When you need pulled pork fast, make it in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker! In about half the time of other recipes, this recipe makes the oh-so-tender carnitas for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and many other Mexican dishes.

Photography Credit: Coco Morante

Want pulled pork in a hurry? With the pressure cooker, you can have tender, fall-apart pulled pork in just a little over an hour!

Elise’s low-and-slow slow cooker Mexican pulled pork is fantastic, but when I forget to plan ahead or want it to be ready a little more quickly, I make this speedy version in my Instant Pot. (New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.)

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The Ingredients for Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Elise’s spice rub includes chili powder, salt, brown sugar, and a blend of herbs and spices – this mix is so good that I just left it as is. In fact, the only real change that I made was to add some liquid to the pot – you need some in order to properly cook food in a pressure cooker.

You can use fruit juice, broth, or even water, but I went with pineapple juice for its tangy sweetness. I think this complements the spices in the rub nicely!

Tip for the Best Pulled Pork

Whether you make this pressure cooker version or the slow cooker version, try to allow some time for the pork to come up to room temperature before you begin cooking. This helps the pork develop a better crust when you sear it, which means more browned flavor in the finished dish. An hour is ideal, but any amount of time you can give it will help.

How to Serve this Pulled Pork

Make tacos! After you’re done pulling the pork into shreds, run it under the broiler to give them that signature carnitas crispiness. Then toss with the reduced cooking liquid and serve with all your favorite taco toppings.

I’d recommend all or some of the following:

Sliced avocado

Sliced radishes

Thinly sliced red or green cabbage

Thinly sliced romaine lettuce

Diced red onions

Chopped tomatoes

Crumbled cotija cheese

Chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

Also, I recommend toasting your tortillas to give them a little char. You can do their either over the open flame of a gas stove (use heat-proof tongs!) or in a dry skillet.

What to Do with Leftover Pulled Pork

One of the best parts of making pulled pork is that you tend to have a lot leftover. Here are some ideas for using up your leftover pulled pork:

Pulled pork sandwiches — of course!

Make chili — mix your leftover pork with broth, tomatoes, beans, and veggies for a thick stew

Toss with pasta or spiralized zucchini noodles, or serve over cauliflower rice

Use as a pizza topper

Egg scramble — pulled pork is so good with scrambled eggs for breakfast! It’s also delicious in breakfast tacos, topped with scrambled eggs and shredded cheese

Read more! 6 Different Meals to Make with Pulled Pork

Storing and Freezing Pulled Pork

Pulled pork will keep for up to five days refrigerated or up to three months frozen. Freeze the pulled pork in batches in quart-sized freezer bags with as much air pressed out as possible to prevent freezer burn.

More Ways to Love Pulled Pork!