Tender, succulent and juicy pulled pork cooked to absolute perfection in your slow cooker. Made with an easy dry rub and then slow cooked in a savory sauce mix, this pulled pork will have everyone asking for more.
Pulled pork is traditionally prepared by smoking the meat in large outdoor smokers. The process can take a day or two, but is always a treat when you find a place that does it right. So can we make pulled pork at home that just as good? I sure think so! And we’ll use a classic stand by appliance that’s found in most kitchens – a slow cooker.
Slow cookers, commonly referred to by the brand name Crock Pots, have been around for decades and have remained popular today for good reason. There’s so many excellent recipes that benefit from the low and slow cooking method and pulled pork is certainly one of those recipes.
Dry Rub for Pork Shoulder Butt
The cut of meat most commonly used for pulled pork is pork shoulder butt. You can purchase it boneless or with bone in, and they usually run anywhere from a couple of pounds to as much as 8 lbs. or more. For this recipe we like to use a boneless cut of about 3-4lbs. We start by trimming some of the fat off. Many pork shoulder butts will have a “fat cap” that is large layer of fat. I like to cut that off because there’s plenty of fat already marbled into the meat to make it juicy and to keep it tender. Then we cut the meat into 4-6 equal sized pieces. We’ll do this because it gives us more surface area to apply the dry rub, which will penetrate into more of the meat. It also gives us more surface area to create a slow cooker “bark”.
Slow Cook in Liquid
Once the meat has been cut and the rub applied, we’ll add small amounts of chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to the slow cooker. These liquids will mix with the juices of the meat during the slow cooking process and create the most amazing sauce for our pulled pork. The taste, the smell, everything about it is simply mouth watering.
Shred and Serve
Once the slow cooking process is complete, remove the meat to a large bowl and shred with two forks. Add back in some of the juices and you’re ready to serve. Additionally, you can add your favorite BBQ sauce if you wish. But, I think you’ll find the juice from this recipe to be the optimal sauce for the meat.
Recipe
Best Damn Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Total Time: 8hrs 10min
- Yield: 6-10 servings
Description
Tender, succulent and juicy pulled pork made to perfection in your slow cooker. Made with a simple dry rub and slow cooked in a savory mix to create the most delicious homemade pulled pork.
Ingredients
- 3lb – 4lb pork shoulder butt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- Cut meat into 4-6 equal sized pieces. Trim fat as desired.
- In a bowl, mix salt, pepper, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground nustard, and cayenne pepper and rub all over meat.
- Add chicken broth, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to slow cooker and whisk it together. Place meat into slow cooker.
- Slow cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Remove meat to a bowl and shred with two forks. Serve with juices from slow cooker or add your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: BBQ
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Carol says
This is the best pulled pork recipe I’ve tried! I omitted the liquid smoke (always adds a “fake” taste) and trimmed the pork butt well. Cooked in slow cooker on Low for 6.5 hours and it was done. We use it for pork tacos and sandwiches. This will be my only pulled pork recipe now!
Nancee says
If I have an 8lb meat, should I cook this recipe in 2 separate batches or should I be able to add it all to the slow cooker?
RecipeTeacher says
It really depends on the size of your slow cooker. If it can all fit, go for it.
Mike R says
When do you add the mustard? With the other dry ingredients?
RecipeTeacher says
Yes indeed. I’ve corrected the post.
john hilgenberg says
you forgot to add the grnd mustard into the rub on the instructions!
Sharon ferguson says
Which flavor of liquid smoke do you recommend?
RecipeTeacher says
I think the hickory is the “regular” and most popular one.
Lisa says
The dry rub and liquid ingredients complement each other perfectly. I served the pork on brioche buns with homemade coleslaw and spicy pickles. For me, the slaw and pickles go right on top of the pork…delicious! This is an outstanding recipe and I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you!
LYNN WILDER says
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make. The added bonus is your home smells fantastic while it’s cooking in the crock pot!
Lee Ann says
Delicious but I have family members who cannot tolerate vinegar. If I sear the meat, can I eliminate the apple cider vinegar?
RecipeTeacher says
Yea you can. It will still be great.
Tracy says
This was so easy to make and everyone loved it, thank you!
Sue Drury says
Made this pulled pork today. Jason you are amazing in your combination of seasoning mixes for the meats. I didn’t change a thing & it was perfect. I was hoping for left overs, but doubtful there will be any left. Thank you for another wonderful recipe which will go on my rotation.
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much, Sue!