This easy Instant Pot or slow cooker whole30 pulled pork is fall-apart tender with lots of flavors and a hint of smokiness. It can be served with slaw, roasted veggies, made into BBQ sandwiches, or stuffed into a potato or sweet potato. Plus, it can also be made paleo and keto-friendly.
This whole30 pulled pork has become one of our new favorite recipes.
It's so easy to just throw all of the ingredients in a crockpot or Instant Pot. Then when it's time to eat, you have BBQ that is fall-apart tender with lots of flavor with a hint of smokiness.
It can be served as-is with BBQ sauce, a side of veggies, or stuffed in a potato or sweet potato.
These are also great as BBQ pulled pork sandwiches if you're not on a whole30!
Simply use these Keto Hamburger Buns or Paleo Hamburger Buns 😀
The sweetener
For whole30, simply omit the sweetener. If I'm not doing a whole30, though, I like to add it because I love myself some sweet BBQ!
For keto, any low-carb sweetener will work! I prefer to use allulose, xylitol, or monk fruit because these are low carb and have NO aftertaste!
However, an erythritol-based sweetener can also be used. There is so little sweetener in the recipe that the aftertaste should hardly be detectable.
And also, allulose is only 70% as sweet as other sweeteners. So if you choose allulose you may need to add a bit extra.
For paleo, use coconut palm sugar.
The BBQ sauce
For the bbq sauce, I prefer to use Primal Kitchen or Tessamae's BBQ sauce. They are both low-carb, paleo, whole30, and SO delicious!
But feel free to use any BBQ sauce that you prefer.
🔪 Easy instructions
Start by cutting a 3 or 4-pound pork roast or pork butt into 4 equal-sized sections.
Mix together some sea salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder in small bowl and season the pork with the spice mixture. Set aside.
Turn the Instant Pot to "Saute" mode and add 2 Tbsp of oil. Once hot, add 2 sections of the pork to Instant Pot and brown on all sides, 30 seconds to a minute per side. Set aside.
Then, brown the other 2 sections and set them aside also.
Add chopped onion to the Instant Pot. Saute until the onion is tender and translucent.
Add 2 - 4 Tbsp of chicken broth and de-glaze the pot. Turn the Instant Pot off and add the pork.
In a large bowl, combine the BBQ Sauce, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, and sweetener (if using).
Pour the wet ingredients over the pork. Close the lid, set the valve to "sealing", and cook on high for 45 minutes.
Once the time is up, allow to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure.
Remove the meat to a large bowl and shred with 2 forks. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.
How to store
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or frozen in a freezer-safe baggie for up to 3 months.
How to serve
There are so many ways to serve pulled pork, but here are a few of my favorites:
- As-is with additional BBQ Sauce.
- With an Arugula Salad With Artichoke, Olives, And Sun-Dried Tomatoes or a veggie
- Made into BBQ sandwiches using Keto Hamburger Buns or Paleo Hamburger Buns.
- Stuffed in a potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream (if you eat dairy and/or carbs).
- Stuffed in a sweet potato with coleslaw.
If you’ve tried this Keto, Paleo, & Whole30 Pulled Pork or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Whole30 Pulled Pork {Paleo & Keto-Friendly}
Ingredients
Keto Pulled Pork:
- 3-4 Lbs. Boneless Pork Roast or Butt - NOT to be confused with Pork Tenderloin!
- ½ tsp. Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
- ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 Tbsp Avocado Oil (or oil of choice) - for Instant Pot version only
- 1 Large Onion - chopped
- 4 Tbsp Chicken Broth - for Instant Pot version only
- 1 Tbsp. Natural Liquid Smoke
- 1 Cup Whole30 BBQ Sauce + more for serving - I use Tessemae's or Primal Kitchen
- ½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Sweetener - optional, omit for whole30
Instructions
Crockpot Pulled Pork Instructions:
- Grease your slow cooker or line with a slow cooker liner. Remove the twine from the pork and place in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. Rub evenly over the pork.
- In another bowl, mix together the liquid smoke, BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, and sweetener. Pour over the pork shoulder and add the onion.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 5 - 6 hours.
- Shred with two forks and serve with additional BBQ Sauce. Serve with a side of veggies, as a BBQ sandwich, stuffed in a potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream, or stuffed in a sweet potato and slaw.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or freeze in a freezer-safe baggie for up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Instructions:
- Mix together the sea salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder in a mall bowl and set aside. Remove the twine from the pork and cut into 4 equal-sized sections. Season the pork with the spice mixture and set aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot to "Saute" mode and add 2 Tbsp of oil. Once hot, add 2 sections of the pork to Instant Pot and brown on all sides, 30 seconds to a minute per side. Set aside. Then, brown the other 2 sections and set them aside also.
- Add another Tbsp of oil if needed, then add the chopped onion to the Instant Pot and saute until the onion is tender and translucent. Add 2 - 4 Tbsp of chicken broth and de-glaze the pot. Turn the Instant Pot off and add the pork back to the pot.
- In a large bowl, combine the Keto-friendly BBQ Sauce, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, and sweetener, if using. Pour the wet ingredients over the pork and close the lid.
- Turn the valve to "sealing" and cook on high for 45 minutes. Once the time is up, allow to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure manually.
- Remove pork to a large bowl and shred with 2 forks. Serve with additional BBQ sauce. Serve with a side of veggies, as a BBQ sandwich, stuffed in a potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream, or stuffed in a sweet potato and slaw.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or freeze in a freezer-safe baggie for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are calculated using the Instant Pot instructions and do not include potatoes, sides, or slaw.
- For whole30, simply omit the sweetener. If I'm not doing a whole30, though, I like to add it because I love myself some sweet BBQ!
- For keto, any low-carb sweetener will work! I prefer to use allulose, xylitol, or monk fruit because these are low carb and have NO aftertaste! However, an erythritol-based sweetener can also be used. There is so little sweetener in the recipe that the aftertaste should hardly be detectable. And also, allulose is only 70% as sweet as other sweeteners. So if you choose allulose you may need to add a bit extra.
- For paleo, use coconut palm sugar.
- As-is with additional BBQ Sauce.
- With an Arugula Salad With Artichoke, Olives, And Sun-Dried Tomatoes or a veggie
- Made into BBQ sandwiches using Keto Hamburger Buns or Paleo Hamburger Buns.
- Stuffed in a potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream (if you eat dairy).
- Stuffed in a sweet potato with coleslaw.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
LOVING this recipe! I have only made 1 stuffed baked potato in my life (I know, what is my deal?!) and I really want to eat more of them 🙂 Thank you for the healthy inspiration! Can't go wrong with BBQ, right??? 😉
Thanks Sammi!I'm really loving stuffed baked potatoes right now and the BBQ is awesome - hope you like it as much as us 🙂
-Cassidy