Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
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.
Ingredients
- 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