It sounds like something straight off the food truck at the county fair, and for good reason. Some of the best foods are unexpected and fun combinations just like this one! Being creative in the kitchen is one of the best ways to just relax and have fun and try to create something that tastes good. With pork and potatoes, you really can’t go wrong, and since I’m a big fan of incredibly easy recipes, this recipe came together quickly and turned out amazing!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you need one. It saves dinner countless times, and it’s nothing to be afraid of. It made this juicy pulled pork in just about an hour – it’s incredible!
There are three heroes in this recipe – the pork, the sauce, and the hashbrowns. I’ve partnered with the Ohio Pork Council to show you just how easy it is to take a cut of pork and turn it into something delicious. I’ll walk you through each step of the recipe, and if you are a visual person, check out the video I put together!
The homemade BBQ sauce for this is one of my favorites. It’s easy to make and you can adjust the heat for just the right amount for you and your family. I kept this on the sweeter side since the kids wanted some, but had it been just for me and my husband, I would have cranked up the heat index!
Another great thing about this pulled pork recipe is that by using the Instant Pot, you can buy a larger cut of pork (I bought a 6lb boneless butt!), split into 6 pieces and make TWO batches of this dish! Have one for dinner and leftovers and then freeze the other batch for dinner another night. The same pulled pork could be used to pork tacos, which sound amazing!
The rub for this pulled pork is easy and mimics the flavors that are found in the sauce. Don’t be afraid to get in there and get messy and rub every inch of that pork butt with the spice rub! It smells amazing and it’s worth it.
When you are buying the hashbrowns for this recipe, buy the patties! They are pre-formed and easy to pop into the oven, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and bake until they are golden brown and crispy. Make sure you flip them and let them crisp up on both sides, that gives them a good stiffness if you plan to eat this as an actual sandwich. Otherwise, you don’t have to go as crisp and can use a fork.
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork Hashbrown Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs boneless pork butt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock, or water
for the rub
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
for the sauce
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 2-4 tablespoons agave
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- cayenne, optional, for heat
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to Saute, add the oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot liner and while it heats, mix together your seasonings for the rub.
- Generously coat the pork butt (you may need to cut into smaller pieces)
- Place pork in Instant Pot and saute all sides until nice and brown.
- Remove the pork and pour 1 cup of chicken stock (or water) into the pot and scrape. This helps loosen up all of the goodness from the browning.
- Place the pork back in the pot.
- Mix together all ingredients for the sauce: 1 6 oz can tomato paste, 2-4 tablespoons agave, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Add cayenne (start with 1/2 teaspoon) for optional heat.
- Add half of the sauce to the pork in the Instant Pot, seal the lid and make sure your release knob is set to 'seal.
- Set timer for MANUAL, 60 minutes.
- You can naturally release the pressure when the timer is up, however I had no adverse effects on flavor or juiciness when manually released.
- For the hashbrowns, bake per package instructions until crispy. I added a couple of minutes and made sure to flip.
Doesn’t that pulled pork just look amazing? I considered doubling the sauce recipe because I LOVE it so much and a really saucy pork is the best thing ever!
You can learn all about pork and how to prepare different cuts at the Ohio Pork Council website. There are a ton of videos you can watch if you love recipe videos!