Pulled Pork Recipe
This pulled pork recipe gives you juicy, fall-apart tender pork in a rich BBQ sauce, made hands-off in the slow cooker for an easy family dinner.
A pork shoulder cooked low and slow gives you shreds that hold their shape on a fork and stay wet with sauce. That is the whole trick behind this pulled pork recipe, and a slow cooker does it while you are at work.
You need about 10 minutes of real effort. The rest is time. A 3 to 4 pound (1.4 to 1.8 kg) bone-in pork shoulder goes in at 8 in the morning and comes out shreddable by dinner.
The one thing that ruins pulled pork is dry meat, and it usually happens because someone trims off all the fat or cooks a lean loin instead. Keep the fat cap. Buy shoulder, not loin. That is the difference between shreds that glisten and shreds that taste like sawdust.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
About the Ingredients
3 to 4 lb (1.4 to 1.8 kg) bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
Bone-in shoulder has more fat and collagen than boneless, so it stays juicier. If you can only find boneless, that works too, but cut the cook time by about an hour and check it early.
1 tbsp (18 g) kosher salt
Kosher salt flakes are bigger than table salt, so a tablespoon weighs less. If you only have fine table salt, use 2 teaspoons (12 g) instead or it will taste too salty.
2 tsp (5 g) smoked paprika
This is what gives the pork its BBQ smell without a grill. Sweet paprika works in a pinch, but you lose that smoke note.
2 tsp (5 g) garlic powder
Granulated garlic, not garlic salt. If you only have garlic salt, skip the kosher salt in this list.
1 tbsp (14 g) brown sugar
Light or dark both work. Dark gives a slightly deeper color and a molasses edge.
1 tsp (2 g) ground black pepper
Fresh cracked is better, but pre-ground is fine here since it cooks for hours anyway.
1 cup (240 ml) BBQ sauce, plus more for serving
Use a sauce you would eat off a spoon. Sweet molasses-style sauces work best; vinegar-heavy Carolina sauces are thinner and make the pork wetter.
1/2 cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar
This cuts through the fat and keeps the meat from tasting flat. White vinegar works, but use 1/4 cup (60 ml) since it is sharper.
1/2 cup (120 ml) water or apple juice
Apple juice adds a little sweetness. Water is fine and lets the sauce do the talking.
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thick
The onion sits under the pork and keeps it off the bottom of the pot. A red onion works but turns the sauce pink.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Mix the dry rub
Stir the kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Break up any brown sugar lumps with your fingers. This makes enough rub for a 4 pound shoulder.
2. Season the pork
Pat the shoulder dry with paper towels, then rub the spice mix over every side. Get it into the creases. If you have time, cover it and leave it in the fridge overnight, but 30 minutes on the counter works too.
3. Build the pot
Lay the sliced onion in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Set the pork on top, fat side up. Pour the apple cider vinegar and water around the meat, not over the rub, or you will wash the seasoning off.
4. Cook low and slow
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The pork is done when a fork twists easily in the thickest part and the meat reads 200 to 205 F (93 to 96 C) on a thermometer. If it still resists, give it another 45 minutes.
5. Rest the meat
Lift the pork out onto a cutting board and tent it with foil for 10 minutes. Leave the liquid in the pot and turn the cooker to warm so the sauce stays hot.
6. Skim and sauce
Spoon the clear fat off the top of the liquid in the pot, or pour the liquid into a cup and let the fat rise. Stir 1 cup (240 ml) of BBQ sauce into what is left. Taste it. Add a splash of vinegar if it needs bite.
7. Shred the pork
Pull the meat apart with two forks, discarding the bone and any big pockets of fat. It should fall into shreds with almost no pressure. If it is fighting you, it needed more time.
8. Bring it together
Return the shredded pork to the pot and fold it through the sauce. Let it sit on warm for 10 minutes so the meat soaks up the sauce. Serve on soft rolls with extra sauce on the side.
How to Store Pulled Pork Recipe
Refrigerator
Keep the pulled pork in a sealed container with a spoonful of its sauce for up to 4 days. It gets better on day two.
Freezer
Freeze portions in freezer bags with a little sauce for up to 3 months. Press the air out flat so they stack and thaw fast.
Reheating
Warm it gently in a covered pan over low heat with a splash of water or apple juice. High heat dries it out, and the microwave makes the edges rubbery.
Tips & Tricks
- Do not trim the fat cap. That layer of fat bastes the meat as it cooks. Cut it off and you get dry shreds, every time.
