Owen's Famous Pork Shoulder

Instant Pot pulled pork — one big cook feeds you all week. Pull from freezer 48-72 hours before cooking.

Serves 4-5 lbs cooked pulled pork

Ingredients

• Pork:
• 7.5-10 lb bone-in pork shoulder
• Olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth (or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water)
• Splash of vinegar
• Dry Rub:
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional, for a little heat)

Instructions

1. Pull shoulder from freezer to fridge 48-72 hours before cooking. This is a big piece of meat — plan ahead.
2. Mix together all dry rub ingredients: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar, and chipotle powder.
3. Pat the pork shoulder dry. Rub the dry rub all over, getting into any crevices.
4. Turn Instant Pot to sauté. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Sear the shoulder on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. This takes a while because it's big — don't rush it. You want a nice brown crust. Set aside on a plate.
5. Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add a splash of vinegar. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom.
6. Turn off sauté. Place the trivet in the pot. Set the shoulder on the trivet fat side up.
7. Close lid, set valve to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 90 minutes.
8. Natural release for 15 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
9. Transfer to a cutting board or big bowl. Remove the bone (it should slide right out). Shred the meat with two forks — it'll fall apart easily.
10. Pour some of the pot liquid over the shredded pork to keep it moist.

Notes

**Timing:** Start at 2:00 PM to eat by 5:00 PM. **Leftovers:** You'll get 4-5 lbs of cooked pulled pork. Eat dinner that night, pack lunch for the next day, then portion the rest into containers (roughly 1-1.5 lbs each). Good in the fridge for 4-5 days, freezer for 2-3 months. Reheat in microwave or pan with a splash of liquid. **Leftover ideas:** Tacos, sandwiches, over rice, in quesadillas, on salads, mixed into fried rice, in mac and cheese, on nachos. Change the sauce each time and it feels like a different meal — BBQ one day, soy sauce and ginger the next, hot sauce the next. **Freezer pull:** Just the shoulder. Everything else is pantry — salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar, chipotle powder, olive oil, bouillon cube, vinegar.

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