Apple Cider Pulled Pork
The perfect barbecue pork sandwich includes this Apple Cider Pulled Pork. Especially delicious when combined with a creamy apple coleslaw!
I admit it; I have gone a little bit pressure cooker crazy. I let a brand new appliance sit in a cabinet for a full year after I bought it because I kept conjuring up concerns about it blowing up in my kitchen on the first use. OK, that was just silly. I decided my first foray would be pulled pork so I made this Apple Cider Pulled Pork with brown sugar.
Once I got past whatever it was that was holding me back, I have to say I love it. I gifted my rice cooker to Goodwill because now I use it for rice and I’m sure there will be plenty more recipes that will be coming from my new love; an appliance!
You don’t have to have a pressure cooker to make this dish but if you get the chance, grab one; this one from Instant Pot is mine and I love it; you can saute, cook under pressure, keep food warm; so perfect. This recipe takes 4 hours in the oven and less than an hour in the pressure cooker.
Although I have heard some people say that they thought the longer slow roasting in an oven tasted better than pressure cooking, I honestly could not tell a significant difference other than the huge time savings.
This would also work well in a slow cooker, it will just have to have some preparation done in a pan first to brown the meat and again after it’s cooked to reduce the sauce…but worth it!
I had pork similar to this Apple Cider Pulled Pork at a restaurant event recently and they gave us their recipes for some of the dishes we sampled. While they did not serve pulled pork, their recipe for a pork dish combined some of the ingredients I used; I added a few and this recipe is perfect for a summer barbecue.
The combination of apple cider and brown sugar was nice but I added some apple cider vinegar, onion, and whole grain mustard and it was nicer. After reducing the sauce a bit I found that adding some cornstarch thickened it up nicely; better to serve sandwiches with my dear.
Maybe a bit non-conventional without a tomato component but we just LOVED the sauce that resulted from the ingredients in the Apple Cider Pulled Pork. I wish I could have bottled it. Think more Carolina barbecue than Western but with a bit thicker and sweeter sauce; I think I’ve found my BBQ nirvana!
I recently made this Apple Poppyseed Coleslaw with Honey Mustard Dressing and it’s what I served with the pork and on the sandwiches. They were the perfect complement to each other. What made this super easy?
I used prepared coleslaw mix available in the produce aisle of the market. That step saved so much time that making the coleslaw could not have come together much quicker. Put the two together? Simply fantastic sandwiches!
Need some inspiration to get your Instant Pot out of the box too? This might be it! Since trying this I’ve made a fantastic Sun-dried tomato rice dish, and this Indian Dal that we absolutely LOVED. I have a lot of appliances so I’m very careful about what I buy and what I can store. This is one that I believe is absolutely worth it.
PIN IT! ‘Apple Cider Pulled Pork’
Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 4 pound pork shoulder roast
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 cup apple cider
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
If Using a Pressure Cooker
- Heat to Saute and brown meat on all sides.
- Rub the pork with the brown sugar and place in the pressure cooker. Combine remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and pour over roast. Seal pressure cooker and cook on High for 45 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally.
- Remove meat from sauce and let sauce cool until fat can be easily removed from the surface. I refrigerate it for at least an hour to let the fat get cold and start to harden which makes it super easy to remove.
- Once the meat has cooled, use two large forks to ‘pull’ it into pieces.
- Once the fat is removed from the sauce, return it to the pressure cook and set to simmer; letting the sauce reduce by a third.
- Combine the cornstarch with 4 Tablespoons of water and add to the sauce; continue simmering and stirring until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the meat to the sauce. Put the lid back on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 3 minute. Release steam and serve on buns topped with coleslaw.
If Using the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Rub the brown sugar on the roast and brown the roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch to the roasting pan and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Reduce the over temperature to 200 degrees; slow roast and baste the meat for about 4 hours and until tender.
- Remove the meat to a board to cool and pour the sauce into a pan; refrigerate until cold enough to remove the fat from the top.
