Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Lean Pulled Pork from a Pressure Cooker

My friend Mary Ann told me she likes to make pulled pork barbeque in her pressure cooker. Using a pork tenderloin instead of a Boston Butt. The real key to success for this is that the moist cooking in the pressure cooker really counteracts the lack of fat in the tenderloin. I loved this because I knew it was lean and yet it had just as much moisture as the regular pulled pork with all that fat from the butt.


Pulled Pork
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

2 lb. pork tenderloin
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup water


In a 6-quart pressure cooker, brown the pork tenderloin in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Bring to a boil, cover the pressure cooker and bring to pressure. Cook for 45 minutes at 15 psi. Release the pressure and, using two forks, pull the pork into shreds. Toss the shredded pork in the pan drippings, if desired. Serve hot on rolls.

Adapted from “Speedy Pulled Pork” by Ronda L. Carnicelli at http://www.seasoned.com

For The Lancaster News

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I made this recipe today. There was not enough liquid and the roast started to burn. I would recommend increasing the water to 3/4 cup instead of 1/4.

Karen said...

I don't have that issue when I make this recipe, but a higher water amount certainly doesn't hurt. I wonder if it's the difference in stovetops or cookers?

Anonymous said...

YUM! YUM! YUM! I used low carb heinz ketchup and omitted the brown sugar to make it low carb and it was delicious!!!! Thank you for making healthy pulled pork decadent!

Michelle said...

I just made this tonight. My roast didn't burn but the sauce that was on the bottom of the pot got scorched. I poured out the sauce without scraping the bottom so the pork didn't have a burnt flavor overall. The recipe had plenty of liquid so I think the fault was mine, having the heat too high initially. The meal was very flavorful. I added a bit of bbq sauce to my buns a la ketchup to add a bit more of that smoky flavor. Overall very good.

merlinsmom said...

Would this work using turkey breast?

Karen said...

I can't imagine why not. I'd suggest putting it on a rack, though

Anonymous said...

When I use my old Presto cooker, the pressure is controlled by a weight on top of a steam vent. You want to adjust the temperature of the element so the weight just "dances". If I turn up the temp higher, more steam escapes and dries out my contents as it hisses louder--but does not get hotter inside. So long as a tiny bit of steam is forcing the weight to move, the pressure is up and it is cooking properly.

3LittleMonkeys said...

I am going to try this later today. I am going to increase the water though. Looks delicous!

Karen said...

Increasing the water won't hurt, but beware putting in too much...you don't want it to boil. I suspect those that had the sauce scorch may have had the pressure too high.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this recipe! I just tried it last night and it was fantastic. In addition to the recipe, I also added about a 1/3 cup of apple cider to increase the liquid content. I also heated the pressure cooker up to pressure on medium high and then turned it down to medium-low heat for the 45 minutes to make sure the bottom didn't burn. It came out extremely tender with a fantastic sauce at the bottom of the pan that we mixed with the pork. Definitely a repeat meal!

Anonymous said...

Substituted bottled chili sauce for the ketchup, still added the seasonings but not the brown sugar. Increased water to 3/4 cup and it was fine. Just shredded in the pot and let it simmer to reduce the sauce. Really enjoyed this! Going to make little pulled pork sliders topped with coleslaw for appies.

Anonymous said...

Hello... I use pressure cooker a lot. And i/4 cup of water for 45 minutes is not enough water. I cut the time in half, add onions and water if needed then cook it the remaining time.