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Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast

Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast

This Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast recipe makes tender, juicy meat from a pork shoulder roast in the pressure cooker in about one hour! You could make pulled pork sandwiches with it or serve it with gravy and mashed potatoes for a delicious dinner everyone will love!

I know that March is here and we are even pushing the clocks forward again this weekend. But there is snow in so many places still! Snow means you crave comfort food. If I lived in a snowy place I would crave comfort food. Even living in a hot place I crave comfort food. You see where this is going.

 
You just may be wondering before we explore this recipe what exactly is a pork butt. 
 
Here is a short explanation: 
 
What is a Pork Butt? 
The cut of pork that is called butt roast or Boston Butt is from the shoulder area of the pig. For a little history of how it got the name “butt”:  the butchers from the colonial days of New England would take these cuts of the pork that were not as easy to sell and would place them in wooden barrels to store them. They were also transported in these wooden barrels that were called “butts”.
 
How to make easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork
All you have to do is season the pork and add it into the Instant Pot (I placed mine on top of the metal trivet accessory that came with my Instant Pot).  I cut my pork into two large chunks so it would fit better. You could add yours whole it if it fits in one pieces. Add the liquid you are using to the bottom of the Instant Pot (I used homemade broth, water, and a little white wine), add the onion and the fresh herbs.  And that’s really all you need. 

So let’s get to this super easy recipe for the most delicious Italian pork shoulder roast (pork butt roast). I did add extra liquid to the roast as I wanted to have more leftover to add to my gravy. The gravy is so easy to put together as you just use butter, flour, any leftover juices that is made in the Instant Pot when it’s finished cooking, broth (or water), a little wine (feel free to omit if you don’t like the flavor). I also had some sautéd porcini and regular mushrooms on hand from another recipe and those were added to the gravy (fantastic combo!!). You could totally make your gravy without mushrooms. I did not brown my roast and onions before adding to the Instant Pot. It was cooked to perfection and the juices sealed in without browning it and it resulted in the most tender Pork Butt Roast.

 

In this photo you can see the pork in its own sauce that it made in the Instant Pot (this is before I added the rest of it to the gravy). It has such a beautiful and rich color.

Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast
What kind of meat do you use for pulled pork?
The most popular cut of meat for pulled pork is a pork butt roast or shoulder roast. You can use a bone-in pork roast or a boneless one. I’ve used both, and I didn’t notice any difference in flavor.
 
How long do you cook pulled pork in a pressure cooker?
 
I have made my pork a few times now in my new Instant Pot and I have done it each time on just the Pressure Cook setting. It takes about a total of one hour. I do let it do the natural release and I also kept it on warm for about 30 minutes while I was prepping other things to go with the pork. So it takes a little over one hour to get the most tender pork! You will have meat that is easy to shred for a pulled pork sandwich or for the most amazing tender morsels to serve with mashed potatoes and your favorite vegetable (like we did!). 
 
You can see in this photo how much liquid I added. It almost reached the top of the pork. (that is my homemade broth that I had in the fridge (I made in the Instant Pot)and I did not strain off the fat from it…it added another delicious element of flavor to the gravy.
Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast
I was so excited to get my Instant Pot this Christmas! It was actually a gift to myself! I wasn’t sure what to expect with my new Instant Pot. But the first recipe I made was pulled pork.
This is the setting I had it on. Something strange happened when it was trying to reach pressure. After about 20 minutes I got the NOPR message (no pressure). I read something on a trouble shooting blog post (I will have to look up on my phone the article I came across)and it said to hit cancel, open the lid, start again. I examined my seal to make sure I didn’t loosen it when I was cleaning it last week and I put the lid back on and started the cooking again. This time it was able to reach pressure and continue cooking. So either my seal was a little loose or the lid wasn’t on correctly, as I definitely had enough liquid (one error could be not having enough liquid).
 
So let’s get to this super easy recipe for the most delicious Italian pork shoulder roast (pork butt roast). I did add extra liquid to the roast as I wanted to have more leftover to add to my gravy. The gravy is so easy to put together as you just use butter, flour, any leftover sauce that is made in the Instant Pot when it’s finished cooking, broth (or water), a little wine (feel free to omit if you don’t like the flavor). I also had some sautéd porcini and regular mushrooms on hand from another recipe and those were added to the gravy (fantastic combo!!). 
 
You can see in this photo that there isn’t much of the juices leftover when it’s done cooking. There was about a little over a cup. I discarded the fresh herbs and went on to make the gravy using the juices leftover in the Instant Pot. I cooked it with the onions on top of the meat as I didn’t want them to burn (I had that happen before when I made a turkey tenderloin). 
 
Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast
 
If you do not have a pressure cooker, you could also make this in your slow cooker.  Check out this Slow Roasted Italian Pork with Polenta recipe (so good!!). 
 
Slow Cooker instructions: When I cook in my slow cooker, I sear the roast and onions in a heavy bottom pot, remove and season with salt and pepper. THEN transfer to the slow cooker. Add the liquid (broth, water, wine), fresh herbs.  Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low or till fall-apart-tender. 
Print Recipe

Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast

This Instant Pot Italian Pork Roast recipe makes tender, juicy meat from a pork shoulder roast in the pressure cooker in less than two hours! You could make pulled pork sandwiches with it or serve it with gravy and mashed potatoes for a delicious dinner everyone will love!
Prep Time3 hrs
Cook Time1 hr 30 mins
Total Time4 hrs 30 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pork Roast
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

PORK

  • boneless pork shoulder 7 pounds
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon mild paprika
  • 2 cups packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 Tablespoon
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 2 cups broth I used my own chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white wine -I used a Pinot Grigio I had on hand already opened optional-you could use more water or broth if you prefer

GRAVY

  • 5 Tbsp butter
  • 5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups broth plus the juices from the Instant Pot after the pork cooks
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms I used porcini and regular mushrooms that were already cooked up-optional
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

PORK

  • Cut the roast into two large pieces. Rub the pork with 1 Tablespoon salt and pepper, and a teaspoon of paprika. Place in a plastic zip bag or plastic storage container. Store in the fridge overnight or a for a few hours before cooking.
  • When ready to cook, add the roast onto the trivet inside the Instant Pot. Add the liquid (water, broth, wine if you are using, or more broth/water if you don’t like to cook with wine). Add the sliced onion and fresh herbs on top of the roast.
  • Cover and move the valve to sealing position.Turn the instant pot to MANUAL pressure ‘HIGH’ and cook time 45 minutes. Allow for a natural release. When the top unlocks (I left mine on warm for almost 30 minutes while I made my side dishes), slice the roast or you could shred the pork with two forks (if making pulled pork sandwiches).

GRAVY

  • Melt the butter or fat in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat.
  • Whisk flour into butter.
  • Whisk in 1/2 cup broth until smooth. Whisk in another half cup. Keep adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time stirring together so it’s smooth.
  • Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer a few minutes.
  • Taste and add salt and pepper (and the mushrooms if you are using them(already cooked up). Serve the pork with the gravy, mashed potatoes or polenta, your favorite green vegetable.

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