- Remove meat from sauce and let sauce cool until fat can be easily removed from the surface. I refrigerate it for at least an hour to let the fat get cold and start to harden which makes it super easy to remove.
- Once the meat has cooled, use two large forks to ‘pull’ it into pieces.
- Once the fat is removed from the sauce, return it to the pan to simmer; letting the sauce reduce by a third.
- Combine the cornstarch with 4 Tablespoons of water and add to the sauce; continue simmering and stirring until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the meat to the sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat; turn off heat and serve on buns topped with coleslaw.
This sounds yummy! I would definitely make it again! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Absolutely…love sharing what we love from the kitchen!
What a great idea! Love this. I’m sure this is incredibly delicious!
It is both my family and my neighbors favorite!
Can I use this recipe for pork ribs? Looks delicious!
I see no reason why not!
I made this and 45 minutes were not enough for my 4 pound pork shoulder. Next time I’d honestly add another 15-20 minutes.
Oh gosh I’m sorry to hear that and now of course I’m wondering why the difference. Did you set it to cook longer in the pressure cooker to finish it then?
What happens if you don’t remove the fat? I haven’t seen that step in other recipies and I’m wondering if it’s truely necessary. I also don’t cook pork so maybe I’m missing something. Thanks!
You don’t have to…it’s just so obvious there is a layer of fat on the surface that I like to remove it. Absolutely personal preference!
I’ve sent this link to my sister who has just bought an electric pressure cooker that she has yet to try out. This seems like the ideal way to begin!
A friend also has a website called Pressure Cooking Today with LOTS of recipes she might find useful.
http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/
how long do I cook it in a crockpot?
It all depends on your crockpot Nancy; I would do whatever time you might standardly do for a roast or pork loin? 6-8 hours on low and 3-4 hours on high should be a good start.
I want to make this recipe now and can’t get to it. When I hit “make it” I don’t get the recipe…just links to other recipes. Help! Just having the ingredients and not the how to is frustrating. I must be doing something wrong. It used to be easier.
It shouldn’t be hard Cara; here is the page with the recipe which should be at the bottom for printing. Let me know if this doesn’t help!
http://www.everydayum.com/apple-cider-brown-sugar-pulled-pork-barbecue
I was just wondering for a project, about how much does this recipe yield?
I guess if I answered ‘a lot’ that wouldn’t really help would it? So I checked my recipe and I used a 4 lb pork shoulder. Let’s assume 4 oz of meat per sandwich (quarter pounder!), without accounting for waste that would be 16 sandwiches. Of course there will be some fat melted off but it is supplemented by the ingredients that are added too so I think it’s fair to say 12-16 sandwiches easily depending on how high it’s piled on a bun. Hope that helps Reba!
I made this for dinner last night and it was fabulous! My roast was a bit larger and I had to cook it a bit longer than called for in the recipe, which created a much darker sauce than pictured. Fantastic! I also made the accompanying slaw minus the poppy seeds and I subbed nonfat Greek yogurt for the mayo. The slaw was great with the pork and I’m looking forward to some leftovers for lunch today.
I’m so glad you loved it too. I made it intending to add some barbecue sauce but it tasted so good without that never happened! Thanks for coming back and letting me know; it’s much appreciated.
I make something similar in the oven and crock pot (and sometimes go whole hog and do it outside on the smoker!), but don’t have a pressure cooker, so haven’t tried that method yet. I’ve been thinking of getting one though — we’ll see. Anyway, This dish looks perfect for the pressure cooker! Apple cider adds a lot to pulled pork when you do it in the crock pot, and I can see how the same principle applies to the pressure cooker. Plus with the pressure cooker it gets done in a hurry! Major win. Really like this — thanks.
I had planned to smoke this meat originally but when a potential thunderstorm and the threat of accompanying hail were forecast; I took the safer route! I’m glad I did; it was SO tender and wonderful and I have to say…go get a pressure cooker. They are pretty amazing today; you can brown in them, simmer, saute and even hold the food on warm too. Not your Grandma’s pressure cooker. 🙂