Easy Instant Pot Korean Pulled Pork
Enjoy great tasting Korean pulled pork made easy using the Instant Pot. Flavored with sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and a simple spice blend, this shredded pork is slightly spicy with a subtle sweetness the whole family will enjoy.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick – Using the Instant pot means that the pork is fork tender in no time compared to the long cooking time in the oven or the simmering crock pot all afternoon.
- Easy to make ahead of time – Shredded pork stores really well. Recently, I made a ridiculous amount of Korean pork and froze it in foil pans for my daughter’s graduation party. It reheats perfectly.
- Simple Ingredients – Enjoy all of the flavor of Korean inspired food using easy-to-find ingredients available in most grocery stores.
- Flavor – The dry rub for the pork amps up the flavor in addition to cooking in a spicy, sweet sauce. This means layers and layers of flavor for delicious, juicy pork.
- Special diets – Korean pulled pork is the perfect meal to serve to those with gluten-free or dairy-free diets. Just be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce since most contain gluten.
Equipment
- 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Pestle and mortar or spice grinder
Shredded Pork Ingredients
- Pork butt – First, pork butt isn’t from the back end of the pig as the name suggests. Sometimes referred to as Boston butt, this cut of meat comes from the pig’s shoulder and is full of connective tissue and fat marbled throughout. This inexpensive cut of meat benefits from a low and slow approach to cooking to produce fall-apart-tender meat with a rich flavor.
- Oil – Use a neutral oil like lard or tallow to sear the pork.
Dry Rub Ingredient
The dry rub is key to adding many layers of flavors to the pork as it cooks.
- Star anise – Sweet, warm spice with a hint of licorice. Be sure to grind finely with either a pestle and mortar or a grinder.
- Cinnamon – Warm with a hint of woody flavor that complements the rest of the spices. Cinnamon is commonly used in sweet applications in the US, but is widely used sweet or savory around the world.
- Fennel seeds – These seeds have a sweet licorice flavor and can be whole or ground. To distribute the flavor evenly, I like to grind with the star anise.
- Ground cloves – Cloves are a strong spice and a little goes a long way, so use sparingly.
- Red pepper flakes – Adds a bit of heat to the pork but don’t worry, it’s not overly spicy when fully cooked.
- Salt – Flavors the pork.
- Black pepper – Brings balance to the rest of the spice blend.
Korean-Inspired Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup – Provides the base of the sauce.
- Soy sauce – Adds a salty component as well as umami flavor to the sauce and a staple in Korean food.
- Brown sugar – The caramel notes add sweetness and dimension to the sauce.
- Garlic cloves – Use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Rice vinegar – Sometimes referred to as rice wine vinegar, has a subtle flavor often used in Asian cuisine. Use apple cider vinegar if you can’t find rice vinegar.
- Ginger – Peel the ginger root and chop into slices for easy blending.
- Onion – Adds savory flavors for a well-balanced sauce. Use white or yellow onion.
- Red pepper flakes – Adds a subtle spicy flavor to the sauce.
- Sesame oil – A stable ingredient in Asian cooking. A little bit goes a long way, so you don’t need much for a big impact.
How to Make Korean Pulled Pork
1. Mix the Dry Rub
Add 2 whole anise stars and 2 tsp fennel seeds to a pestle and mortar and grind finely. Transfer to a small bowl and add 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, 2 tbsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper, stir to combine.
2. Prepare the Sauce
Add all of the sauce ingredients to a high powered blender and blend on high until it’s a smooth sauce.
3. Sear the Meat
Cut the pork into chunks, roughly 4-6 inch portions. Sprinkle each side of the meat lightly with the dry rub mixture. Add 2 tbsp of oil to the bottom of the instant pot set to the saute function.
When the oil is simmering and the pot is hot, place 1 or 2 pieces of pork in the Instant Pot and sear the pork for 2 minutes on each side or until a nice crust forms. Sear pork on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside. Continue working through the remaining pieces of pork.
4. Instant Pot
With the pot still on the saute function, add half of the sauce (roughly 2 cups) to the Instant Pot and deglaze the pot.
Place pork in the Instant Pot, cancel the sauté function, and place the lid in the sealed position. Using the manual setting, set the timer to 90 minutes with the valve in the middle position.
5. Shred and Add the Sauce
When the timer is done, flip the switch to the side for a quick release.
(Use caution when releasing the valve. As the pot vents, steam will be released and is very hot. I like to make sure the Instant pot has plenty of space to vent and isn’t under an upper cabinet.)
