Something truly magical happens when you cook pork low and slow. It turns into the most mouth-watering tender and juicy meat you’ve ever had. And meat this tender is good with everything, so if you make this Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on Sunday, you’ll have meat to last you all week. Pile that slow cooker pork onto sandwiches, tacos, bowl meals, nachos, salads, and more for quick dinners the rest of the week!
What Kind of Pork to Use for Pulled Pork
To get the juiciest and most tender pulled pork make sure to buy a pork butt or pork shoulder. These cuts are marbled with fat and connective tissue that slowly melt and gelatinize when cooked with slow, gentle heat, creating ultra moist and tender meat.
You can buy bone-in or boneless pork butt or pork shoulder. I prefer to use boneless and then cut the pork into large pieces so they cook a little faster, but you can leave the bone in and remove it when shredding the pork if preferred. Just keep in mind that cooking time may be longer if you leave the bone in during cooking.
How to Season Pulled Pork
I used a versatile yet flavorful spice rub on the pork before slow cooking, along with a little extra fresh garlic. This mix of paprika, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and brown sugar enhances the pork’s flavor, but keeps it neutral enough to be paired with BBQ sauce or any other flavor profile you plan to pair with your pulled pork.
How to Serve Pulled Pork
Pulled Pork sandwiches are always a hit (brioche buns, BBQ sauce, pickles, and/or coleslaw), but this pulled pork is also great for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or nachos. I also love piling pulled pork onto bowl meals, salads, or even adding it to soup or ramen. You can seriously add it to anything!
Storage Instructions
Keep the pork in the juices when refrigerating to keep the meat as moist as possible upon reheating. After cooking, transfer the shredded pork and juices to an air-tight food storage container and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days. After completely chilling in the refrigerator, you can transfer the pork to the freezer for longer storage (about three months). To reheat the pork, simply heat in a sauce pot over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until hot.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
4.45 from 9 votes Slow Cooker Pulled Pork is an easy way to cook the most tender and juicy pork ever. It’s great on tacos, sandwiches, burritos and more. Author: Beth – Budget Bytes
Servings 8 ½ cup each Cook 4 hours hrsTotal 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. pork butt ($8.07)
- 1 yellow onion, cut into chunks ($0.37)
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped ($0.32)
Spice Rub
- 2 tsp paprika ($0.20)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 tsp garlic powder ($0.10)
- 1 tsp onion powder ($0.10)
- 2 tsp salt ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.04)
Instructions
- Combine the spices for the spice rub in a bowl.
- Cut the pork butt into large chunks. If the pork butt has a bone you can either remove it before cooking or wait until you are shredding the cooked meat to remove it. Keep in mind the pork will require extra cooking time if cooking with the bone in.
- Add the pork pieces to a large bowl and sprinkle the spice rub over top. Toss until the pork is evenly coated in spices.
- Dice the yellow onion and add it to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the seasoned pork on top of the onion, then add the roughly chopped garlic on top.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. Test the pork with a fork to make sure the meat is tender. It should shred easily with a fork. If not, cook for one hour longer. The total cooking time will depend on the size of your pork butt.
- Once the pork is tender, use two forks to shred the meat.
- If you prefer crispy edges on your pork, place some of the pork on a sheet pan and broil for a few minutes, or just until the edges are browned and crispy. Keep a close eye on the pork as it broils!
- Serve the pulled pork on sandwiches, tacos, bowl meals, and more!
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5
cupCalories: 247
kcalCarbohydrates: 5
gProtein: 32
gFat: 10
gSodium: 694
mgFiber: 0.5
g Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – Step by Step Photos
To make the spice rub for the pulled pork, combine 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp salt, and ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Cut a 3 lb. pork butt into large chunks. If your pork butt is bone-in, you can either remove the bone or cook with the bone in and remove it when shredding your meat. Keep in mind that if you leave the bone in, the pork will take slightly longer to cook.
Place the pork in a bowl, sprinkle the spice rub over top, then toss until the pork is evenly coated in the rub.
Dice one yellow onion and place it on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place the seasoned pork in the slow cooker and top with four roughly chopped cloves of garlic.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. If your pork butt is larger than 3 lbs. you may need to cook slightly longer. Check the tenderness of the meat after 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. It should pull apart easily. If it’s still tough, let it cook another hour then check again.
Once the pork is tender, use two forks to shred the meat.
If you want crispy edges on your pulled pork (who doesn’t?!). Place some of the pulled pork on a baking sheet and place it under your oven’s broiler for a few minutes. The melted fat on the pork will fry the edges and make it beautifully crispy! Keep a close eye on the meat as it broils since broilers cook very quickly!
Enjoy your pulled pork on sandwiches, tacos, bowl meals, quesadillas and more!
