This is the easiest Instant Pot Pork Butt recipe! No prep work, just add all of the ingredients to your pressure cooker. Warm spices like smoked paprika and cinnamon plus sweet & tangy apple cider vinegar and orange juice give the pork incredible flavor. The meat is unbelievably tender!
This tender shredded pork can be used in tacos, burritos, rice bowls and sandwiches. You can add barbecue sauce after it's cooked to make pulled pork.
You can add it to a salad bowl with shredded cabbage, carrots and cucumber + your favorite salad dressing. You can serve the pork with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, corn on the cob, cabbage or coleslaw.
In other words, this pork is really versatile!
This recipe is perfect for meal prep, because you can make two completely different meals out of the meat. Pork burritos one night and pork rice bowls the next, with white rice and Asian slaw.
Slow cooked pork is also great for feeding large groups of people (this recipe makes 6 to 8 servings).
If you like tender, flavorful pork you should also try Instant Pot pork adobo and cider-braised pork (slow-cooked in the oven.) Also, pork and ricotta meatballs are insanely good!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Pork butt: You can substitute pork shoulder, which is a very similar cut of meat. These cuts of meat are usually sold in 4 to 5 pounds roasts. Whether your roast is 3 pounds or 5 pounds, you can use the same cooking time and method.
Apple cider vinegar: This perks up the flavor and shouldn't be left out!
Orange juice: Just a hint of orange flavors the meat. You can substitute pineapple juice or beer or even plain water (but it won't be as flavorful).
Salt & Sugar: Salty and sweet, both are needed to give pork flavor. You can also add a grind or black pepper if you want.
Spices: This recipe uses smoked paprika, garlic powder and just a pinch of cinnamon. This pork isn't over-seasoned, so the flavor is noticeable but not overpowering.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Trim excess fat from the meat. Don't trim it all off, just the thickest chunks of fat.
Step 2: Cut the pork butt into 4 pieces.
Step 3: Season the pork with salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder & cinnamon.
Step 4: Pour apple cider vinegar and orange juice into the Instant Pot.
Step 5: Cook for 80 minutes + natural release.
Step 6: Shred the pork and serve.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, you can use pork shoulder instead of pork butt.
Not for this recipe. The meat will release a lot of moisture as it cooks, so ¼ cup vinegar and ½ cup orange juice is plenty of liquid for this recipe.
Searing meat does add flavor and a nice crispy texture, but it's optional when using a pressure cooker. Honestly, this pork is really good without bothering to sear it first. It makes the recipe much faster and easier if you can just throw the meat in the pot!
Plus, the crispy texture from browning the meat softens considerably when the meat cooks. A pressure cooker traps moisture, which makes the meat soft and tender.
If you would like to sear the pork butt, then add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot first. Sear each chunk of pork for 3 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Then deglaze the pot with a little bit of water or broth the make sure bits of burned meat don't stick to the pot. From there, you can start the recipe below.
After the pork butt has cooked, you can crisp up the meat one of two ways.
#1: Broil the meat on a foil-lined sheet-pan
#2: Crisp up small batches of the meat in a hot skillet (my favorite method)
Pork Shoulder vs Pork Butt
Pork shoulder and pork butt are very similar cuts of meat and can be used interchangeably.
Both the pork butt and pork shoulder come from the same part of the pig (the upper and lower shoulder). Both are tough and fatty and are best cooked at a low temperature for a long time. Both are sold either boneless and bone-in - which you get often depends on where you shop.
Both cuts should have fat across the top, which is good for flavoring the meat as it cooks. The white fat helps keep the meat moist and flavorful. This is especially important when the pork is roasted in the oven.
In a pressure cooker, it's less important. A pressure cooker traps moisture, which keeps the meat tender. If you don't trim off any of the fat before putting a pork butt in a pressure cooker, the cooked meat and liquid will be very oily.
Food Storage
This recipe makes a lot of pork. If your family can't eat it all within 5 days, then you can freeze some to eat later.
Just put the shredded meat in a sealed freezer bag. It tastes best if eaten within 3 months.
To defrost, put the meat in the refrigerator overnight. You can then re-heat it in the microwave or in a skillet.
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Instant Pot Pork Butt
This is the easiest Instant Pot Pork Butt recipe! No prep work, just add all of the ingredients to your pressure cooker. Warm spices like smoked paprika and cinnamon plus sweet & tangy apple cider vinegar and orange juice give the pork incredible flavor. The meat is unbelievably tender!
This tender shredded pork can be used in tacos, burritos, rice bowls and sandwiches. You can add barbecue sauce after it's cooked to make pulled pork. You can add it to a salad bowl with shredded cabbage, carrots and cucumber + your favorite salad dressing. You can serve it with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, corn on the cob or cabbage or coleslaw. It's really versatile!
Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 15 minutes to reach pressure + 80 minutes cooking time + 20 minutes natural release = 2 hours
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 80
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pork
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- One 4 to 5 pound pork butt or pork shoulder, cut into 4 pieces (bone-in or boneless)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup orange juice (or other liquid, like water, beer or pineapple juice)
Instructions
- To prevent the cooked pork from being too fatty and oily, use a knife or kitchen shears to trim excess fat from the meat. You don't have to trim it all off, just the thicker chunks of fat.
- Place the 4 pieces of pork butt in the Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle the salt and sugar over the meat.
- Sprinkle the spices over the meat (smoked paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon). Use a fork or your hands to turn and mix the meat so the spices are spread out a little more evenly over the pieces of pork.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and orange juice.
- Press the Manual/Pressure cook button and program the Instant Pot to cook for 80 minutes at high pressure.
- When the cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes.
- Use tongs to lift the meat out of the pot. Use your hands or two forks to shred the meat. Taste the pork and add more salt if needed.
- You can serve the meat as is, or make it crispier (carnitas-style) by spreading it out on a foil-lined sheet pan and putting it under the oven broiler for 5 to 8 minutes. Or, you can crisp it up in a hot skillet.
Notes
The cooking liquid is really flavorful and can be served with the pork if you want. It will be very oily though - use a fat separator to remove some of the oil or use a spoon to skim oil off the top of the pot. You can also make the pork a day before eating it and put the cooking liquid in the refrigerator over night. The fat will harden on the surface and be easier to scoop off.
Searing the meat before cooking it under pressure is optional. I always sear meat before I cook it in the oven, but it's not as necessary when using a pressure cooker.
The cooked pork can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze the meat for up to 3 months in a sealed freezer bag.
Keywords: instant pot pork butter, pressure cooker pork butt, boston butt Instant Pot
Jamie
This came out so tender and juicy! We added some shredded pork to our burrito bowls and it was fantastic!
★★★★★
Kim
So easy and yummy! I made puled pork sliders with this for game day and they were a huge hit!
★★★★★
Andrea
This tender and versatile pork butt is perfect for my family.
★★★★★
Tara
This BBQ is Southern girl approved! All the best flavors of the sweet and tangy sauce plus easy IP action. You can't beat that!
★★★★★
Jenny
This pork is so easy to make and so flavorful. I can usually stretch several meals out of one pork butt.
★★★★★