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This Instant Pot pork shoulder ragu delivers all the deep, cozy comfort of a long weekend braise, but in a fraction of the time. Under pressure, the pork turns fall-apart tender in just 40 minutes—about half of what a traditional stovetop ragu demands—without sacrificing an ounce of richness or flavor. It’s the rare shortcut that doesn’t feel like one!
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When the temperature drops, a good pork ragu is exactly the kind of comfort food I crave: a rich, hearty tomato sauce, warm with herbs, and pork shoulder so tender it falls apart at the touch of a fork. And here’s the thing—you don’t need to babysit a pot all afternoon to get there. With this Instant Pot pork shoulder ragu, 40 minutes under pressure gets you a dinner that tastes as if it simmered for hours, restaurant-worthy and deeply satisfying. Trust me, everyone at the table will be asking for seconds.
⇨ If you love the hastiness of pressure-cooked comfort food, try my Instant Pot beef Bbourguignon, Instant Pot pot roast, or this melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot pork tenderloin.
A Few Good Reasons to Make This
- It’s a time-saver: classically cooked pork ragu could take 2 or more hours in a braiser and even more time in a slow cooker. This recipe gives you all the same deep flavors and tenderness in just 40 minutes!
- One pot, start to finish: fewer dishes means more time to actually sit down and enjoy time with loved ones.
- The pork comes out so tender it practically shreds itself: no babysitting a Dutch oven required.
Tips From My Kitchen
I make mistakes so that you don’t have to! Here are some things I’ve learned while testing this recipe…
- When adding the cream, you’ll want to temper it to avoid curdling. To do this, place the cream into a small mixing bowl. Slowly add about 1 cup of the sauce from the Instant Pot into the cream, whisking it constantly. When done, transfer it back to the Instant Pot. The idea is to slowly warm the cream before adding it to the sauce.
- That parmesan rind and handful of dried porcini do some quiet, deeply flavorful work here. It tastes as if you fussed over it for hours. Try not to skip these two ingredients.
Ingredients at a Glance
A quick look at some of the essentials before we dive into the recipe:
- Pork shoulder: this is the best cut for this dish. It’s super tender and shreds easily.
- Dried porcini mushrooms: they have a much more concentrated flavor than fresh ones, so they add incredible umami to this dish.
- Parmesan rind: this adds a ton of flavor and richness. I use it in soup recipes and sauces whenever I can.
- Red wine: look for something medium-bodied and fruit-forward with bright acidity and low tannin (tannins turn bitter as they cook down, so less is more). Italian bottles are my go-to here: a Chianti, a Barbera, or a Montepulciano. No special trip needed, though—a grocery store Merlot works just as well!
- Herbs: thyme, oregano, sage, bay leaf, and rosemary are best for this dish. I use a bundle of all of them, but you can use any combination. They offer a nice warming note to the sauce.
How to Make Instant Pot Pork Ragu
Step 1: Brown the Pork
Cut the pork shoulder into 4 to 6 even-ish pieces and season generously with salt and pepper. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté, add a tablespoon of oil, and once it’s shimmering, add two or three pieces of pork — working in batches so you don’t crowd the pot. Sear each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until deeply golden, then transfer to a plate and repeat with the rest.
Step 2: Sauté the Veggies
Add a bit more oil if the pot’s looking dry, then in go the onions, carrots, and celery, along with a pinch of salt. Sauté until softened and the onions turn translucent, then stir in the garlic and let it cook for just 30 seconds—long enough to turn fragrant, not long enough to burn.
Step 3: Deglaze the Pot
Stir in the tomato paste, letting it coat the vegetables, then pour in the wine. As it simmers, scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot—that’s where a lot of the flavor is hiding. Let it bubble away for 3 to 4 minutes, until the liquid has reduced.
Step 4: Bring Everything to the Pot and Pressure Cook
Stir in the porcini mushrooms, bay leaves, herbs, crushed tomatoes, broth, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Nestle the pork chunks back in, then add the parmesan rind on top—it’ll melt into the sauce as it cooks, adding a savory depth you can’t quite put your finger on.
