This foolproof recipe for slow cooker pulled pork features a really good (and easy) homemade BBQ sauce. It's one of my favorite weeknight dinners because it's easy, delicious, and comforting.
Dinner doesn't get any easier than this! Quickly mix BBQ sauce, pour it over the pork, set, and forget. Eight hours later, come home to a flavorful, perfectly cooked dinner! Pulled pork is a classic comfort food, and making it in the slow cooker is a foolproof way to achieve tender, succulent meat that mixes perfectly with the sweet-tangy sauce.
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Pork roast: The classic cut to use is pork butt. This is a great cut for slow cooking because it's fatty and flavorful, and the fat melts away as it slowly cooks. You don't want to use a lean cut that would end up dry.
Barbecue sauce: Either store-bought or homemade, this is completely up to you. For a homemade, low-sugar BBQ sauce, I mix together tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and a small amount of sweetener.
Variations
The only way I sometimes vary this recipe is by making it spicy. If you like spicy food, add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the BBQ sauce. You can also omit the sweetener for less sweetness and more tang.
If you use a store-bought sauce, you can vary this recipe by using different brands each time you make it. You will need 1.5 cups of store-bought sauce.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Quickly mix the BBQ sauce in a bowl or a jar. There's no need to cook this sauce - simply mix it and pour it over the meat.
Place the meat in the slow cooker pan. There's no need to brown it first, and there's also no need to add water to the slow cooker pan. Add the barbecue sauce, making sure it covers all surfaces of the meat.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. You will love the smell filling your kitchen after the first few hours! When the meat is fully cooked and very tender, use two forks to shred it and mix it with the sauce right inside the slow cooker pan, then serve.
Recipe Tip
I'm not a fan of buying specialty ingredients. But in this recipe, I find that smoked salt greatly enhances the flavor of the BBQ sauce and the entire dish. So it's highly recommended.
Recipe FAQs
Pork shoulder is the best cut. If you have a choice between pork shoulder (the lower part of the shoulder) and pork butt (the upper part), go with pork butt, aka Boston butt. It's tasty and fatty and won't dry out during the slow cooking process. Pork shoulder is best when making a pork roast. I don't recommend using pork loin in this recipe. It's leaner than pork shoulder and will produce drier, inferior results.
Thickening the cooking juices isn't strictly necessary because you simply shred the meat and mix it into the juices. But if you'd like a thicker sauce, you can raise the slow cooker heat to HIGH after shredding the meat and mixing it with the sauce, and keep cooking for 30 more minutes.
"Pulled" refers to how the meat is pulled into small shreds once it's cooked and very tender. In other words, it's the same as shredded pork.
Absolutely. As with most slow-cooked meats, the leftovers are great. You can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They taste great even on the last day, and in fact, they improve as the flavors are allowed to meld. To prevent them from over-drying, reheat them covered in the microwave.
You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally, shredded pork is served on hamburger buns. Sometimes, I serve it on cloud bread as a substitute. But I usually just skip the bun altogether and serve this dish over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower. I add a simple green side (such as microwave broccoli) for a complete meal.
Sometimes, I pile pulled pork on top of shredded iceberg lettuce, as shown in the photo below. The crunch and freshness of the lettuce pair beautifully with the warm richness of the pork.
Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork butt roast
Barbecue Sauce:
- 7 ounces tomato paste - ¾ cup
- ¾ cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite - or 2 tablespoons of honey
Instructions
- Place the pork in a 6-quart slow cooker pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce ingredients (tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, smoked salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sweetener).
- Pour the BBQ sauce over the pork and use your hands to make sure the pork is well-coated.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- Carefully remove the lid (hot steam will escape). Increase the heat to HIGH. Use two forks to shred the meat and mix it well with the sauce (remove the butcher twine if needed).
- Cover and cook until slightly thickened, 15-30 more minutes, then serve.
Notes
- If you have a choice between pork shoulder (the lower part of the shoulder) and pork butt (the upper part), go with pork butt, aka Boston butt. It's tasty and fatty and won't dry out during the slow cooking process. Pork shoulder is best when making a pork roast.
- I don't recommend using pork loin in this recipe. It's too lean and will produce drier, inferior results.
- I'm not usually a fan of buying specialty ingredients. But in this recipe, I find that smoked salt greatly enhances the flavor of the BBQ sauce and of the entire dish. So it's highly recommended.
- As with most slow-cooked meats, the leftovers are great. You can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They taste great even on the last day, and in fact, they improve as the flavors are allowed to meld. To prevent them from over-drying, reheat them covered in the microwave.
- You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition per Serving
Save this Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
We will also add you to our weekly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime. See healthyrecipesblogs.com/privacy/ to learn how we use your email.
Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Lexi says
Hi! I want to try this recipe with store bought barbecue sauce. How much sauce would I need to add to the slow cooker?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Lexi,
1.5 cups. Hope you like it!