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This Instant Pot Whole30 Pulled Pork with Dry Rub is full of flavor and easy to make, and you can repurpose it to use in a variety of ways! It’s also paleo, low carb, and keto-friendly.
Anyone else loving that it’s June?? Summer is my MF-in’ season, and I’m so happy that we are inching closer to it. I always say June is the Friday of the months because you have all the anticipation and excitement of the sunshine, bathing suits, and beach adventures, without the anxiety and sadness that summer’s almost over.
I know not everyone feels the same way and a ton of people love the Fall, but I guess that why I live in Southern California! Anyway, let’s talk about this Instant Pot Whole30 Pulled Pork because it’s pretty dang delicious, and we’ve been repurposing it in so many different ways all week.
I do have an old post of another pulled pork recipe with a yummy barbecue sauce made in the slow cooker so go check that one out if you like saucy pulled pork. Just a warning: it has some pretty horrendous photos from when I was a beginner blogger. I’m working on updating them soon!
Instant Pot Whole30 Pulled Pork with Dry Rub Recipe
This Instant Pot Whole30 Pulled Pork uses dry rub that’s added on after the pork is cooked because I’ve found that most of the flavor gets lost if you cook with the spices on the pork. Adding them on afterward helps bring out the flavor more and also lets you be a bit more flexible with them as well, depending on how salty, spicy, or sweet you want it.
I like to use bone-in pork shoulder because I find that the meat tastes so much better cooked with the bone, but a boneless cut will work as well. The cooking process is easy peasy and you just let the Instant Pot do all the work, as it simmers the pork in a delicious combination of pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar.
Ways to Enjoy Instant Pot Whole30 Pulled Pork
This recipe is so tasty just alone with some yummy sides like my Simple Paleo Coleslaw or Paleo Asian Coleslaw. But if you want to be more creative, here are some other ways that we’ve been enjoying this Instant Pot Whole30 Pulled Pork:
- In salads
- In tacos wrapped in grain-free tortillas
- In fried cauliflower rice
- In taquitos
- In burrito bowls
- As a topping on pizza
- Over eggs
- In breakfast hash
- Stuffed in sweet potatoes
- Wrapped in lettuce wraps
- Over nachos
- …and so much more!
How would you enjoy your leftover pulled pork?
Instant Pot Whole30 Pulled Pork with Dry Rub (Paleo, Low Carb, Keto)
Ingredients
- 8-9 lb bone-in pork shoulder/butt, or 5-6 lb boneless
- 5 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice, no sugar added
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
Instructions
- Cut the pork into 4-5 inch chunks. If using bone-in, cut around the bone. If you'd like, trim the fat around the meat.
- Add the pork (and the bone) to the Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle the pork with 3 tsp of sea salt, making sure to cover all sides.
- Add the onion to the pork.
- Pour in pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, and dijon mustard over the pork and onions.
- Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual on HIGH for 60 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot beeps to a finish, wait 10 minutes for the pressure to naturally release, then release the rest of the pressure manually.
- Open the lid and transfer the pork and onions to a large bowl, along with 1 cup of the liquid. Discard the rest of the liquid.
- Remove the fat if you prefer, then use 2 forks to shred the pork into bite-sized pieces.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 tsp sea salt and the rest of the spices together.
- Sprinkle the spices over the pork and onions and toss together.
- Serve warm, or freeze into individual portions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I don’t have an Instant pot but I’d love to try this recipe!!! Could this be done in a slow cooker instead? If so, what would you recommend for cook time? Thank you!!
Yes, it definitely can! I would cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
Fantastic! Thank you for your help 🙂
I made this last week and it’s delicious! 15 days into the whole 30 and feeling fabulous , this is perfect for meal prep. We put it over cauliflower rice , but leftovers are good for breakfast with an egg on top , too. Thank you , Jean !
Yay! Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed it.
The whole family loves this! Thank you!
Just curious – why add the spices at the end? I’m used to these as a dry rub in the beginning? I’m cooking it right now (in a crockpot, for dinner), so I’ll see what I think of it later, and add a rating! Thanks for the recipe…
I have found that adding it in the beginning dilutes the spice flavors because so much liquid drains out during the cooking process. You don’t have to add as much spices if you add it at the end and the flavors are bolder. Hope you enjoy!
I made this using a 2.5lb boneless pork loin roast, which is quite a bit leaner than pork shoulder. As a result, it was a tad dry but that’s what I get for using a leaner cut! I also didn’t have pineapple juice so I improvised and used a half cup of salsa instead. Turned out great! SO tender. Probably only need 40 minutes in the instant pot for a 2.5lb loin.
I loved this recipe and in fact, am making it for the 2nd time tomorrow for our college football playoffs feast! It is remarkable. Thank you so much for sharing.
Freaking delicious! I’m not a lover of cumin so I’ll reduce that next time. Jean, thanks for the great recipe!!
Yay, thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. The best part of it is that you can adjust the seasoning to your liking. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