- Cook to temperature, not just time. Pork shoulder is shreddable at an internal temperature of 200 to 205 F (93 to 96 C). At 190 F (88 C) it slices instead of shredding.
- Let it rest before you pull it. Ten minutes on the cutting board lets the juices settle back into the meat instead of running out onto the board.
- Skim the fat from the liquid. The sauce left in the pot has a lot of rendered fat. Spoon it off or chill the liquid and lift the solid fat off the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long does pulled pork take in a slow cooker?
About 8 to 9 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high for a 3 to 4 pound shoulder. The exact time depends on the size of the roast and your cooker, so check the internal temperature rather than the clock. It is ready at 200 to 205 F (93 to 96 C).
Q: Can I make this pulled pork recipe in the oven instead?
Yes. Set the pork in a Dutch oven with the liquid, cover it, and bake at 300 F (150 C) for 3 to 4 hours. It is done at the same internal temperature, and the covered pot keeps the steam in so the meat stays moist.
Q: Why is my pulled pork dry and tough?
Almost always because it was pulled out too early. Pork shoulder needs to reach 200 to 205 F (93 to 96 C) before the collagen breaks down and the meat shreds. At 190 F (88 C) it is still chewy, so put it back in for another 45 minutes.
Q: What is the best cut of pork for pulled pork?
Pork shoulder, also sold as Boston butt or pork butt, is the right cut. It has enough fat and connective tissue to stay juicy through a long cook. Pork loin looks similar but has almost no fat, so it dries out badly.
Q: How much pulled pork do I need per person?
Plan on about 1/3 pound (150 g) of cooked pork per person for sandwiches, or 1/2 pound (225 g) if it is the main event. A 4 pound bone-in shoulder gives you roughly 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of shredded meat, which feeds 8 comfortably.
Delicious Variations
Taco version
skip the BBQ sauce, add 1 tbsp (8 g) chili powder and 1 tsp (2 g) cumin to the rub, and serve the shredded pork in corn tortillas with lime and cilantro.
Crispy sheet pan version
spread the shredded pork on a foil-lined sheet pan and broil 3 to 4 minutes until the edges darken, then toss with sauce.
Carolina vinegar version
leave out the BBQ sauce entirely and finish the pork with 1 cup (240 ml) cider vinegar, 1 tbsp (14 g) brown sugar, and 1 tsp (2 g) red pepper flakes.
Get the rub on the pork tonight and let the slow cooker handle tomorrow. If you try the broiler trick for crispy edges, you will not go back to plain shredded pork. Sweet success, one shortcut at a time.
Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe – Juicy BBQ
This pulled pork recipe gives you juicy, fall-apart tender pork in a rich BBQ sauce, made hands-off in the slow cooker for an easy family dinner.
🧂 Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lb (1.4 to 1.8 kg) bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
- 1 tbsp (18 g) kosher salt
- 2 tsp (5 g) smoked paprika
- 2 tsp (5 g) garlic powder
- 1 tbsp (14 g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground black pepper
- 1 cup (240 ml) BBQ sauce, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water or apple juice
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thick
📋 Instructions
- 1Mix the dry rub — Stir the kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Break up any brown sugar lumps with your fingers. This makes enough rub for a 4 pound shoulder.
- 2Season the pork — Pat the shoulder dry with paper towels, then rub the spice mix over every side. Get it into the creases. If you have time, cover it and leave it in the fridge overnight, but 30 minutes on the counter works too.
- 3Build the pot — Lay the sliced onion in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Set the pork on top, fat side up. Pour the apple cider vinegar and water around the meat, not over the rub, or you will wash the seasoning off.
- 4Cook low and slow — Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The pork is done when a fork twists easily in the thickest part and the meat reads 200 to 205 F (93 to 96 C) on a thermometer. If it still resists, give it another 45 minutes.
- 5Rest the meat — Lift the pork out onto a cutting board and tent it with foil for 10 minutes. Leave the liquid in the pot and turn the cooker to warm so the sauce stays hot.
- 6Skim and sauce — Spoon the clear fat off the top of the liquid in the pot, or pour the liquid into a cup and let the fat rise. Stir 1 cup (240 ml) of BBQ sauce into what is left. Taste it. Add a splash of vinegar if it needs bite.
- 7Shred the pork — Pull the meat apart with two forks, discarding the bone and any big pockets of fat. It should fall into shreds with almost no pressure. If it is fighting you, it needed more time.
- 8Bring it together — Return the shredded pork to the pot and fold it through the sauce. Let it sit on warm for 10 minutes so the meat soaks up the sauce. Serve on soft rolls with extra sauce on the side.
