Guess what friends?! Memorial day celebrations are just a couple of days away. Which means that sunny days of Summer are around the corner. And a bunch of fellow bloggers and I have put together a beyond-epic list of all of the recipes you’ll need thanks to Erin (The Speckled Palate) and Susannah (Feast and West). It’s time for the Great Blogger BBQ! Oh yeahhhh.

For my contribution, I decided to pull out the big guns with pork. Pulled pork. Pressure cooker pulled pork! Because you know what’s magical? Pressure cookers. They cut cooking time down by hours and hours. Especially for foods that require low and slow cooking to release the superb goodness—like fall-apart pulled pork. And less time in the kitchen means more time outside with your favorite summer adult beverage. Huzzah!

The big, bad, terrifying pressure cooker!

So how do pressure cookers speed cooking time up? Well when you boil water normally, the temperature at which that happens is determined by the pressure of the system. Aka when you go to boil water on your stove, atmospheric pressure determines that the temperature of boiling water is at 212⁰F. No matter how much you increase the heat, the temperature will not increase—you will only cause more water to change into steam at a faster rate. But when you change the pressure, the temperature at which water boils changes. That’s why you might see different cooking instructions for high altitude locations such as in Denver where the pressure of the air is different.

When you seal a pot of boiling water, the pressure increases inside of the pot because the steam becomes trapped. When that happens, the temperature of the entire system is forced to increase so that the boiling point of water also increases. In the majority of pressure cookers, the safety settings allow enough pressure to build up so that the boiling point of water is as high as 250⁰F. And higher temperature is better when we want to speed cooking up.

Additionally, the increased pressure forces the steam to circulate through the pressure cooker, and most importantly, through the food. And steam, or wet heat, is more efficient than dry heat. So really hot steam + pushing that steam through the interior of your food = really freaking fast cooking!

7. Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

And voila! There you have it—pressure cooker magic. See below for the full recipe for perfect pressure cooker pulled pork! And check out the other 50 recipe ideas for a smashing summer shindig. Scroll down to see the recipes for our Great Blogger BBQ below!

Caution: Please consult your particular pressure cooker for safety instructions including pressure signals, etc. The instructions below are for a stovetop pressure cooker, so if you have an electric pressure cooker, use the high pressure setting and follow specific instructions included with your unit.

Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

Serves 8

4 pounds pork shoulder/butt roast (boneless)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water

2 cups favorite barbeque sauce, separated, plus more if desired

Freshly ground black pepper

1. If on your pork, remove the elastic string holding the meat together. Cut the pork shoulder into two big pieces.
2. Put the pressure cooker vessel on the stove with the vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, brown one half of the pork briefly on each side, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with the other piece. Place on the plate with the other half.
3. Add the water and 1 cup of the barbecue sauce to the pressure cooker. Mix together to blend and bring to a simmer. When simmering, add the pork and any juices that have accumulated on the plate.
4. Put the top on the pressure cooker and seal. Bring the heat up to medium-high in order to increase the pressure.
5. When steam begins to exit the pressure cooker (and depending on the type of pressure cooker, when the metal bobber at the top of the lid begins to wiggle), reduce the heat to the lowest setting. This will maintain pressure, but prevent all of the liquid from evaporating.
6. Set the timer for 75 minutes.
7. After 75 minutes, turn the heat off and let the pressure cooker neutralize pressure naturally. Depending on your type, this could take 5-30 minutes.
8. When the pressure has come down, carefully remove the lid. Take the pork out of the pressure cooker vessel and place on a large cutting board. Strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl to reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid.
9. Use a fork to shred the pork removing the large pieces of fat as you go. Discard the excess fat.
10. Return the shredded pork to the pressure cooker with the reserved cooking liquid, 1 cup barbecue sauce, and several cracks of freshly ground black pepper.
11. Heat on medium low, and stir to combine. When heated through and mixed together, taste. Add more barbecue sauce or black pepper if desired.
12. Serve on rolls or simply by the forkful! If you are not serving the pulled pork immediately, refrigerate in a sealed container and reheat with extra barbecue sauce. This will also freeze rather well.

Appetizers

Korean BBQ Tofu Sliders with Kimchi Slaw by Hello Little Home

Corn, Black Bean, and Feta Dip by Lizzy is Dizzy

Crab, Bacon & Guacamole Crostinis by That Square Plate

Cocktails and Drinks

Blackberry Gin Slush by The Speckled Palate

Homemade Lemonade by Winstead Wandering

Blood Orange Mocktail by Body Rebooted

Fleur Collins Cocktail by Hungry Girl por Vida

Fourth of July Sparkler by Mixplorology

Black Stripe Cold Rum Cocktail by Honey and Birch

Fresh Watermelon Mojito by Twin Stripe

Mint Hibiscus Lemonade by The Little Epicurean

Wine Slushy by Living Well Kitchen

Basil Gin Lemonade by Glisten and Grace

Entrées

Salt Plate Shrimp by The Mexitalian

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Burgers by Simple and Savory

Roasted Vegetable Grilled Pizza with Garlic Herb Oil by Ciao Chow Bambina

Memphis Style Pulled Pork by Two Places at Once

Balsamic & Honey Chicken Skewers with Strawberry-Kiwi Salsa by No Spoon Necessary

Amazing Basic Spice Rub for Grilling by An Oregon Cottage

Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs by PasadenaDaisy

Smoked Porchetta Pork Loin by Tasty Ever After

Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork by Appeasing a Food Geek

Peach Barbecue Sauce by The Beach House Kitchen

Tuna Stuffed Sweet Peppers by SugarLoveSpices

Herb Marinated Steak Gyros Plates with Tomato-Onion Salad and Green Tahini Sauce by Feed Me Phoebe

Marinated Skirt Steak with Sweet Corn and Cherry Salad by Domesticate ME!

Sweet & Sour Chicken Kebabs by Tastefully Frugal

Side Dishes

Caprese Pasta Salad by Club Narwhal

Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad by Two Sisters Kitchens

Coconut Milk Mac & Cheese by A Little Gathering

Cherry Quinoa Salad by Food Lovin Family

Cheddar, Corn and Bacon Potato Salad by Family Food on the Table

Lemon Rocket Pasta Salad by Lauren Caris Cooks

Green Goddess Potato Salad by Love & Flour

Red White & Blue Watergate Salad by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen

Zesty Potato Skewers by Pamela Salzman

Quinoa Tabouli by A Fork’s Tale

Desserts

Banana Pudding Ice Cream Cake by Feast + West

Strawberry Beer Floats by bethcakes

Cherry Cheesecake Dessert by The Little Blonde Baker

Light Berry Angel Food Cake by The Creative Bite

Lemon Cream Tarts with Berries by Girl Heart Food

Fresh Strawberry Muffins by Spiced

Lemon Pie Sundae by Flavours & Frosting

Strawberry Lemon Shortcakes by Dash of Herbs

Grasshopper Pie by 2 Cookin’ Mamas

Berry Mango Smoothie Pops by HÄLSA Nutrition

Mixed Berry Vanilla Bean Cake by Cake ‘n Knife

No Churn Cookies and Cream Strawberry Ice Cream by The Secret Ingredient Is

Coconut Blueberry & Vodka Ice Pops by Nik Snacks

Strawberry Key Lime Margarita Greek Yogurt Ice Pops by Beer Girl Cooks

Cherry & Rhubarb Tart by Crepes of Wrath