Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
The pulled pork I make is when I know the week is going to be crazy. I put the roast in the slow cooker before I leave in the morning, and the house smells amazing by dinner, and I have almost no prep left to do. All I have to do is shred the meat, put it on some buns, and add any toppings we have.
For the sauce, combine half a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce with brown sugar, dry mustard, garlic powder, and onion powder. No need to worry about it being too sweet. There will be enough to have leftovers heat up for the rest of the week. You can use one roast for pulled pork tacos, pulled pork with baked potatoes, pulled pork quesadillas, and more!
Why This Slow Cooker Recipe Works
- Low and slow is the whole game. Eight hours on low gives the collagen in the pork time to break down completely. You get meat that shreds with almost no effort and stays juicy instead of drying out.
- BBQ sauce does most of the work. You don’t need a complicated dry rub. The sauce combined with the pork’s natural juices creates a rich, flavorful braising liquid that reduces and concentrates as it cooks.
- Brown sugar is optional but worth it. It gives the finished pulled pork a slightly glazed, caramelized quality. Leave it out if you prefer a less sweet sauce — both versions are great.
- It doubles easily. If you have a large slow cooker, make 4 pounds and have pulled pork for the whole week. The recipe scales directly.
The Right Cut of Pork — Why It Matters More Than Anything Else
This is the single biggest factor that will make pulled pork either fall apart in the best possible way or come out dry and stringy. The cut you choose determines everything.
Pork shoulder is the only cut I buy for slow cooker pulled pork. Pork shoulder (also sold as pork butt or Boston butt) is confusingly named as it comes from the front shoulder, not the rear. Pork shoulder is the best choice for slow cooker pulled pork because it has an incredibly high amount of collagen and intramuscular fat compared to all other cuts of pork. When cooked for hours in a slow cooker, the casein and collagen break down and meld with the meat. Collagen turns into gelatin that wraps around each muscle fiber and keeps the meat very moist. The fat also renders and bastes the meat throughout the cooking process.
It’s not just flavor, it’s moisture insurance. A lean cut, like a pork tenderloin, loin roast, or even a brisket, doesn’t have much fat or little collagen. When you put a pork loin into a slow cooker, after 8 hours, it will become dry and very ‘shredable.’ That’s because there was nothing to keep it moist during that long cook. The muscle fibers dry out. and there’s nothing to hold moisture in the meat.
Pork shoulder is nearly impossible to overcook in a slow cooker. Due to the high amount of collagen, it results in a moisture-buffer that lean cuts of meat do not have. So, if life happens and an 8-hour cook turns into a 9.5-hour cook, pork shoulder will still turn out fine. This, along, is one of the reasons why this cut is my go-to for busy-week meal prep. It’s genuinely forgiving in a way that few proteins are.
Try to find a boneless pork roast labeled as “pork shoulder,” “pork butt,” or “Boston butt.” These are usually in the 2-4 pound range and are usually one of the cheapest cuts of meat. If your roast has a fat cap (a layer of white fat on one side), leave it on. Put the roast fat-side up in the slow cooker and that fat will slowly render and baste the meat throughout the entire cook.
In a pinch: If you don’t have pork shoulder and need to make this today, you can use boneless pork riblets as a substitute. Use the same 2 pounds of riblets, but cook on low for only 4 hours, stirring every hour. They have less connective tissue than shoulder and will break down faster.
Equipment That Makes This Easier
While nothing fancy is needed to make pulled pork, a couple of tools will help you out tremendously.
The dimensions of a slow cooker are important. A 6-quart slow cooker provides enough space for the roast to circulate evenly with the lid sealing correctly along the edges while a 4-quart will work for a 2-pound roast but will become quite snug if you double the recipe as it will be filled to the brim. If you are meal prepping or regularly cooking for a family, the 6-quart is worth the investment. A lot of 6-quart slow cookers have programmable timers, meaning that you can set it in the morning to cook and it will automatically switch to warm once the cooking time is up. This is a complete game changer when it comes to cooking during the week.
Meat shredding claws. For years, I used two forks which worked fine — but a set of meat shredding claws takes shredding the pork down to about 90 seconds compared to 10 minutes with two forks. You just dig in and pull apart — the claws provide the traction and leverage to do it way more efficiently than a fork can do on a large roast. If you do pulled pork more than twice a year, get them.
What to Know Before You Start
There’s no need to add any liquid other than the BBQ sauce – the pork releases its own liquid. If you are concerned, maybe add a splash of broth, but you really should not need it. The sauce along with the pork’s moisture will be sufficient for a braising environment in the slow cooker.
Take off any butcher’s string or netting prior to cooking. Leaving it on doesn’t hurt anything, but it’s easier to shred if you take it off before the roast goes in the slow cooker rather than trying to fish it out of hot meat later.
