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Pineapple Pulled Pork Instant Pot Tacos

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Easily Shred-able Pulled Pork Instant Pot Tacos!

Pulled pork is meat that has been cooked until it’s tender enough to pull apart with a fork.   Usually, people will use a  slow cooker, because it gives you the tenderness necessary to pull it apart. But we’ve been experimenting with using an instant pot, so we don’t have to wait 6 hours for dinner!

Pulled pork instant pot tacos with pineapple

I love cooking a pork roast because you can cook once, and then the leftovers can be used in so many different meals.  Some things we enjoy eating with pulled pork include:

  • BBQ pulled pork sandwiches
  • Tacos (like this recipe today)
  • Pulled pork over rice (like this Kalua pulled pork)
  • Enchiladas
  • Taquito’s
  • Topped on pizzas
  • Topped on baked potatoes
  • or as is, with seasonings and sauces!

The pulled pork is easier for kids to eat, because it’s not tough like other kinds of meat.  Even I can choke on pieces of steak because it can be tough if not cooked properly. But this recipe for pulled pork in the instant pot is tender enough for even small kids.

What kind of meat do you use for pulled pork?

Whether you cook it in an oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot, the best meat for making tender, shred-able pork is the pork shoulder.  Once I started using the pork shoulder cuts, I never had a problem with shredding.  The way the meat is structured, it almost shreds by itself.

 

Tips for pulled pork in the Instant Pot

  • Liquid :  You don’t need much, but when you are using the instant pot, steam is what creates the pressure to cook your food.  This recipe uses a little bit of orange juice that can really help the meat to get tender and moist.
  • Slice it up: Another thing we did to speed up cooking time and tenderness is to cut the roast into smaller pieces. This increases the surface area for cooking and allows it to cook a bit more quickly.  The recipe still takes over an hour, but it’s much quicker than the slow cooker.
  • Size of pressure cooker: I used the Instant Pot 8 quart size for this specific recipe, but it was probably too big.  You can use the 6 quart and have plenty of room to cook it.
  • Cut of meat: As mentioned, best pork for shredding- SHOULDER!

Changing this recipe to a slow cooker

Since we’ve gone back and forth with this recipe, we know it works in a slow cooker as well! We have a great article, the Ultimate guide to turning a slow cooker into an instant pot recipe, and we’ve used it to do both with this one. Nothing changes except cook time.  We put all the ingredients in a slow cooker, and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

If you haven’t cooked pulled pork to use in a variety of dinners yet, what are you waiting for?   Have you started using an Instant Pot yet?  An Instant Pot is a pressure cooker with special pre-programmed functions that makes it effortless to prepare many different foods.

Next, make our most popular instant pot recipe, the All In One Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice!

Let us know what your kids think of this recipe! Adding the pineapple, red peppers, and spinach can really increase the nutrition of this dinner, and make it tasty for kids.  We also added our corn tortillas to a griddle for a few minutes to help them keep their shape, but kept them soft enough for kids to chew.

For another cooking method we love, try a rice cooker! Here are 13 foods you never knew you could cook in a rice cooker, beyond rice!

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4.1 from 12 votes

Instant Pot Pineapple Pulled Pork Tacos

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 774kcal

Ingredients

Serve With

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together cumin, chili powder, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt and pepper. Remove excess fat from pork and cut into slices. Toss in a large bowl with spice mixture. Set aside.
  • Juice one orange into the Instant Pot and add 1 teaspoon of orange zest as well. Mince garlic, add to pot. Slice half the onion, and finely dice the remaining half. Add slices to the Instant Pot. Add pork and lock the lid in place.
  • Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Once it beeps use the QUICK RELEASE method to vent. Carefully open the lid and shred pork using 2 forks.
  • Add finely diced onion to a mixing bowl with pineapple (cut into chunks). Dice pepper and chop cilantro, add to mixing bowl. Juice 2 limes into the pineapple mixture; add oil and sea salt. Mix together to coat evenly.
  • To each tortilla, add spinach, pork and salsa.  Serve with orange wedges on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 774kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 1456mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 12g
Keyword : dairy free, gluten-free, instant pot, pineapple, pulled pork, Tacos

www.superhealthykids.com

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

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6 Comments

I’m brand new to the Instant Pot world and this recipe looks great but I don’t eat pork. Could I use chicken breasts or thighs and maybe cook for less time? Would I have to make any other adjustments? Thanks!

Trying to prep for dinner tonight…couple questions. There doesn’t seem to be enough liquid from the orange juice to get the ‘magical’ 1-cup liquid in order to pressurize. Do I need to add more? And I have closer to a 1 1/2 lb. pork loin I’m trying this with, should the time be cut in half (~45min)? And finally to clarify, when you say ‘manual’ you’re still referring to pressure cooking, just not to use one of the preset buttons?

Thanks!!

Hi Leah, good questions!
You’re right that the manufacturer recommends using 1 full cup of liquid before pressure cooking. If it makes you feel more comfortable to add a splash of broth of water, feel free. It shouldn’t negatively impact the recipe. You can reduce the cook-time slightly if you like for a smaller pork loin… I wouldn’t cook for less than one hour though (so it has time to get fall-apart tender.) And yes, the “Manual” button is indeed a pressure-cook setting, which lets you “manually” set your own cook-time. Good luck!

5 stars
So I saw this on your Instagram stories today while I was on my break at work and immediately texted my husband to get the pork from the freezer because we were making it tonight for Cinco de Mayo because it looked so good.

Let me just say it did not disappoint! Even with my instant pot attempting to revolt it still turned out AMAZING! I’m super disappointed I didn’t make more, because my kids finished it off… even the bowl of it I hid to take as my lunch for work tomorrow. Seriously so so good and flavorful! And it was safe for everyone in my family and our array of food allergies without any modifications- that never happens! Thank you so much for sharing!