Easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sliders just made game day a lot tastier! This crowd-pleasing recipe is perfect for feeding a hungry group while keeping prep and cleanup minimal. Tender, juicy pulled pork smothered in your favorite barbecue sauce is piled high on soft slider buns, making them an irresistible snack.
Whether hosting a Super Bowl party, tailgating, or enjoying a family movie night, these sliders are a surefire win!
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Why You Should Make This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: With the Instant Pot, you can have tender, flavorful pulled pork in a fraction of the time it takes to make it in a slow cooker.
- Game Day Favorite: These sliders are the ultimate party food, perfect for feeding a crowd with minimal effort.
- Customizable: This recipe can be tailored to suit your taste, from the type of barbecue sauce to the slider buns you use.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Prepare the pulled pork in advance for a stress-free game day.
Start with a Dry Rub
I know this looks like a lot of ingredients, but the combination makes the pork oh-so-tasty!
Just add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. That's it for the dry rub!
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need for the Pulled Pork
- The Pork: I like to use a boneless pork butt, sometimes called Boston Butt, trimmed of excess fat and cut into pieces.
- Dry Rub: A mixture of spices and other ingredients from above to enhance the taste of the pork.
- Liquids: The pork is cooked in a mixture of chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and barbecue sauce.
- Oil: I seared the pork coated in the dry rub in a high-temperature oil. I used canola oil for this recipe, but sometimes, I use peanut oil.
Making the Pulled Pork - Step-by-Step
- Step 1: Whisk the dry rub ingredients together in a bowl.
- Step 2: Sprinkle both sides of the pieces of pork with the dry rub and press into the pork to adhere.
- Step 3: Heat the oil in the Instant Pot using the sauté function. Add the coated pork, several pieces at a time, and sear on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Step 4: When both sides of the pork are browned, remove them from the Instant Pot and sear the remaining pork.
- Step 5: Deglaze the Instant Pot with the chicken broth, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.
- Step 6: Next, add the cider vinegar and barbecue sauce, and return the browned pork to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid, close the vent, and program the Instant Pot on high pressure for 90 minutes.
- Step 7: After 90 minutes, let the Instant Pot depressurize normally for 20 minutes. Then quick release any remaining pressure, remove the lid, and remove the pork.
- Step 8: Using two forks, remove any residual fat and pull or shred the pork.
- Step 9: Transfer the pulled pork to a saucepan, add barbecue sauce, and stir to combine over medium heat.
- Top lightly toasted slider buns with the pulled pork, and add additional barbecue sauce. Serve with potato chips and coleslaw for a game-day feast.
Whether hosting a Super Bowl party, tailgating, or enjoying a family movie night, these sliders are a surefire win with minimal prep and maximum flavor. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Pulled pork gets its name from the way the tender pork can be easily "pulled" apart into shreds using forks, tongs, or even your hands. This shredding process gives the dish its signature texture and name, since the pork is "pulled" into pieces instead of being sliced or chopped.
Feel free to use a crockpot instead of an Instant Pot. Cook the pork on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours in your crockpot for equally tender results.
Use your favorite barbecue sauce, either store-bought or homemade.
I like to use Pepperidge Farm slider buns, but you can also use Hawaiian rolls for an added touch of sweetness. You can also make your own slider buns.
One of the beauties of this recipe is that the pulled pork can be made ahead of time, covered and refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen for up to three months. Leftovers, if any can be treated the same way and reheated in the microwave.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Trim the Fat: Before cooking, trim excess fat from the pork to avoid overly greasy results. Remove residual fat before "pulling" the pork.
- Pull with Ease: Use two forks or a hand mixer on low speed to shred the pork quickly.
- Toast the Buns: Lightly toasting the slider buns enhances their flavor and prevents them from getting soggy.
- Serve Warm: The pulled pork is best served warm, so keep it warm until ready to serve.
- Enjoy Leftovers: The pulled pork leftovers are excellent. Rewarm in the microwave and serve on toasted slider buns.
Variations and Serving
- Spicy Kick: Add a splash of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper to your barbecue sauce for a spicy twist.
- Smoky Flavor: Use a smoked paprika in the dry rub or a smoky barbecue sauce for a deeper, more robust flavor.
- Classic Sliders: Pile the pulled pork onto toasted slider buns and top with a dollop of extra barbecue sauce.
- With Coleslaw: Add a scoop of creamy coleslaw on top for a crunchy, tangy contrast, or serve the coleslaw on the side.
- As Nachos: Use the pulled pork as a topping for game-day nachos with tortilla chips, melted cheese, and jalapeños.
- In Wraps: Wrap the pulled pork in tortillas with shredded lettuce and cheese for a fun twist.
Other Slider Recipes
Enjoy sliders? Try these delicious recipes:
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Easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sliders
Equipment
- Instant Pot (See Note 1)
Ingredients
Dry Rub (See Note 2)
- ¼ cup (1.875 ounces) dark brown sugar (See Note 3)
- ½ Tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ Tablespoon chili powder
- ½ Tablespoon sweet paprika (See Note 4)
- ½ Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- 2 ½ pounds to 3 pounds boneless pork butt, trimmed of thick fat and cut into four pieces (See Note 5)
- Dry Rub, from above
- 1 cup chicken broth (See Note 6)
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups favorite barbecue sauce, divided (See Note 7)
- 12 slider buns (See Note 8)
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
Dry Rub
- Add all dry ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Sprinkle both sides of the pork with dry rub. Rub each piece of pork, making sure to cover the entire surface. (See Note 2)
- Add the vegetable oil to the Instant Pot programmed on the sauté function. When the Instant Pot reads "Hot" add two pieces of pork; sear on both sides, about two minutes per side. Remove the pork from the Instant Pot and repeat with the remaining pork. (See Note 9)
- Turn off the Instant Pot and add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits. Add the vinegar and ¾ cup of barbecue sauce. Return the browned pork to the Instant Pot, making sure that the pieces are not overlapping.
- Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure that the vent is closed. Program the Instant Pot on high pressure for 90 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to depressurize normally for 20 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure if needed. Remove the lid and the pork. Discard the liquid.
- Using two forks, "pull" or shred the pork, discarding any residual fat.
- Transfer the pulled pork to a saucepan and add ¾ cup of barbecue sauce; stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until heated through.
- Serve the pulled pork on toasted slider buns. If desired, top with additional barbecue sauce.
- Yield: 12 pulled pork sliders. (See Note 10)
Video
Tips/Notes
- May use a pressure cooker in place of the Instant Pot. Also, the pork can be cooked in a crockpot for 8 to 10 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
- You will likely have dry rub left over.
- May substitute light brown sugar for dark brown sugar.
- If you prefer a smoky taste, you can substitute smoked paprika for the sweet paprika.
- Cutting the pork into pieces is to make it easier to fit in the Instant Pot.
- I used low-sodium chicken broth, but you can also use regular chicken broth. Also, you can substitute water for the chicken broth.
- I used store-bought barbecue sauce in this recipe. However, feel free to use homemade barbecue sauce.
- I used Pepperidge Farm slider buns in this recipe. However, you can also use Hawaiian buns, or the slider buns of your choice.
- You may need to turn off the sauté function of the Instant Pot while searing the pork if it gets too hot. Watch closely.
- Store leftover pulled pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave.
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