Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe

Even though fall is a great season for cooking outdoors it’s also a really busy season for families and a time when the crockpot sees a lot of action. So, today we’re learning how to make this easy pulled pork recipe in your crockpot or instant pot.

I started making this crockpot-style pulled pork years ago when I was a private chef. I’d cook exquisite fresh food all day for celebrity athletes, come home to my little San Antonio apartment and there was nothing to eat!

So, I got to tinkering with many of the best slow cooker recipes and this is now a tried and true method that I’ve used for nearly 15 years.

This no-fuss pork crock pot recipe literally cooks itself, it’s kid-friendly, and it’s almost as good as the real thing. And I can say that because we smoke a lot of barbecue in this house!

It’s one of our favorite slow cooker recipes and leftovers freeze beautifully for making dinner in a pinch. (I have some creative ways you can use all of this pulled pork in the video, like quesadillas and nachos!)

For our pork barbecue rub blend were welcoming a beloved Texas food brand into the kitchen, Pioneer Foods.

I am really impressed by this new pulled pork dry rub because as I have said in many barbecue posts–it’s hard to find barbecue rubs in the local grocery store that have really unique and dynamic flavor. I’m happy to find that this option by Pioneer is robust and well-balanced, without a lot of extra salt or sugar.

Just classic barbecue pork spices with a hint of smoke.

Additionally, barbecue rubs from famous pitmasters are not going to have any smoke essence in their dry rub because they rely on you to provide the smoke from your barbecue–this pork rub is specifically engineered for pulled pork in the crock pot.

It’s got a whisper of smoke which we thought was a really nice touch and very authentic in taste.

How To Make Pulled Pork In A Crock Pot

What cuts of pork should be used in a slow cooker?

I have purchased a boneless pork shoulder or pork butt roast, sometimes labeled boston butt, for this recipe. Despite their names, they both come from the shoulder of the pig– the butt is up high near the neck and the shoulder is lower.

Both cuts are referred to as braising cuts made up of connective tissues that break down over long term slow cooking.

You can buy bone-in or boneless for this method, it doesn’t really matter and we are usually at the mercy of what the grocery store is stocking at the moment.

I usually prefer pork butt for smoked pork because it has more fat which makes traditional smoked pulled pork very juicy, but in this instance, you may prefer pork shoulder for less grease in the crockpot.

Regardless, in my method, we will pour off any grease that accumulates after cooking the pork, so there won’t be any issues there. Just be aware that you can use either pork shoulder or butt, and that will be the best cut of meat for this method.

Pork butts are 5-6 lbs and can be cut in half for this recipe, cooking one half and freezing the other for a later date if that seems like too much meat for your family. As always, I prefer to go ahead and cook the whole thing and place meal-sized portions in freezer-safe Tupperware, which I can defrost later in the month for an easy dinner.

You will want to avoid leaner cuts of pork like pork tenderloin and pork chops which are more suitable to high heat, rapid cooking like grilling. I have a great grill guide for pork right here that has some terrific ideas for these cuts of meat.

Pulled Pork Recipe Crockpot Instructions:

For this method, we are using a 6-7 quart crock pot, clean and preheated to high. For slow cooker bbq with lots of sticky barbecue sauce, you can use a crockpot liner like this for easy cleanup. (Easy cleanup always makes for a great recipe!)

All we do is place the pork in the crock pot and sprinkle it with the pulled pork rub. Placing the dry rub on top makes the best pulled pork that resembles authentic barbecue bark! It also lets the seasonings continuously drip down over the pork roast throughout cooking.

Go ahead and insure that you can place the lid comfortably on the crock pot before moving forward. If you can’t it’s perfectly okay to cut the pork with a sharp knife into pieces that fit in the bowl.

Add 2 cups of any cola you like. I’ve used Dr Pepper, Cherry Coke, Rootbeer, and Cream Soda. If you are concerned about added sugars, chicken broth or water may be substituted for the braising liquid.

Due to the good amount of fat that will be poured off after cooking these sodas will only contribute a small amount of extra flavor; they will however provide tenderness and moisture to the slow-cooked pork.

Place the lid on the crockpot and let this cook on high for 6-8 hours. For family gatherings that are early the next day, I put these simple ingredients together right before bed and let them braise in the crockpot overnight.

After cooking were going to pour out the grease which has risen to the top from the excess fat. It’s easiest to do this if you haven’t begun shredding the pork yet. Just use the lid to drain the liquid off the completed roast.

To finish we’ll add 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce, and shred the meat using two forks, working back and forth, and pulling it into shredded pork.

From here, you can set the crockpot to the “keep warm” function and serve up pulled pork sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls or hamburger buns, pulled pork quesadillas, pulled pork tacos, pulled pork nachos, or just keep it simple by serving the pork on a plate with coleslaw or potato salad.

You can see how this makes family dinners on busy weeknights effortless for those of us who work all day.

You can defrost in the refrigerator overnight, or pop the frozen pork into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 2-3 minute increments, fluffing with a fork, until hot throughout.

Pulled Pork For The Big Game, Birthday Party or Potluck

This easy recipe is great for a pulled pork station at your next get-together. Friends or family can each be assigned one component of the dish to bring.