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honey balsamic pulled pork on bun with coleslaw
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4.89 from 9 votes

Honey Balsamic Pulled Pork

This honey balsamic pulled pork is succulent and tender, with a mouthwatering homemade honey balsamic bbq sauce!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 25 minutes
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade pulled pork
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 350kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

Pork

  • 3 lb boneless pork shoulder/pork butt/pork loin
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke optional but recommended
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper to taste

Honey balsamic sauce

  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Prepare

  • Chop onion, and gather spices.

Slow cook

  • Add pork to slow cooker insert, then top with chicken broth and liquid smoke. 
  • Top with onions, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or on HIGH for 4-5 hours (although I have the best results when cooking on low).

Make sauce

  • During the last 30 minutes or so of the pork cooking, to a saucepan, add all sauce ingredients and whisk together.
  • Heat over MED heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to LOW and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until thickened and syrupy.

Shred

  • Remove pork from slow cooker and shred. Drain liquid from the slow cooker, reserving about half the onions.

Combine and serve

  • Add shredded pork back to the slow cooker with the onions, then pour in about 2/3 of the bbq sauce. Toss to coat.
  • Serve pulled pork on buns, drizzled with some of the reserved bbq sauce if desired.

Notes

  1. I highly recommend a great coleslaw to go alongside this shredded bbq chicken. Either of these two would be great options: Chick-Fil-A copycat coleslaw or classic sweet and tangy coleslaw.

Instant Pot Directions:

  1. Cut pork into 2-3" chunks, and increase the amount of chicken broth to 1 cup.
  2. Add pork, chicken broth, liquid smoke, dried thyme, dried rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Top with onions.
  3. Secure lid and select “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” and hit the +/- buttons until you select 45 minutes.
  4. About 15 minutes before the pressure cooking time has finished, add all sauce ingredients to a small saucepan. Whisk to combine, then simmer for about 20 minutes, until thick and syrupy.
  5. Once pressure cooking time has elapsed, don’t do anything and let the pot naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes, then turn the knob to release any remaining pressure.
  6. Remove pork to a cutting board or large mixing bowl, then drain liquid in the Instant Pot, reserving some of the onions.
  7. Shred pork, then return to Instant Pot. Pour in about 2/3 of the honey balsamic bbq sauce. Stir to combine, then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 651mg | Potassium: 822mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg