Quick Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe in 90 Minutes

My shortcut smoked pulled pork recipe delivers the deep, wood-fired flavors of your favorite BBQ pit right at home. Best of all, I share a time-saving method that reduces the total cook time without sacrificing tenderness or smoke flavor.

Shortcut Smoked Pulled Pork

Two kitchen tools I rely on are a wood-pellet grill (I use a Traeger) and an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot. Together they make a powerful pairing: the grill imparts authentic smoke flavor while the pressure cooker tenderizes the meat quickly. The result is pulled pork that tastes like it spent all day on the smoker, but with hours shaved off the cooking time.

Faster Smoked Pulled Pork

Traditional smoked pulled pork can take an entire day, depending on the size of the roast, the smoker temperature, and other variables. By combining an initial smoking phase on the pellet grill with a pressure-cooking phase, you can retain the smoky profile while cutting total cook time substantially.

So, how much faster is it?

This method is significantly faster than a full, low-and-slow smoke. Expect roughly seven hours overall, with only about an hour or so of hands-on time. It’s not a 30-minute meal, but compared to an all-smoker cook you can save several hours — often anywhere from 3 to 12 hours depending on your original approach.

How to Make Incredible Shortcut Smoked Pulled Pork

Begin by placing the pork roast on the pellet grill in smoke mode, or set your smoker to about 160–180°F. Smoke it for a couple of hours to build that initial layer of smoky flavor that will carry through the entire cook. During the final 20 minutes on the smoker, raise the temperature for a quick blast of heat to develop a bit more bark.

Transfer the roast to the Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker with about 2 cups of apple juice or hard apple cider. Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes, then allow a natural pressure release until the pin drops. The pork should be very tender and easy to shred. If it’s not quite shreddable, close the cooker and cook another 20–30 minutes, then check again.

Shred the meat and remove any bone, excess fat, or other undesirable bits. Toss the shredded pork with your favorite barbecue sauce, then return it to the smoker in a grill-safe dish on smoke mode for 30–60 minutes at around 200°F to set the sauce and add a final blast of smoke flavor.

Why use the Instant Pot?

An electric pressure cooker cooks in a sealed, high-pressure environment that breaks down connective tissue in tough cuts of pork quickly while locking in moisture. Rather than drying the meat, pressure cooking often produces extra juices that keep the pulled pork tender and flavorful, all while cutting hours from the cooking timeline.

Best cuts for pulled pork

The classic choice is pork shoulder, sometimes labeled as Boston butt or picnic shoulder. These cuts have good marbling and connective tissue that renders into tender, shreddable meat. Your local butcher can recommend a well-marbled roast. Smaller roasts like pork sirloin roast can also work, though larger, fattier cuts yield the juiciest results.

Boston butt vs. pork shoulder

Boston butt is cut from above the shoulder blade, while the pork shoulder roast sits just below it. Both are similar and well-suited for pulled pork because of their intramuscular fat and connective tissue. Avoid very lean cuts — they tend to dry out during smoking.

How much pork to buy

Plan about one-third to one-half pound of raw meat per person. Expect the roast to lose roughly 40% of its weight during cooking. For example, a 10-pound roast will yield approximately six pounds of finished meat, enough for about 12–18 servings depending on portion sizes.

Toppings for pulled pork sandwiches

Keep toppings simple for the best balance. My favorites are:

• Homemade barbecue sauce
• Classic coleslaw (vinegar-based or creamy, to taste)

Of course, you can get creative — pickles, sliced onions, pickled jalapeños, or a smear of mustard all work well depending on your flavor preference.

How long should pulled pork rest?

After removing the roast from the smoker, let it rest for about 15 minutes before shredding. Resting lets the meat relax and reabsorb juices, helping to keep your pulled pork moist.

Best way to shred pulled pork

Well-cooked pulled pork should fall apart easily. Use two forks or shredding claws to pull the meat apart. If you encounter a tougher piece, return it to the pressure cooker for another 20–30 minutes or to the grill for an additional hour until it becomes tender. If it’s almost there, keep shredding — the final time on the smoker will add flavor and tenderize it further.

Do I have to have a Traeger?

No. While I prefer a Traeger and find pellet grills very convenient, this method works on most wood-pellet grills and many traditional smokers. If you use a different kind of smoker or grill, you may need to adapt times and temperatures, but the combination of a smoking phase followed by pressure cooking remains the same.

Yield: 12 servings

Shortcut Smoked Pulled Pork

A time-saving approach that combines an initial smoking stage on a pellet grill with pressure cooking to produce tender, flavorful pulled pork in a fraction of the time of a full low-and-slow cook.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours (approx.)

Total Time: 7 hours 20 minutes (approx.)

Ingredients

• 2 lb pork shoulder roast
• Generous amount of shoulder rub or your favorite pork seasoning
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 cups apple juice or hard apple cider
• 2 cups barbecue sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat your pellet grill on smoke mode or set your smoker to about 180–190°F. You want lots of smoke for this initial phase.
2. Coat the pork roast with shoulder rub and kosher salt. Place the roast on the grill.
3. Smoke for 3–4 hours, flipping the roast a few times during smoking to develop an even bark.
4. Remove the roast from the smoker and transfer it to the Instant Pot or another pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of apple juice or hard apple cider. Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes, then allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
5. Test the meat — it should be tender and shreddable. If not, pressure cook another 20–30 minutes and check again, repeating until tender.
6. Shred the meat, discard skin, bone, and excess fat. Toss shredded pork with barbecue sauce. For extra smoke and to set the sauce, place the sauced pork in a grill-safe pan and return it to the smoker at about 200°F for 30–40 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information (per serving, approximate)

Calories: 249 · Total Fat: 16g · Saturated Fat: 6g · Cholesterol: 68mg · Sodium: 1111mg · Carbohydrates: 7g · Protein: 18g

Nutrition data are estimates. Consult a trusted source for medical or dietary guidance.