Since this recipe uses BBQ sauce as a base, use one you actually like. I’ve made this too many times with Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ, since it’s sweet, tangy, and thick enough to coat the meat. If you want one with more smoke and less sweetness, Stubb’s Original is a good pick. Go with whatever you have or whatever is on sale. The spices you add enhance the sauce, so a sauce you love straight from the jar will taste even better with the addition of 8 hours of slow cooking and pork fat mixed in.
Ingredients
This makes 4-6 sandwiches. Double the ingredients if you have a larger crowd.
- 2 lbs boneless pork roast (pork shoulder or Boston butt)
- ½ bottle (about 9 oz) barbecue sauce — Sweet Baby Ray’s Original or your favorite
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed (optional — omit for less sweetness)
- Hamburger buns for serving
How to Make It
Prevention of scorching and even cooking of the meat by braising from below and from the sides can be achieved by the braising of the meat during cooking. To start, pour about a quarter of the BBQ sauce into the slow cooker insert.
**Prep the pork:** If your roast is tied with butcher’s string, remove and discard it. Take the pork roast and place it in the slow cooker over the layer of sauce. If the roast has a fat cap, then put it in the slow cooker with the fat cap side up so that the fat will render down throughout the meat as it cooks.
Incorporate the other ingredients: Pour the remaining BBQ sauce on the roast allowing it to drip down the sides. This step will add a little extra flavor. Disperse the dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar (if using) over the top. Press your palm gently on top of the roast so the sauce adheres to it. This will help create the crust that will add flavor to the meat when it’s shredded.
Cook: Place the lid on the pot and set to low for 6 to 8 hours. The 6 hour mark is the minimum. At 6 hours, the meat is done and is safe to eat, but may still be slighty resisted to shredding. At 8 hours, it’s at its best. The pork should be very tender and will be a deep brown color from the sauce. The pork will also release quite a bit of liquid into the pot. The liquid that has mixed with the BBQ sauce is your braising liquid, and that is the sauce you are going to mix the meat into after you shred it.
Final check: Use a fork to twist into the thickest section of the roast; if the meat comes apart easily it’s ready to serve. If there’s any difficulty, silence the critics for another 30–60 minutes. The goal here is to have pulled pork, and 8 hours on low is how you achieve that. As for high cooking settings (which is usually discouraged), the 4-hour mark is the final check.
What does it look like when it is done? After 8 hours on low, the roast will have noticeably shrunk — a 2-pound roast will look like only 1.5 pounds because it lost moisture to the pot (that moisture becomes your sauce). The outside will look dark brown-red from the BBQ sauce, and the meat near the surface will look slightly crispy and have a caramelized appearance where it touched the ceramic. The liquid in the pot will be a thinner, richly-colored BBQ sauce that has been mixed with all the pork juices that cooked out of the roast.
### Shred and Serve Take two forks (or meat shredding claws) and shred the pork in the slow cooker. It should easily fall apart — if you are fighting with it, it needs more time. Mix the meat with the sauce so that every piece is covered. If you want it saucier, add more BBQ sauce and mix again. Serve on hamburger buns.
Helpful Tips
- Use a BBQ sauce you actually like. This recipe is simple enough that the BBQ sauce is a significant part of the flavor. A sauce you like straight from the bottle will taste great here.
- Don’t skip the initial sauce layer on the bottom. That quarter bottle under the meat prevents scorching and helps the pork braise from underneath too.
- Fat side up. If your roast has a visible fat cap, place it fat-side up. It self-bastes as the fat renders during cooking.
- Taste and adjust before serving. After shredding, taste the meat and sauce together. If it needs more BBQ sauce or a pinch of salt, add it now and stir to combine.
- Keep it warm for a crowd. Once shredded, the slow cooker can stay on warm for hours. Perfect for game days or cookouts where people eat in shifts.
- Don’t lift the lid during cooking. Every time you lift the lid, you lose 20–30 minutes of cooking time because the slow cooker has to rebuild the steam environment inside. Put it on and walk away.
- Drain or keep the liquid depending on your preference. If you like saucier pulled pork, keep all the cooking liquid mixed in with the shredded meat. If you prefer it less saucy, use a slotted spoon to transfer the shredded pork to a bowl and add back only as much of the cooking liquid as you want.
What If Something Goes Wrong
The pork is still too tough to shred. That means it needed more time to cook. Depending on the size, shape, and specific slow cooker model, pork shoulder may take longer than expected. Cover the slow cooker again, and set it to low for another hour. Don’t attempt to shred tough pulled pork, as it will be terribly chewy. There is no technique to fix this, as it is all about time.
