Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe

This tasty slow-cooker pulled pork recipe coats the pork shoulder in a homemade BBQ-style spice rub, seared it, and braised it slow in a crock pot for one juicy, tender pork shoulder. If you love the set-it-and-forget style of cooking, then this is the perfect convenient recipe for you.

Pork is incredibly delicious, and if you love it as much as I do, then check out my Pan-Fried Pork Chops or Fall off the Bone Ribs.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow cooker pulled pork is a procedure of a pork shoulder or butt that is seasoned and cooked in a crockpot for several hours until it shreds and “pulls” apart with ease. Once pulled, it can be served by itself or, most commonly, on a sandwich. Pull pork is traditionally considered BBQ, while it’s not cooked over a fire or with smoke. If you want to incorporate some of those smoky flavors, my Smoked Pork Shoulder is the recipe for you.

You can customize the recipe by changing the spice blend or using a different liquid. The pork produces plenty of rendered fat and juices, so you do not need liquid in the slow cooker to make pulled pork. However, adding vinegar or apple juice helps to flavor and tenderize the pork, making it much juicier and more delicious.

My favorite aspect of this recipe is the ease of cooking it after it’s seared. The slow cooker always cooks evenly, and steam braises it for maximum moisture, which always makes things tastier.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pork – I used a bone-in pork shoulder. A bone-in pork picnic Boston butt may also be used. Both cuts have ample marbling for rending and flavor. In addition, you can use a boneless cut.
• Seasonings – Coarse salt and ground black pepper are what I used.
• Spices – I made a combination seasoning blend of paprika, onion granules, garlic granules, oregano, and cumin. Substitute the granules with powder. You can use your favorite pre-made blend or try my BBQ Rub Recipe.
• Liquid – Water, chicken stock, apple juice, coke, or beer can be used.
• Vinegar — Apple cider or white distilled vinegar helps tenderize and flavor the pork. This is a crucial ingredient and should not be skipped.
• Sugar — Light or dark brown sugar may be used. Regular granulated sugar can also be used if that’s all that is available.
• Oil – Any neutral-flavored oil like avocado will work. In addition, you can also use clarified butter, or lard.

How to Make s Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Start by mixing the salt, pepper, paprika, onion granules, garlic granules, paprika, cumin, and oregano.

Generously coat the pork shoulder on all sides with the spice rub. I like to massage the rub into the pork to infuse more flavor and ensure it sticks.

Set your slow cooker setting to sear and add in the oil. Once it smokes lightly, sear the pork on all sides for 4 to 5 minutes or until it becomes well-browned. Flip the pork over and sear it on all 6 sides until well browned.

Turn the pork so the first side you seared faces up. Add the chicken stock and vinegar and slow cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. The pork should easily be shredded apart.

Once done, remove the bone from the pork and shred it using two forks. Larger chunks are better to get a meatier pork flavor.  

Try serving it with my BBQ sauce for Pulled Pork.

You can also serve it on a hamburger bun with my creamy coleslaw or my vinegar-based coleslaw for an unbelievable sandwich.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 2 hours ahead. Do not shred it quite yet. Keep it on the warm setting in your slow cooker until ready to shred and serve it.

How to Store: Cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze it covered for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the fridge for 1 day, or until thawed, before reheating it.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pulled pork to a slow cooker on high, along with ½ to 1 cup of chicken stock, for 2 hours or until hot. To fast-track the process, add the desired amount of pulled pork to a medium-sized pot along with ½ to 1 cup of chicken stock, cover it, and cook it in the oven on a middle rack at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot.

Chef Notes + Tips

• For more flavor, try toasting whole cumin seeds in a medium size pan over low to the medium heat while constantly stirring for 4 to 6 minutes or until they become very aromatic. From there, grind in a spice ground or using a mortar and pestle and add it to the spice blend.
• You do not need to sear the pork to slow cook. It can be placed in raw and seasoned and cooked. However, the sear will create more flavor for the final dish.
• There really is no way to overcook pulled pork in the slow cooker, unless of course you leave it on high heat for days on end. Eventually it will turn to mush. For most applications where the pork is done the same day, this is not an issue.
• If you’d like to serve this more BBQ-style, I recommend adding in 1 to 1 ½ cups of your favorite BBQ sauce 1 hour before it’s done slow cooking to help infuse some of those flavors before it’s done.

More Pork Recipes

• Pork Shoulder Roast
• Grilled Pork Chops
• Carnitas
• Dublin Coddle
• Pork Loin

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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe

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This slow cooker pulled pork is coated in a BBQ-style spice rub, seared, and braised slow in a crock pot for one juicy, tender pork shoulder.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours hours

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 4 to 5 pound bone-in pork shoulder
• 1 ½ tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic granules
• 1 tablespoon onion granules
• 1 tablespoon dry oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Start by mixing the salt, pepper, paprika, onion granules, garlic granules, cumin, and oregano.
• Generously coat the pork shoulder on all sides with the spice rub. I like to personally massage the pork with the rub to infuse more of the flavor and to ensure it sticks.
• Set your slow cooker setting to sear and add in the oil. Once it begins to smoke lightly, sear the pork on all sides for 4 to 5 minutes or until it becomes well browned. Flip the pork over and sear it on all 6 sides until well browned.
• Turn the pork to the first side that you seared facing up. Add in the chicken stock and vinegar and slow cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. The pork should easily shred apart.
• Once it’s done, remove the bone from the pork and shred it using two forks. To me it’s better to have some larger chunks in there to get a meatier pork flavor.
• Try serving it with my BBQ sauce for Pulled Pork.
• You can also serve it on a hamburger bun with either my creamy coleslaw or my vinegar based coleslaw for an unbelievable sandwich.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 2 hours ahead. Do not shred it quite yet. Keep it on the warm setting in your slow cooker until ready to shred and serve it.

How to Store: Cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze it covered for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the fridge for 1 day, or until thawed, before reheating it.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pulled pork to a slow cooker on high, along with ½ to 1 cup of chicken stock, for 2 hours or until hot. To fast-track the process, add the desired amount of pulled pork to a medium-sized pot along with ½ to 1 cup of chicken stock, cover it, and cook it in the oven on a middle rack at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot.

For more flavor, try toasting whole cumin seeds in a medium-sized pan over low to medium heat while constantly stirring for 4 to 6 minutes or until they become very aromatic. From there, grind the seeds in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle and add them to the spice blend.

You do not need to sear the pork to slow-cook it. It can be placed in raw, seasoned, and cooked. However, the sear will create more flavor for the final dish.

There is no way to overcook pulled pork in the slow cooker, unless, of course, you leave it on high heat for days on end. Eventually, it will turn to mush. For most applications, where the pork is done the same day, this is not an issue.

If you’d like to serve this more BBQ-style, I recommend adding in 1 to 1 ½ cups of your favorite BBQ sauce 1 hour before it’s done slow cooking to help infuse some of those flavors before it’s done.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 28gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1459mgPotassium: 559mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 275IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 3mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: BBQ

Author: Chef Billy Parisi