Flavorful BBQ Pulled Pork for Sliders (Instant Pot)

(Last Updated On: July 9, 2022)

This flavorful BBQ pulled pork for sliders is made in the instant pot and is smothered in a delicious dry rub seasoning mix and a liquid sauce mix that give the pork its savory taste. To make the BBQ pulled pork super tender, we must cook it in the instant pot for 65 minutes.

Sliders are a great way to server this pulled pork using Hawaiian rolls. At our house, we call them pulled pork sandwiches. But first, the pulled pork must be made, and this recipe will guide you through it all.

🧂 What’s in this BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe?

There are lots of seasonings in this pulled pork recipe. There are dry ingredients and liquid ingredients:

The dry rub ingredients are brown sugar that is mixed together with chili powder, onion powder, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, cumin powder, fennel seeds, and cayenne pepper.

The liquid seasoning sauce is mixed together with barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, and liquid smoke. Then, the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients are stirred together and poured over the pulled pork in the instant pot.

👩‍🍳 Key Ingredients for This Easy BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe

Pork

• 3-5 pounds of boneless pork shoulder or butt roast

Dry Rub Seasoning Spices

• 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

Liquid Seasoning Sauce Ingredients

• One cup of barbecue sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• One cup chicken broth (water is okay for less sodium content)
• 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke

🥣 How to Make BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe (Step-By-Step Instructions with Detailed Photos)

Step 1. Cut up the Pork

This recipe uses approximately 3 to 5 pounds of pork shoulder roast; however, you can choose any of your favorite cuts of meat (like pork butt), whichever you prefer. Then, cut the pork roast into large chunks.

Step 2. Mix the Dry Rub Seasoning Spices

In a medium-sized bowl mix all of the dry rub seasoning spices together – the brown sugar together with the chili powder, onion powder, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, and the fennel seeds.

Step 3. Rub the Pork

Rub each pork roast chunk with the dry rub seasoning spices on the front, then fold it over and do the back, sides, and underneath. Save any leftover dry rub seasoning spices for later. We will add the leftover dry rub to the liquid seasoning sauce explained in step 7 below.

Step 4. Add Olive Oil to the Instant Pot

After that, get the instant pot ready by adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of the instant pot.

Step 5. Turn Instant Pot on Sauté

Then, set the instant pot on sauté.

Step 6. Put the Seasoned Pork into the Instant Pot

Place the pork chunks with the dry rub spices on them in the instant pot. Brown the pork chunks on sauté for about 5 minutes. Brown on all sides of the pork, turning as they are browning, but some pink left in the pork is okay.

The pulled pork has browned for about 5 minutes with the dry rub seasoning spices on it. In the next step below, we will make the liquid seasoning sauce.

Step 7. Mix the Liquid Seasoning Sauce

Mix the liquid seasoning sauce ingredients in a bowl – 1 cup of Barbecue sauce together with 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 cup of Chicken broth (or water to cut sodium content), and 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke.

As mentioned above, if there is any dry rub seasoning spices leftover, add the extra dry ingredients together with the liquid seasoning sauce now. We certainly don’t want to throw any good spices away!

Step 8. Add Liquid Seasoning to Instant Pot

Pour the liquid seasoning sauce over the browned pork roast chunks in the instant pot. Lift each piece of pork roast so the liquid seasoning sauce gets underneath all of the pork chunks.

Step 9. Set the Instant Pot to Manual

Set the instant pot to manual and set the time for 65 minutes. After 65 minutes, let the instant pot release naturally, which takes about 20 minutes.

The photo below shows what the pork roast chunks look like after it has been cooked in the instant pot for 65 minutes and then slow released for 20 minutes.

Step 10. Pull the BBQ Pulled Pork Apart

Then, take 2 forks and gently pull apart and separate the tender pulled pork in the instant pot. You don’t have to pull every single piece of pork apart though; just so it is the right size to put on a slider.

💡 Final Thoughts for This Flavorful BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe

It is time to eat this easy pulled pork recipe! If you are not ready to serve dinner yet, you can put the lid back on the instant pot and press the “slow cook” button until you are ready for dinner. If you followed the directions in this post, you should have some tender made pulled pork ready to serve on sliders. Cooking this recipe is simple and quick. The longest part is just waiting for the instant pot to do the cooking.

Serve this pulled pork on rolls for sliders or bigger buns for sandwiches. They taste great on Hawaiian rolls. Also, some side dishes can be Caesar salad, potato salad, French fries, or anything else that sounds good to you. Finally, if you have leftover pulled pork, try making this delicious pulled pork nacho recipe.

💙 More BBQ Pulled Pork Recipes You Will Love

• Pulled Pork Nachos – This recipe uses left over BBQ pulled pork that was cooked and shredded in the instant pot.