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Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

January 29, 2020 by Morgan 69 Comments

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This slow cooker pulled pork recipe is extremely easy to make, but yields fall-apart tender, flavorful bbq pulled pork. It’s perfect for a stress-free dinner, or for serving at a party. (Who can complain when pulled pork sandwiches and pulled pork nachos are on the menu?) 

I’m not a food snob.

I eat freezer meals decently often. I make recipes that use pop-can biscuit dough from time-to-time. I won’t even yell at you if you put green peppers on your cheesesteaks. But when it comes to pulled pork, I don’t mess around. I want pork that’s smoky with a little spice and a little sweetness, but doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the meat. So tender that it starts to fall apart as you transfer it to a plate, and then shreds as if there was never anything holding it together in the first place. Super juicy, not a hint of dryness in a single bite. And I won’t accept anything less.

For a long time, that meant that I avoided most slow cooker pulled pork recipes, but in preparation for the Super Bowl, I decided I wanted to perfect one for myself.

HOW TO MAKE PULLED PORK IN THE SLOW COOKER

In order to make truly delicious slow cooked pulled pork, there are a few things you have to do.

 

  • Use a cut of pork with a good amount of intramuscular fat and marbling, like pork butt or pork shoulder. That fat will eventually melt in the slow cooker, leaving you with juicy, tender pulled pork that will shred easily. Less fatty cuts will get tough and dry out when slow cooked.
  • Add a little liquid to the slow cooker, but not too much! Liquid at the bottom of the slow cooker serves three purposes. The first is no different than what you’d expect from cooking on the stove– a bit of liquid prevents ingredients that are on the bottom of the pot from getting too hot and sticking or burning. The second is that these liquids combine with the liquids released by the pork as it cooks to create flavorful juices for serving over the pulled pork. The last is that acidic ingredients like apple cider vinegar and bbq sauce help in tenderizing the meat as it cooks. However, be sure not to add too much, as the pork itself will release a lot of liquid as well, and you don’t want your slow cooker to overfill. 
  • Rub the meat for extra flavor. Like any good recipe, excellent bbq pulled pork requires some tasty spices. I use bbq-inspired ingredients like brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, mustard powder, and of course salt and pepper to ensure that the pulled pork has plenty of seasonings. This also helps to flavor the drippings which we’ll add back to the pork after it’s shredded.
  • Cook it low and slow. I know, I know. You don’t have that much time so you want to crank up the slow cooker to high and let it work overtime. You can do that, but I’ll warn you in advance: it won’t be as good. It’ll be harder to shred, and a bit dryer. If you can manage about 10 hours in the slow cooker (give or take, depending on your specific slow cooker), low is the way to go. If you absolutely must get it done faster, try starting off on high heat for a few hours and then finishing on low until it shreds easily. 
  • Don’t waste the juices. I mentioned it a few times already, but once you shred the pulled pork, spoon over some of the juices from the slow cooker. You won’t want to use all of it (there will be a lot), but the juices will keep your pork tender, flavorful, and delicious.
  • Use a barbecue sauce that you love. I know, it’s controversial to start with a premade barbecue sauce, but honestly, anything you’re going to whip together with just a few ingredients in the slow cooker is not going to be as delicious. The addition of more spices and the additional liquid ingredients is great for doctoring things up, but trust your favorite bbq sauce to do some of the heavy lifting here. I personally use Sweet Baby Ray’s.

 

CAN I MAKE SLOW COOKER BBQ PULLED PORK AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, you can make this slow cooker pulled pork recipe ahead. Made fully ahead, it will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or the freezer for 3 months before reheating. You can reheat in the slow cooker or in the microwave, if desired. You may have to add back a little bb1 sauce, as it tends to get absorbed as it sits.

You also can begin cooking this pulled pork up to SIXTEEN HOURS before serving, as long as you keep it on low heat. It’s pretty difficult (not impossible, but difficult) to overcook, so don’t be afraid to keep it going for a bit longer than the recipe suggests, if necessary. 

You can keep the pulled pork on the “warm” setting in your slow cooker for up to 4 hours.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH PULLED PORK

I generally like to use my pulled pork in two ways: sandwiches or nachos. 

For sandwiches, I always love a perfectly toasted brioche bun, but slider buns also work well for serving a crowd. I like to add a little coleslaw, which I usually make with broccoli slaw or power blends rather than the regular coleslaw mixture. I’ve even made Honey Jalapeno Lime Slaw in the past for my Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork (another favorite!), which is fantastic.