The pork does look a little bit dry. This is not common with pork shoulder but if the roast was cooked for over 8 hours without enough sauce, or if the cut was very lean, then this can happen. The solution is to add a few tablespoons of chicken or beef broth, and a big spoonful of BBQ sauce to the shredded meat, stir it well and let it sit on warm for 15 minutes so it can absorb some of that moisture back.
The sauce is too sweet. Try adding some apple cider vinegar. Start with one tablespoon, stir it, taste it, and add more if needed. Vinegar balances out the sweetness and enhances the flavor without making it taste too vinegary if you only use a little. A little bit of Worcestershire sauce will help with this as well.
Often, this occurs with liquidy roasts, but there is a solution. Removing this liquid is easy. You can use a ladle or a slotted spoon to separate it, then put the pork in a bowl. Only add back the amount of liquid you want. After shredding the pork, you can concentrate the sauce by leaving the lid of the slow cooker off for 20–30 minutes on high.
I accidentally burnt it (like 12 hours on low)…. oops. Pork shoulder is a little forgiving but I’m sure this particular cut is indestructible. If it cooked way too long you won’t be able to shred it to a nice texture but rather mushy. Don’t worry though, it is safe to eat and will still taste good, although the texture will be a little off. Go ahead and serve it. You can pile it on the buns with coleslaw and nobody will complain.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Refrigerator: Use an airtight container to store leftover pulled pork for up to four days. I always store it with a good amount of the cooking liquid mixed in – that liquid is what keeps the reheated leftovers from tasting dry. To reheat, use a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce, or microwave in short 60-second bursts, stirring between each one.
Freezer: Pulled pork can be frozen very well. After it cools completely, you can freeze it for 3 months in zip-lock bags or containers. For meal-sized portions (2-4 servings), freeze it so you can thaw only what you need. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stoveto re-activate the sauce with a splash of liquid.
Make-ahead for meal prep: Out of all my meal prep recipes, this 2-pound roast that I can make multiple meals with. I can prepare it Sunday morning and make lunches and dinners for my family all the way through Wednesday, without any additional cooking.
What to Do With Leftover Pulled Pork
The value of pulled pork in your meal prep truly shows here. Leftover pulled pork isn’t just more sandwiches. It can actually be used to create different meals that don’t even feel like leftovers. Let me show you how.
Pulled Pork Tacos
Glow a couple small flour or corn tortillas over an open flame or on a stove burner. Pile on a spoon of pulled pork, a handful of coleslaw or shredded cabbage, a drizzle of sour cream mixed with lime juice, and add pickled jalapeños if desired. Children will eat this combo with BBQ pulled pork slaw and creamy coleslaw more readily than a traditional pulled pork sandwich.
For the ultimate experience, go all the way and include a thin layer of refried beans on the tortilla before the pork, some crumbled cotija on top, and a squeeze of fresh lime. This combination is good enough to serve to company without feeling bad that you’re using leftover slow cooker pork.
Pulled Pork on Baked Potatoes
You can bake your potatoes however you would normally do it (I bake mine at 400°F for 1 hour, straight on the rack, or for 5 minutes in the microwave if it’s a weeknight and I’m feeling a bit less fancy). Once the potato is baked, split it open and fluff the insides with a fork, add a pat of butter, and then add a big spoon of pulled pork on top. Finish by adding some shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream.
The starchy potato and salty cheddar along with the sweet BBQ sauce come together to create a wonderful flavor combo. I make this version on the nights when I’m making dinner for myself and don’t want to put much brain work in. Additionally, the pulled pork is prepped and ready to go. The entire meal is done in the same time it takes to cook a potato in the microwave.
Pulled Pork Quesadillas
Evenly spread some shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese over one side of a large flour tortilla. Pull apart a handful of pulled pork and spread it around, add some pickled jalapeños if desired, and then fold the tortilla over. For about 2-3 minutes on both sides, cook in a skillet with a little bit of butter over medium heat, it should turn golden brown and the cheese should melt completely.
Sour cream and salsa can be served alongside the dish. These are quick enough to prepare for a lunch on a work day and are entertaining enough that the children will demand these by name. The melted cheese combined with the bbq flavored pork adds a sweetness that makes the quesadillas better than my plain chicken quesadillas.
Pulled Pork with Eggs for Breakfast
This may sound strange at first, but once you try this, you’ll do it every Saturday. Take a spoonful of pulled pork and put it in a skillet over medium heat until it is warm and the edges are slightly caramelized. In the same pan, scramble 2-3 eggs and let them cook with the pork so they can absorb some of the BBQ flavor from the pan.
