Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
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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.
- 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
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
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.
Great recipe! I have made this 2 weeks in a row. Under substitutions, Sugar is listed. What is the sugar used for? When do you use it and how much? It is not listed under Ingredients.
I am making again today.
Thanks for pointing that out. The reference to sugar in the substitutions section was an error and isn’t needed for this recipe. The ingredient list is correct as written.
I had to use my Dutch Oven because it wasn’t fitting in my crockpot. It was a bone in nine pound butt. I only seared the top and bottom because I was wrestling this pig and it was winning. This spice rub was awesome!! Roasted it in the oven at 300 for about six hours and uncovered for half an hour. Major tensorism! Made great sandwiches with toasted buns and vinegar slaw. Really good stuff!! Thanks chef!!
Thank you!!
Doesn’t searing burn the spices?
no
Excellent! We will be using this recipe frequently this summer. Super easy to make and Chef Parisi is right, you can’t over cook the pork. I put it on low and let it simmer for six hours. This recipe pairs well the BBQ smoked pork sauce and the creamy coleslaw. Even my picky-eater wife raved about the creamy coleslaw! One question: I noticed in the “ingredient and substitutions” section it references brown sugar (or alternately white sugar), but there is not sugar in the actual recipe section, so is sugar intended to be a part of this recipe? I followed the wording in the recipe section, so I missed adding the brown sugar. We really enjoyed it the way I made it. Just curious if the pulled pork typical has sugar in it. If so, what is the amount? Thanks for another GREAT recipe!
This recipe was phenomenal in its taste and texture. I did a seven pounder, so I let it go for 8 1/2hrs, then let sit on the warm cycle for two hours. It was easy to shred, but that searing of the meat first was the game changer. I had some big charred chunks that were extremely delicious. My family and I are doing our Memorial Day weekend cooking today, so I’m going to let each individual tweak their own with the BBQ sauce and or ACV.
Thanks for another great recipe, Billy.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!!
Yes. Excellent. My son gas been eating it for days willingly. So easy! Just wanted to point out that the list of spice ingredients doesn’t list cumin as you mention when talking about each ingredient and its benefit. Is it supposed to be there? Amazing how the butter blended in thickens the sauce but it doesn’t separate. Love your recipes. All delicious.
Thanks so much! I’m glad you both enjoyed it. I see the cumin is listed in the ingredients right after the oregano.