One bite of my Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork and you’ll wonder what took you so long to make this barbecued taste of heaven. The secret to cooking amazing pulled pork is letting it cook low and slow. The good news is that using a slow cooker will take all the work out of making my deliciously tender perfect pulled pork.
Making pulled pork in the slow cooker only takes about 10 minutes of prep work. Once you’re ready, all you need to do is set the slow cooker and get on with your day. After slow cooking in that delicious barbecue sauce, you’re rewarded with flavorful, tender pulled pork.
You’re going to love my pulled pork recipe! It’s perfect for pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, nachos, and be still my heart…. bbq pulled pork mac and cheese. It’s a hearty game-day treat that can easily feed a crowd of hungry friends or family.
This is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes. I mean, who doesn’t love an easy recipe, especially one that produces some of the best pulled pork you’ll ever make?
The best part is that you don’t need a grill or a smoker. In fact, you don’t even have to turn on the oven to make amazing, tender, juicy pulled pork!
But if you’re not a slow cooker fan, I’ve got an easy recipe for Oven Cooked Pulled Pork and for Smoked Pulled Pork Butt.
Ingredients to make Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
This recipe is made with simple pantry ingredients:
- Boston butt aka pork butt
- Your favorite barbecue sauce
- chicken broth
- brown sugar
- onions
- garlic
- prepared yellow mustard
- apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- black pepper
- chili powder
What cut of pork is best for pulled pork?
When it comes to making pulled pork, the best cut of pork is a pork shoulder, also known as a pork butt or Boston butt. You can use a bone-in pork roast and honestly a bone equals more flavor. But I prefer the boneless version, simply because it’s easier to work with and I can fit more meat in the slow cooker without the bone.
When choosing a pork shoulder, you want to find one that’s well-marbled (fat = flavor). That being said, you don’t want too much fat covering the pork roast, and it’s best to trim off any excess far from the outside of the roast.
How to Make Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make BBQ Pulled Pork in a slow cooker.
- Add the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, black pepper, and chili powder into the slow cooker.
- Mix the ingredients together.
- Add the pork roast to the slow cooker and roll the roast in the mixture to coat it with the seasonings.
- Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours.
Allow the pork to cool for a few minutes so it’s easier to handle.
- While the pork is cooling, transfer the cooking liquids to a small saucepan. Make sure to pull off any excess fat that is on top of the sauce.
*make sure to loosen any of the tasty bits stuck to the bottom of the slow cooker. - Reduce the barbecue sauce over medium heat until it thickens, and reseason the barbecue sauce as needed.
- Using two forks, pull the pork from the roast into small shreds. Don’t let the pork cool too much, or it won’t shred as easily.
*There is a fine line between allowing the pork to rest and pulling the pork. You want to give the pork roast 20-30 minutes to rest so the juices flow back into the meat. But waiting too long will make it more difficult to shred. - Add the barbecue sauce to the Pulled Pork.
This delightfully delicious pulled pork freezes well (if there’s any leftover). Just place it in a freezer bag with or without sauce, and it’s ready when you’ve got a pulled pork craving!
Who’s ready to join me for this delicious Pulled Pork Sandwich? Serve it with potato salad, macaroni salad, or any of your favorite sides for a true taste of Texas.
Recipe FAQ’s
Actually, you don’t need much in the way of juices or liquids. Some add flavor, like apple juice, chicken broth, or beer. The pork will render the fat, turning it into liquid during the cooking process, but you still need some liquids in the slow cooker.
If you opt for a small amount of liquid, you can simply add your favorite barbecue sauce to the pork, making the process even easier.
That is a question you’ll find many thoughts on. Personally, I like using chicken broth or a hearty dark beer like Guinness. But other liquids like apple juice, or root beer are often used to create delicious slow cooker pulled pork.
While it is difficult to overcook pork in a slow cooker, it can happen. This is why you need to have some liquid in the slow cooker for the entire cooking process. And going any longer than 6 hours can start to turn the pork into mush, but again that will take a bit longer, not just minutes.
More Slow-Cooker Recipes
BBQ Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 4 lb boneless pork shoulder roast
- 1 ½ cups barbeque sauce
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Instructions
- Add the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, black pepper and chili powder into the slow cooker and mix them together.
- Add the pork roast to the slow cooker and roll the roast in the mixture to coat it with the seasonings
- Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours.
- Allow the pork to cool for a few minutes so it's easier to handle.
- While the pork is cooling, transfer the cooking liquids to a small saucepan. Make sure to pull off any excessive fat that is on top of the sauce.
- Reduce the barbecue sauce over medium heat until it thickens and reseason the barbecue sauce as needed.
- Using two forks, pull the pork from the roast into small shreds. Don't let the pork cool too much or it won't shred as easily.There is a fine line between allowing the pork to rest and pulling the pork. You want to give the pork roast 20-30 minutes to rest so the juices flow back into the meat. But waiting too long will make it more difficult to shred.
- Add the barbecue sauce to the pork and serve it topped with cole slaw and kosher pickle chips on a toasted brioche bun.
Dianne Koher says
Absolutely delicious, and so easy to make! I always add 1/2-1/3 cup of peach or apricot jam to mine, as the fruit goes nicely with the pork…
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the ribs. The jam is a nice addition.
Judy says
Thank you for a great recipe Chef Dennis. I pushed the limits with 2 3-1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder and used the 50% increase in ingredients. It took 6 hours on high. I was making ahead so refrigerated the meat and sauce separately. Doing it this way, I had a saucier pulled pork but we prefer it that way. I reheated on a combo of low/warm.
Everyone loved the taste and picky kiddos had seconds. I served on Hawaiian Sweet rolls with coleslaw and chips.
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome and thank you for letting me know you enjoyed the pulled pork!
Cally says
If you’re doing 2 boneless shoulder pork roasts together 3# and 3.4 # in a slow cooker how much extra ingredients do you need and how much more time should you cook it on high?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I would increase the rest of the ingredients by 50%. Just make sure not to overstuff the slow cooker, the meat needs to have some space around it. As long as there is room around the meat, the cooking time should be the same.
To be sure check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. The target range is 195-205 degrees.
Carol Thistlewood says
I just put this in my crockpot, its 8.4 lbs. I’m sure this will take quite a few hours. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you for the recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Let me know how it turns out.
Sharon says
Can I make this pulled pork in a slow cooker ahead of time and reheat?
Chef Dennis Littley says
Yes you can. Just make sure to pull the pork before it cools. Then reheat it with chicken stock, beef stock or barbecue sauce.
Michelle Lynn Flesch says
Cooking on high for 6 hours isn’t convenient for me, I’m gone 10 hours a day. How long would I cook on low? 8-10 hours?
Chef Dennis Littley says
8-10 hours on low should be about right.