Check the pork with a fork. The pork is done when it pulls apart easily with a fork. If the pork is still tough, replace the lid and add 15 more minutes.
Once the pork is done, transfer the pieces to a large serving dish, leaving the cooking liquid behind, and shred pork using two forks. Then, pour sauce (remaining sauce is about 2 cups) over the shredded pork and mix to combine.
How to Enjoy Shredded Korean Pork
There so many ways to enjoy pulled Korean pork that you’ll find yourself adding it to your regular dinner rotation.
- Pork Sandwiches or pork sliders – Top yummy Korean pork sandwiches with more sauce, an Asian slaw, and pickled red onion.
- Korean Rice Bowl – Create Asian bowls by topping rice with pulled pork and your favorite veggies for a healthy dinner option. Cucumbers, edamame, green onion, shredded carrots,
- Korean Tacos – Create fusion tacos by mixing a bit of Korean flavors in corn or flour tortillas. Top with kimchi, green onions, sesame seeds, cilantro and a spicy mayonnaise.
FAQs
Can I Freeze Shredded Pork?
Yes, making pulled pork ahead of time and freezing is an ideal way to have a delicious meal made without any of the fuss.
Place leftover pulled pork in a freezer-safe container and allow to cool to room temperature. Wrap with layers of aluminum foil, squeezing as much of the air as possible, before placing into the freezer. Use within 3 months for the best flavor.
What Cuts of Pork Should I Use?
The Boston butt section (sometimes called pork butt) is the upper shoulder portion of the pig and is a tough cut of meat with a lot of connective tissue. With proper cooking, this cut has a great balance of meat and fat for that tender, pulled texture. Tough cuts of meat benefit from slow cooking at low temperature to break down the collagen into a gelatin, resulting in tender and juicy meat.
Contrasting, lean cuts of meat like pork tenderloin have a low fat content and aren’t an ideal choice for pulling.
What Temperature Does Pulled Pork Need To Be Cooked To?
Pork needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 195°-205°F/91°-96°C for the connective tissue to break down and become tender.
What If I Can’t Find Some of the Spices?
If you can’t source the individual spices, substitute with 5 3/4 tsp of a Chinese five spice blend, in addition to the salt and black pepper.
Easy Instant Pot Korean Pulled Pork
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Equipment
- 1 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 Pestle and Mortar or Spice Grinder
Ingredients
- 6-8 lbs pork butt, also called Boston butt cut into 4-6 inch portions
- 2 tbsp neutral oil I use lard
Dry Rub Ingredients
- 1 tsp star anise 2 stars, ground
- 2 tsp fennel seed grind
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 12 cloves garlic
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 inch ginger root peel and slice
- ½ large white onion
- 1½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
Mix the Dry Rub
- Add 2 whole anise stars and 2 tsp fennel seeds to a pestle and mortar and grind finely. Transfer to a small bowl and add 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, 2 tbsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper, stir to combine.
Prepare the Sauce
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a high powered blender and blend on high until it's a smooth sauce.
Sear the Meat
- Cut the pork into chunks, roughly 4-6 inch portions. Sprinkle each side of the meat lightly with the dry rub mixture.
- Add 2 tbsp of oil to the bottom of the instant pot set to the saute function. When the oil is simmering and the pot is hot, place 1 or 2 pieces of pork in the Instant Pot and sear each side of the pork for 2 minutes or until a crust forms.
- Sear pork on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside. Continue working through the remaining pieces of pork.
Instant Pot
- With the pot still on the saute function, add half of the sauce (roughly 2 cups) to the Instant Pot and deglaze the pot.
- Place pork in the Instant Pot, cancel the saute function, and place the lid in the sealed position. Using the manual setting, set the timer to 90 minutes with the valve in the middle position.
Shred and Add the Sauce
- Once the timer is done, flip the switch to the side for a quick release.(Use caution when releasing the valve. As the pot vents, steam will be released and is very hot. I like to make sure the Instant pot has plenty of space to vent and isn't under an upper cabinet.)
- Check the pork with a fork. It's done when it falls apart easily. If the pork is still tough, replace the lid and cook for 15 more minutes.
- Once the pork is done, transfer the pieces to a large serving dish, leaving the cooking liquid behind, and shred pork using two forks. Then, pour sauce (remaining sauce is about 2 cups) over the shredded pork and mix to combine.
- Serve as sandwiches, over rice, or in tortillas for fusion tacos.
