Slow Cooker Pulled Pork 🐖👏 is the EASIEST pulled pork recipe because your Crock Pot does all the work. This flavorful pork cooks until incredibly tender and juicy, making it perfect for sandwiches, tacos, and more!
Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
- This slow cooker pulled pork is incredibly easy, nearly work-free, and turns out tender, juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth perfect.
- The pork cooks low and slow in the Crock-Pot, making this a true set-it-and-forget-it recipe that’s great for busy days.
- It’s budget-friendly and versatile enough for pulled pork sliders, tacos, stuffed potatoes or sweet potatoes, or just about any serving idea you can think of. Make it for easy weeknight dinners, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, graduation parties, or summer days when you don’t want to turn on the oven.
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Pork butt: Pork butt, also called Boston butt, is the best cut for pulled pork because it has plenty of marbling and fat, which means more flavor and fall-apart tender meat. Boneless or bone-in both work, so use whichever you can find. Pork shoulder can be used if needed, but pork butt is the better choice because the extra fat adds more flavor. If using boneless pork shoulder with netting, you can leave the netting on while it cooks.
- White onions: These create a savory base for the pork as it slow cooks.
- Light brown sugar: Adds just enough sweetness to balance the spices and savory pork.
- Chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, Achiote or Achiote Paste, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and dried Mexican oregano: This bold dry rub gives the pork its smoky, savory, lightly spiced flavor. Achiote, also called annatto, is common in Mexican cooking and adds color and flavor. If you cannot find it, you can omit it, but the pork will not be quite as flavorful.
- Optional liquid smoke: Add a few drops if you want extra smoky flavor, or omit it if you do not like it or do not have it on hand.
Note: All ingredients amounts are listed in the recipe card section when you keep scrolling down.
How to Make Pulled Pork in a Crock-Pot
- Cut the onions in half and lay them cut-side down in the slow cooker.
- Combine the brown sugar and all the spices and seasonings in a small bowl. Coat all sides of the pork with the spice rub and press it in well.
- Lay the pork over the onions, fatty side up. Cook in the slow cooker for about 4 hours on high OR 6 to 8 hours on low or until it reaches at least 170 degrees. Let it rest for 15 minutes and reserve the drippings full of excess fat.
- Shred the cooked pork with two forks or just pull it apart by hand.
- Put the shredded pork back into the Crockpot. Mix it with the drippings, or pour the reserved drippings over the pork in a large bowl and serve!
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
What to Serve with Pulled Pork
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Pork
- 2 medium white onions, peeled and halved vertically
- one 4 pound boneless or 5 pound bone-in pork butt, also called Boston butt**
Dry Rub
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon achiote or achiote paste, also known as annatto seeds or annatto paste*
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, or regular oregano
Instructions
- To a large 6 to 7-quart slow cooker, add the onions, cut side down.
- To a small bowl, add all the spices, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.
- Add the pork with the fatty side up, over the top of the onions.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for about 4 hours, or on LOW for about 6 to 8 hours. Tips – Start checking for doneness about 1 hour earlier than the recommended cooking time. As mentioned in the blog post, there are a wide range of internal temperatures listed online for when pork is done, but the best clue for doneness is that when you insert a fork into the pork, that it inserts with very little resistance and you can see the pork is ready to easily just pull or fall apart. You can also insert a digital thermometer. I do this first, check to see that it's about 170F, and from there, go by the visual clues of it looking and feeling like it's ready to easily shred.
- Allow the pork to rest on a cutting board for about 15 minutes.
- Reserve the cooking juices and liquid. Tips – There will be about 2 to 3 cups, but if there is a lot more, you can potentially discard some of it (I don't) but reserve at least 2 cups. We also love the onions and serve them alongside the pulled pork, but you can discard them if you prefer.
- Shred the pork with 2 forks, or just pull it apart with your fingers.
- Pour the reserved cooking juices (as much as desired) over the shredded pork, or add the pork back into the slow cooker and mix it around with the cooking juices before serving the pulled pork as desired, such as in a pulled pork sandwich or pulled pork taco. Tips – If you want to add barbecue sauce, add it now. If adding BBQ sauce, you can add less of the reserved cooking juices, maybe about 1 cup + 1 cup of BBQ sauce, or as desired to taste.
- Leftover pulled pork will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat leftovers gently in the microwave. Tip – Check out my Pulled Pork Sliders and my Pulled Pork Tacos recipes for great ways to use your pulled pork.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Pulled Pork Slow Cooker Recipe FAQs
They will be soft, supple, and super flavorful. My family adores onions so we eat them alongside or on top of the shredded slow cooker pork. However, you can discard them I suppose – but I wouldn’t. They’re so tasty!
Yes of course you can make pulled pork in the oven. You’ll want to use a low oven temp, about 275-300F, season the pork as I recommend for the slow cooker method, and cook it covered in a large Dutch oven in the oven for about 3 hours, or until done. However, you should research oven-cooking on your own and cook until it’s done since all ovens, and cuts of pork, vary.
The pork can be left in the slow cooker for up to 12 hours. It only needs to cook for 6 to 8 hours on low, but if you end up coming home late from work or forget about the pork (oops!) it’ll stay perfectly moist and tender for up to 12 hours.
If you cooked the pork for too long on too high of a heat, it can become tough and rubbery. If cooking the pulled pork on high, you need to start checking it at the 4-hour mark. There’s much less room for error when cooking on low in a Crockpot!
Your pulled pork also might be tough if you forgot to cook the pork fat-side up. The fat melts as the pork cooks, which essentially bastes the meat in its own juices and keeps it super moist.
Reheating pulled pork in a Crockpot is so easy! Just add the pork to the Crockpot, set it to high, and wait for it to heat through (it could take a while!).
I recommend using the Crockpot to reheat larger amounts of pulled pork. For individual servings, use the stove or microwave.
Yes, you can use a bigger piece of pork but and double or nearly double the recipe. Depending on how much bigger the cut of pork is that you’re using, you should increase the amount of dry spice rub accordingly.
For example, if you’re using 7.5 pounds rather than 5 pounds of pork, you’ll want to use 1 1/2 tablespoons (rather than 1 tablespoon) of spices such as cumin and 2 teaspoons rather than 1 teaspoon of spices such as dried oregano.
Cooking time will also increase. It will not likely double, but it’ll take many hour(s) longer. Possibly 6 hours on high OR 8 to 10 hours on low. Keep an eye on it so that it’s done, but not overdone!
More Easy Slow Cooker Pork Recipes:
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pulled Pork — Pork slow cooks to perfection and has Hawaiian-inspired flavors from pineapple and teriyaki sauce! Sweet, tangy, juicy, and tender meat! It makes the best pulled pork sandwiches that everyone loves!
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin — Tender and juicy boneless pork tenderloin slow cooks with hearty vegetables for a complete and EASY meal! Reminiscent of a hearty and rustic recipe, yet fancy enough for a special dinner or holiday entertaining!
Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup — An incredibly EASY and comforting soup you can make with leftover holiday ham or deli ham! Your slow cooker does all the work to meld the flavors together.
Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs — Tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone baby back pork ribs that are finger-lickin’ good! With just 5 minutes of active prep, your slow cooker does all the work in creating ribs that your friends and family will beg you to make over and over!
Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast — A foolproof recipe for tender, juicy pot roast with just FIVE main ingredients! Your slow cooker does all the work in this comfort food classic pot roast that the whole family will adore! EASIER than any pot roast you will ever make and with more robust flavor!
