Pressure cooker Carolina pulled pork with vinegar sauce
Tender, smoky pulled pork with a sharp cider vinegar sauce, ready in about two hours instead of all day.
- Time1 hr 55
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.67 a head
- Oven150°C (130°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- 709kcal
- 11.6gcarbs
- 8.8gof which sugars
- 52.5gfat
- 19.5gsaturates
- 47.8gprotein
- 0.8gfibre
- 7.0gsalt
A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Mix the paprika, the 1 tbsp brown sugar, garlic and onion granules, black pepper, cayenne and 2 tsp salt. Rub all over the pork chunks.
- 2
Heat the oil on Sauté and brown the pork for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, in batches if needed. This step is optional but adds flavour. Pour in 100 ml of the vinegar and the water and scrape up any stuck bits.
8 min - 3
Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing. Cook at high pressure for 60 minutes. It takes about 15 minutes to come up to pressure first.
60 min - 4
Leave the pressure to drop by itself for 20 minutes (natural release), then open the valve. For pulled pork, natural release matters: a quick release makes the meat tighten and lose juice.
20 min - 5
Lift the pork onto a board and shred with two forks, throwing away any big pieces of fat. Skim the fat from the cooking juices and keep about 150 ml.
- 6
For the sauce, stir the remaining 50 ml vinegar, the tomato purée, the 2 tbsp sugar and the chilli flakes into the juices and simmer on Sauté for 5 minutes. Toss through the pork until glossy. Taste for salt and vinegar.
5 min - 7
No pressure cooker? Cook the pork in a covered heavy pot with the vinegar and water at a gentle simmer for 3 to 3 and a half hours, or in the oven at 150°C (130°C fan), until it shreds easily. Serve in buns with slaw, or on its own with baked potatoes.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
