 1 (16-ounce) bottle Dr Pepper
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (optional. May need if bottled sauce is too sweet.)
Instructions
Homemade Pork Rub Recipe
- In a small bowl stir together all ingredients for the pork rub recipe.
Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce
- In a small bowl combine bbq sauce, Dr Pepper, and vinegar.
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Turn on the Instant Pot (plug it in) and press the "SAUTE" setting. Add oil. Once hot, add the seasoned pork pieces and brown on all sides. You may have to do this in batches.
- Place the extra pieces of browned pork in a baking dish while you brown other pieces.
- Once all the pieces are browned, add them back into the Instant Pot and cover with all but 1 cup of Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce.
- Close and lock the lid. Move the seal to the “Sealing” position. Press “Pressure Cook” and set the Pressure level to High Pressure, and change the time to 45 minutes. It will take a few minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to the pressure level before it starts to cook.
- After it has finished cooking for 45 minutes, let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for about 15 minutes and then do a quick release.
- Remove pork from Instant Pot to a large bowl. With 2 forks shred pork. Stir in remaining bbq sauce. Serve on buns or tortillas.
Hi, I’m Michele Feuerborn, a home cook with 25+ years experience, and former AllRecipes Allstar, creating bold & easy Southern, Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Instant Pot recipes. Featured in publications like Parade and BuzzFeed. Read More…
Kat says
This is one of my favorite recipes. I’ve made this several times. Have adjusted the amount of barbecue sauce to about 8 oz and 12oz Dr Pepper. The rub gives it a lot of flavor
Michele Feuerborn says
Hi Kat,
I’m so happy you like it. I love this recipe because it is so easy to make, tastes great, and is so versatile. It can be used in sliders, tacos, or whatever you like.
Thank you so much for your comment.
Michele