For nachos, I simply scatter tortilla chips on a lined baking sheet, spoon over pulled pork, top with shredded cheese, and bake until the cheese is melted. Then I top with chopped jalapeno, chopped red onion, and sometimes even more cheese sauce, like the kind I made in this Cheesesteak Sheet Pan Nacho recipe!

As far as side dishes go, you can’t beat some amazing Baked Mac N Cheese, Cornbread, Potato Wedge Fries, Green Beans, and Baked Beans.

WATCH THE SLOW COOKER BBQ PULLED PORK VIDEO

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Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork


★★★★★

4.9 from 16 reviews

  • Author: Morgan
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 hours
  • Total Time: 10 hours 20 mins
  • Yield: 14-16 servings 1x
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup bbq sauce, plus more to serve
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (4 to 5-pound) pork shoulder

FOR THE SPICE MIXTURE:

  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

TO SERVE:

  • Brioche burger buns, toasted
  • Coleslaw

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a slow cooker, whisk together the bbq sauce, chicken stock, apple cider vinegar, and liquid smoke. Add in the onions and garlic and stir to combine.
  2. Combine all of the spices in a small bowl and rub all around the pork, including inside any folds in the meat. There should not be any remaining spices when finished.
  3. Place the pork in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low until easily shredded with a fork, about 10 hours. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred.
  4. Ladle over some of the juices from the slow cooker. Top with extra bbq sauce and toss.
  5. Serve on toasted brioche buns with coleslaw, if desired.

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Filed Under: Crockpot, Food, Gluten Free, Main Course, One Pot, Pork Tagged With: barbecue, bbq, bbq sauce, Crock pot, Crockpot, Easy, Party, Pork, Pulled Pork, Recipe, Simple, Slow Cooker, Spice

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Comments

  1. Gina says

    February 11, 2020 at 7:24 pm

    This was my first foray into cooking with a slow cooker, let alone making pulled pork. The recipe was so easy to approach but the end result was AMAZING! So juicy, tender, and flavorful… The meat literally fell apart. Best BBQ Pulled Pork!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • JALE Breidenstein says

      December 20, 2020 at 3:18 pm

      Does it matter if you use bone in or boneless pork butt?

      Reply
      • Rose says

        February 17, 2021 at 12:28 pm

        The advantage to boneless means no worries in removing the bone when shredding the pork. Bone in does tend to give a better flavor.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    • Patty says

      February 7, 2021 at 8:44 am

      Hi Gina,
      I too am fairly new to slow cooker but after I discovered how wonderful pulled chicken is in a slow cooker I just had to try this recipe. The seasoned pork but went into the slow cooker at 8 AM. I hope mine turns out as well as yours did.

      Reply
  2. JENNIFER says

    May 19, 2020 at 8:22 pm

    If I don’t have mustard powder, could I use a squeeze of mustard?

    Reply
    • Alex Weston says

      June 6, 2020 at 3:19 pm

      You can use yellow mustard if you don’t have mustard powder

      Reply
    • Adam says

      June 7, 2020 at 10:55 am

      1 tablespoon of mustard = 1 teaspoon of mustard powder

      Reply
    • Melissa says

      October 3, 2020 at 6:55 am

      I’m new at this. So this may be a dumb question. Do you place the fat side up or down in the slow cooker? Does it matter?

      Reply
      • Mary says

        October 9, 2020 at 1:18 am

        I like to leave it up…seems the fat “drips” into the meat to keep moist. I do remove what remains after cooking before shredding.

        Reply
      • Casey says

        October 31, 2020 at 2:31 am

        I place fat side up

        Reply
  3. Karyn Sanders says

    June 20, 2020 at 10:40 pm

    I really liked this compared to other Slow Cooker pulled pork recipes as it had plenty of spices – most just have BBQ sauce and mustard powder. Had a bit of a kick which I loved. Will definitely cook many times again – no need to look for a better recipe I think this would be as good as it gets.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karyn Sanders says

      June 20, 2020 at 10:46 pm

      Also usually I hate the current fashion of cooking blogs with the blah blah blah text and photo’s, and struggling to find the recipe at the bottom of the page… But in this case I really liked the info and tips. For once it was worth the read. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Cynthia says

    June 21, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    Best pulled pork ever!! I made this for my husband for Father’s Day. Everyone loved it. Will definitely make this again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Shelley says

    July 2, 2020 at 10:39 am

    I don’t have chicken stock. Can I just substitute water? I do have beef broth, but wasn’t sure it would give the same flavor. I can’t use chicken bullion as it has to be gluten free.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      July 2, 2020 at 3:20 pm

      Hi Shelley! That would be fine, or you can omit the extra 1/2 cup of liquid all together. Gluten free beers or root beer might also be another good option for you!