Lock the lid, set the valve to seal, and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then finish with a quick manual release.
Step 5: Let the Pork Rest; Prepare the Sauce
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Fish out the herbs and parmesan rind.
Switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté and let the sauce simmer gently—you want a bare simmer here, not a boil—for about 5 minutes, until it’s reduced and thickened slightly.
Add the cream to a small mixing bowl. Slowly ladle in about a cup of the hot tomato sauce, whisking constantly as you go—this gently warms the cream so it won’t curdle when it hits the pot.
Turn the Instant Pot off, and stir the tempered cream into the tomato sauce.
Step 6: Shred the Pork
Once the pork has rested, shred it using two forks. It should fall apart easily. Get rid of any big pieces of fat as you go. When done, stir it back into the sauce.
Ladle over noodles or mashed potatoes.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you can’t find dried porcini mushrooms, use 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms.
- Beef bouillon kicks up flavor: I like adding a little extra oomph to my pork ragu with a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon beef base.
- Non-alcohol option: use 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar instead of red wine.
- Pork options: if you can’t find pork shoulder, pork butt (Boston butt) or beef chuck roast are your best options.
Serve It With…
I love serving pork ragu over wide, chewy ribbons of pappardelle, but it’s also fantastic over creamy mashed potatoes. For veggie sides, I recommend Parmesan-roasted zucchini, air fryer green beans, and oven-roasted broccoli.
Storage & Reheating
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight food storage container for up to 5 days.
- To reheat, transfer the pork ragu to a microwave-safe bowl or plate and heat in 35-second increments until warmed through.
Instant Pot Pork Ragu
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless pork shoulder or butt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced; approx 1 cup
- 1 large carrot, diced; approx 1 cup
- 1 rib of celery, diced; approx 1 cup
- 6 cloves of garlic, smashed then minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine, I use cabernet sauvignon
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, *See notes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 packet of fresh "Poultry Blend" herbs, If you can't find this, a blend of fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme.
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- Hunk of parmesan rind (Optional), *See notes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Cut the pork shoulder into 4 to 6 similar-sized pieces and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add a tablespoon of oil, and once hot, add two or three pieces of pork, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pot. Sear each side for 2 to 3 minutes or until deeply golden, then transfer to a plate and repeat with the rest.
- Add a bit more oil if the pot’s looking dry. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and season with a pinch of salt. Sauté until softened and the onions turn translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and let it cook for just 30 seconds—just until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, coating the vegetables, then pour in the wine. As it simmers, scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot—this is all flavor! Let it bubble away for 3 to 4 minutes until the liquid has reduced.
- Add the porcini mushrooms, bay leaves, herbs, crushed tomatoes, broth, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Nestle the pork chunks back into the pot, then add the parmesan rind.
- Lock the lid, set the valve to seal, and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then finish with a quick manual release.
- Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- While the pork rests, switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté and let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutes, or until it’s reduced and thickened slightly.
- To temper the cream, add the cream to a small mixing bowl. Slowly ladle in about a cup of the hot tomato sauce, whisking constantly as you go. This will gently warm the cream so it won’t curdle when it hits the pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot off, and stir the tempered cream into the tomato sauce.
- Once the pork has rested, use two forks to shred it—it should just fall apart. Discard any big pieces of fat as you go. When done, stir the shredded pork into the sauce.
- Serve over pappardelle noodles or mashed potatoes.
I have a larger instant pot (8qt) and just 33 minutes under pressure cooking + 15 minutes of natural pressure release was enough. Tasty. Be careful with salting the meat as it can get overly salty so use a light hand.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the tips for that size pot.
The sauce is amazing and the pork is so tender
Love this Instant Pot Pork Ragu recipe, looks so delicious and easy to make. Definitely will make it soon, my family loves pasta and pork, so we need to try it. Thanks for sharing :)