Pulled Pork and Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Homemade pulled pork is an easy dish to pull off with the help of an electric pressure cooker. There’s no need to cook for hours, either inside an oven or outside in a smoker. A couple of hours in a pressure cooker yields fall-apart tender chunks of pork ready for buns and slaw.

A couple of hours may sound like a long time, but keep in mind you can prepare the rest of your meal while the pressure cooker works its magic. You can get started on the spicy barbecue sauce and stir up a tangy slaw.

For your pulled pork barbecue, begin with a Boston butt roast in the 5- to 6-pound range. Season it and cook in the pressure cooker. Let the meat cool, then shred it. Flavor the shredded meat with the vinegar marinade known as Pig Pickin’ Sauce and finish with homemade barbecue sauce. You can use your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce, but my tangy and sweet sauce is pretty good. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Pulled Pork and Barbecue Sauce Recipes

Serves: 12 sandwiches

Ingredients:

5 to 6 lb. Boston butt (pork shoulder)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 large onion, sliced into thick slices
Pig Pickin’ Sauce (recipe below)
Salt and pepper to taste
12 sandwich buns
Barbecue sauce for serving (see recipe below or use your favorite)

Instructions:

1. Heat the pressure cooker. Pour in oil. Cut the pork into two or three portions. Coat each piece with salt and brown in the oil, turning to make sure all sides are seared. Remove and let rest on a platter until all pieces are browned.
Place the sliced onion in the bottom of the pot. Add the pork and 1/2 cup Pig Pickin’ Sauce. Cover and seal pot. Cook for 90 minutes at high heat with natural release.
2. Uncover pot and remove the pork, moving it to a platter. (Save the flavorful liquid in the bottom of the pan, you can use it to moisten the pork later.) Use two forks to shred the pork. You can use a knife to chop large chunks. Add the remaining Pig Pickin’ Sauce to the pork, letting the shredded meat soak up the vinegar sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve pork with barbecue sauce on sandwich buns. Store leftovers in a container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Pig Pickin’ Sauce Recipe

Here’s how to make the sauce that cooks in with the pork.

Ingredients:

1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a glass bowl, mix all ingredients. Store any leftovers in a glass jar in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.

Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Of course, you can use your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce, but it’s fun to make your own. Here’s how.

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over low heat, add onion and cook until translucent, stirring frequently.
2. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well.
3. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly thickened. Pour sauce into a jar. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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