      Reply
  6. Karen says

    July 5, 2020 at 10:01 am

    Can I sub light brown sugar for the dark? It happens to be what I have on hand right now.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      July 6, 2020 at 7:34 pm

      Yes that would be fine! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Leslie M Hunter says

    July 11, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    Just how much of a “kick” does this recipe have? Or how spicy is it? It “reads” delicious!

    Reply
    • Elaine says

      August 26, 2020 at 1:35 pm

      I’m curious about this too!

      Reply
  8. Carole Kay says

    July 12, 2020 at 10:17 am

    Is there a difference in cooking a bone in or boneless pork shoulder roast?

    Reply
    • Bernadette says

      July 15, 2020 at 12:38 pm

      Will a 3lb pork shoulder work as well?

      Reply
      • KIm says

        August 28, 2020 at 4:22 pm

        What quart size slow cooker is needed? Thank you.

        Reply
      • Crystal says

        September 20, 2020 at 9:47 am

        I did a 2lb pork butt roast and just used half the spices the recipe caked for. Came out delicious.

        Reply
    • Jale says

      December 20, 2020 at 3:21 pm

      Good question, I was wondering the same

      Reply
  9. Ronda says

    August 27, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    This was sensational! In fact, it was so delicious that it has now replaced the way I cooked pulled pork for 20 years. My ultra picky husband even loves it. Thanks so much.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Judy Van Dyk says

    September 3, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    should the oven temperture be 205 degree for 10 hrs?

    Reply
  11. Tina says

    September 4, 2020 at 1:57 am

    Easy to make and the best pulled pork I have had in a long time. My husband was equally impressed. Will definitely make again. Didn’t have any chicken broth so skipped that part but it still came out delicious. Will buy for the next time to see the difference with the broth added.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Mary Ray says

    September 10, 2020 at 9:32 pm

    This was just FANTASTIC!!! Even though 10 hours in a “slow” cooker is an oxymoron – so worth the wait! I will never use another recipe again. Must try – don’t rush it…

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Mary says

    September 10, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    This is FANTASTIC!!! Even though 10 hours in a “slow” cooker seems to be an oxymoron, it is so worth the wait. Don’t rush it, Followed the recipe exactly. Strained and de-greased the liquid, then added it all back in (full of spice/seasonings) and couldn’t believe how tender and flavorful it was. I will never use another recipe for pulled pork again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  14. Mary says

    September 11, 2020 at 3:46 pm

    sorry about that oxymoron comment – I was thinking Instant Pot – LOL!

    Reply
  15. Janelle says

    September 12, 2020 at 9:46 am

    Amazingly Delicious So easy and fast to make. Thank you for your wonderful inspiration.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  16. Ford says

    September 14, 2020 at 1:37 pm

    This was just FANTASTIC!!! Even though 10 hours in a “slow” cooker is an oxymoron – so worth the wait! I will never use another recipe again. Must try – don’t rush it…

    Reply
  17. Donna Leialoha says

    September 20, 2020 at 7:53 pm

    What brand of bbq sauce did you use?

    Reply
  18. Victoria says

    September 23, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Hi Can I double spices and liquid recipe for a 8 lb roast ?..

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 25, 2020 at 6:20 pm

      You might not need all of it, but yes, as long as it will be able to fit in your slow cooker!

      Reply
  19. Fiona Hohnen says

    September 23, 2020 at 6:20 pm

    What is liquid smoke??

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 25, 2020 at 6:20 pm

      You’ll find it in the condiment section. It’s made from condensing the smoke that comes off from burning wood 🙂

      Reply
      • Lisa says

        February 20, 2021 at 2:36 pm

        Hi Morgan,
        Can I omit the liquid smoke?

        Reply
        • Morgan says

          February 22, 2021 at 10:38 am

          Yes, if you’re not a fan of liquid smoke or can’t find it, feel free to leave it out!

          Reply
  20. Samantha says

    September 28, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    This is such an easy crockpot recipe to make your entire house smell great on a cold night. The flavors all mixed well and ate with Brussels as our side. Thanks for the tasty recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  21. Shelly Ford says

    September 29, 2020 at 7:31 am

    Hi! This is currently bubbling away in the slow cooker and smells amazing, thank you for this recipe! Just wondered if you’d worked out the nutritional information per serving? Just interested in calories really. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  22. Sandy says

    October 4, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    I followed the recipe, and when done I strained the cooking juices, added it to a sauce pot and boiled it down 50% on high heat. I added the reduction back to the pulled pork so it had all its delicious flavor and moisture.