You can serve it on toast, in a warm tortilla, or take it straight from the skillet. If you want to swap in a fried egg instead, go right ahead. The runny yolk compliments the BBQ sauce and gives it a nice touch, and to be honest, it’s one of my favorite breakfasts. It also works great as a breakfast burrito! Just add scrambled eggs, pulled pork, and a scoop of pepper jack cheese into a flour tortilla. Wrap it up tight and toast it seam-side down in a dry skillet for a minute to seal it.
Other Ideas
- On rice: Spoon pulled pork over white rice with a side of steamed broccoli. Dinner in 10 minutes if you have a rice cooker going.
- Pulled pork pizza: Use BBQ sauce as the pizza sauce base, top with mozzarella and pulled pork, add thinly sliced red onion. Bake at 450°F until crispy.
- Pulled pork mac and cheese: Make a box of mac and cheese and stir in a big handful of pulled pork. The BBQ sauce mixes with the cheese sauce in a way that shouldn’t work but absolutely does.
- On a salad: Big bowl of chopped romaine, pulled pork, shredded cheddar, crispy fried onions, and ranch dressing. Sounds like a weird combo and tastes incredible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of pork is best for slow cooker pulled pork?
Pork shoulder is the best option here because it has a lot of collagen as well as good marbling which break down over a long, slow cook and keep the meat moist and easy to shred. Pork loin, however, is more lean, cooks quicker, and is more likely to dry out over the 6-8 hours that this recipe has. If you are told at the store to use pork loin for slow cooker pulled pork, smile and grab the shoulder instead.
Do I need to brown the pork before slow cooking?
Not for this recipe. There’s plenty of flavor from the BBQ sauce and pork fat, so there’s really no point in taking the extra time to brown it. If you really want to take the time to do this, you can get a more developed, caramelized color on the outside by pre-searing the pork in a hot skillet with a tiny bit of oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, but it really doesn’t make a huge difference. So it’s probably best to skip it on those mornings when you’re in a hurry.
Can I cook it on high instead of low?
Yes — cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. The texture will not be as close to melt-in-your-mouth as the low and slow version because the heat will not give the collagen enough time to convert to gelatin, but it will still shred and taste great if you’re short on time. At 4 hours, check with the fork twist test.
How do I know when it’s done?
To check doneness, insert a fork into the thickest section and twist. The meat should separate effortlessly. If this is not the case, continue cooking for an additional 30 to 60 minutes. Pulled pork has a very forgiving cook time. An hour on low is not going to hurt it, so feel free to be exact as the ideal internal temperature at the time of shredding is 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temp range, collagen is fully converted. While it is safe to eat pork that is below 190 degrees Fahrenheit, it is worth noting that it will not shred as easily if this is the case.
What if my pulled pork turns out tough?
It needs more time. This is almost always the answer with slow cooker pulled pork — the collagen hasn’t had enough time to fully break down. Put the lid back on and cook for another hour on low. Don’t try to shred it early; the meat will fight you and come out stringy rather than tender. Once it’s truly done, it shreds almost by itself.
What if the sauce tastes too sweet?
Pour in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, mix, taste, then add more to your liking. Small amounts of vinegar don’t add a vinegar taste, but it will cut the sweetness. Another option is to add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and a small pinch of dry mustard. These will both add a savory complexity that balances the sweetness. If you’re making this again, aim for a less sweet BBQ sauce next time (Stubb’s Original is lower sugar than most).
Can I freeze leftover pulled pork?
It freezes better than almost any other cooked meat, and yes! Just make sure to cool it down all the way first, then zip it into freezer bags or freezer containers (make sure to include some of the cooking liquid to prevent it from drying out when you heat it back up). You can freeze it for 3 months. To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight, and then heat it up in a pan over low heat with some water or broth. It reheats wonderfully!
Can I make this with a smaller or larger roast?
Yes. A 1-pound roast works well. A 1-pounder and 4-pounder would have roughly the same cooking times in a slow cooker because cooker cooking times are more about the thickness of the roast than the overall mass. For 4-pound roasts, a 6-quart slow cooker is fine. Just use a full bottle of BBQ sauce and scale the spices up accordingly. A 4-pound roast would only add about an hour of cooking time compared to a 2-pound roast. Use the fork test, not a timer, to judge doneness.
What BBQ sauce do you recommend?
For BBQ sauces, I tend to use Sweet Baby Ray’s Original the most, because it is thick, sweet-tangy, and easy to find (my local grocery store has a wide stock). If you want to go for something that has more smoke and less sweetness, I recommend Stubb’s Original. A decent cheaper option is Kraft Original. Also, at the end of the day, just go for whatever BBQ sauce you enjoy eating straight from the bottle. This recipe aims to enhance the flavor of the sauce you use instead of changing it, so use a sauce you enjoy.
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