    Reply
    • Doug says

      October 12, 2020 at 12:25 pm

      Sandy this was a great idea and I will do that too for now on.

      Reply
  23. Cece says

    October 17, 2020 at 7:47 am

    How spicy is it? I dont like to spicy only mild an i got all the ingredients to make it tomorrow an if its pretty spicy is there a way to make it less spicy?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      October 17, 2020 at 1:43 pm

      I wouldn’t say it’s spicy! Maybe a small hint of heat but nothing that would be hard to handle!

      Reply
  24. Roseana Sweeney says

    October 19, 2020 at 3:02 pm

    I want to make this pull pork recipe but I only want to serve for 4 how much pork would of then I need to get??

    Reply
  25. Michelle says

    October 21, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    This was such a great recipe! I searched for a pulled pork recipe & found several. I decided on this one even though it had minimal reviews. All I can say is wow! This was better than any restaurant pulled pork sandwich I ever had. Definitely saving this one! I made it for my friend for her birthday and we both really enjoyed it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  26. Francesca Roth says

    October 30, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    Could I use this recipe in the oven instead? I have an 8 1/2 lb roast that’s too big for my crockpot. If so, what temperature? and for how long? Thanks

    Reply
  27. Robin Gerhard says

    November 19, 2020 at 9:42 am

    Does it have to be strained if the butcher trims a lot of the fat

    Reply
  28. Blythe Kent says

    December 3, 2020 at 11:55 am

    Can I use boneless pork loin? I mean I know I can but would there be q difference in timing to keep it juicy?

    Reply
  29. Jiten says

    December 4, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    If I use half the amount of pork do I decrease the cook time??

    Reply
  30. Becky says

    December 8, 2020 at 9:07 pm

    This is amazingly good!! The roast I had was 8 pounds and this recipe easily doubled in my large oval crock pot!! We had lots of leftovers which we froze….and it was just as good after freezing!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  31. Jale Breidenstein says

    December 9, 2020 at 9:25 am

    Do you make this with bone in or boneless?

    Reply
  32. Linda Hicks says

    December 31, 2020 at 10:29 am

    So good and easy, thank you so much. Best we have had. Thank you so much.
    Linda

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  33. Erin says

    January 12, 2021 at 2:17 pm

    This pulled pork meal is great. I used a 2 &1/2 pound Boneless Pork Loin and cooked it for 10 hours. Came out perfect. I put this pulled pork on top of my own MAC & Cheese meal…Delicious!

    Reply
  34. Erin says

    January 12, 2021 at 2:21 pm

    Do you know how many Calories are in this meal?

    Reply
  35. Tara says

    January 19, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    My crock pot only has a high setting low is broke so how long do I cook it on high for???

    Reply
  36. Samantha says

    January 19, 2021 at 2:22 pm

    Can I omit the liquid smoke or does it absolutely need it?

    Reply
  37. Marilyn says

    January 27, 2021 at 8:34 am

    This was my first time ever making pulled pork. I bought a 4 1/2 lb boston butt from Sams club for under $6 and I had all the rest of the ingredients on hand. The hardest part of this recipe was pulling all the spices and ingredients. There was quite a lot. But it was so worth it. It was delicious and tender-as good any any barbecue I’ve eaten in the restaurant. Thanks for a great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  38. Phil says

    February 6, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    Can I put put it on hight for 6hrs or does it have to be on slow for ten??

    Reply
  39. Merilee says

    February 7, 2021 at 12:37 pm

    Excellent recipe! I could not discard the flavorful drippings so I separated (and discarded) the fat, strained out the onions, and reduced the drippings in a sauce pan on a low simmer until it was a thick sauce. Added that and the onions to the pulled pork: FREAKING AMAZING!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  40. Sharon says

    February 8, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    When I look for pork shoulder two types of roasts are available…picnic and butt? Does it matter which one I buy? Also I assume this would be boneless. Again the come boneless or bone-in. Thanks

    Reply
  41. Greg Peterson says

    March 4, 2021 at 6:21 am

    Instructions were great, and I’d give the recipe in its current state 3 stars, even with Sweet Baby Ray’s, simply because my family and I felt it had far too much paprika. We found the paprika to overwhelm the rest of the spices. Next time I will dial down the paprika significantly (teaspoons instead of tablespoons) and I think we will get a much more balanced profile. However the core recipe will remain unchanged and it’s all you!

    ★★★

    Reply

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MEET MORGAN

Morgan is a full-time food blogger, pizza-related sleep talker, and self-described hobby hoarder.
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