This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe is mouthwateringly juicy, fall-apart tender, sweet, smoky, and saucy. It’s so easy to make and great for a crowd!
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Melt-in-your-mouth tender, ultra smoky pulled pork at home.
This slow cooker pulled pork has become a go-to dish whenever I’m serving a crowd. It’s an inexpensive crowd-pleaser, I can prep it in advance, and guests can serve themselves. AND leftovers can be frozen and used for meal prep. Score!
If you’re like us, you may even find yourself preferring this homemade recipe to your local BBQ restaurant. We primarily enjoy ours as slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches topped with Healthy Coleslaw and a side of Air Fryer Potato Chips, but that’s not the only option! Try Pulled Pork Quesadillas or take note from Slow Cooker Carnitas and make tacos.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Pork. When making pulled pork, choose a fattier, tougher cut of pork that can stand up to long, slow cook times. As the fat renders and the meat breaks down, the excess fat helps the pork stay juicy. Pork shoulder is the traditional and best choice for crock pot pulled pork.
- Onion. It breaks down so much you’ll almost forget it’s there, but it works quietly in the background to make this BBQ pulled pork recipe taste more complex.
- Tomato Paste. Its concentrated flavor gives the sauce backbone.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. The acid helps cut and balance the richness of the pork.
- Honey + Brown Sugar. Some sweetness is essential for BBQ flavor. (Also vital in Smoked Pork Butt).
- Hot Sauce. Spicy to balance the sweet. This recipe isn’t spicy as written, so if you want a spicy pulled pork, use more.
- Worcestershire Sauce. The umami ingredient.
- Liquid Smoke. Such a fun ingredient to use! It gives the pork an “I spent all day fussing over this” taste, with zero fuss at all. (If you prefer, you can omit it, but I think you’ll be happy with your purchase.)
- Smoked Paprika + Garlic Powder + Mustard Powder. To make the sauce taste boss.
- Cornstarch. A slurry thickens up the pork’s own cooking juices and makes them a part of the sauce. You don’t lose a drop of goodness.
5 Star Review
“Made this for a lake weekend and it was PERFECT. Everyone loved it and it was so easy to reheat leftovers.”
— Janie —
How to Make Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker
Start with the Sauce Ingredients. Add everything to the slow cooker.
Whisk. Make sure everything is mixed well.
Season the Pork. This is important for creating tender, flavorful meat. If you want to use frozen pork, it does need to be thawed first. (If it isn’t thawed, it can become unsafe to eat, because the pork will spend so much time at room temperature as it thaws.)
Cook the Pork. Spoon the sauce over the top, then cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours or LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
Thicken the Sauce. Remove the pork, then add the cornstarch slurry. Let cook. Shred the pork and stir it together with the thickened BBQ sauce. ENJOY!
Meal Prep Ideas
Crockpot pulled pork reheats beautifully, so it’s great for making on the weekend and using to make dinner a few nights in a row. Reheat it in the crockpot with a splash of water or broth added to thin the sauce if needed, then put it to use in:
- Sandwiches. A favorite! Use my homemade Hamburger Buns recipe or make pulled pork sliders with small buns.
- Tacos. Tuck it into tortillas for slow cooker pulled pork tacos.
- Rice Bowls. Swap it for the chicken in these Burrito Bowls with brown rice.
- Salad. Use it instead of chicken in this BBQ Chicken Salad.
- Baked Potato. Pile it onto a Baked Potato or an Air Fryer Sweet Potato.
- Pizza. Do a spin on BBQ Chicken Pizza using pulled pork.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Here are some classic pairings with pulled pork. You can’t go wrong with any of them!
- Baked Beans. CLASSIC with barbecue. Make Easy Baked Beans if you’re in a hurry or Boston Baked Beans for something long and slow.
- Grilled Vegetables. Perfect for a summer meal! Grilled Corn Salad or Grilled Potatoes would be tasty.
- Mac and Cheese. Add Instant Pot Mac and Cheese to the mix for a comfort food meal.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
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Ingredients
FOR THE PULLED PORK:
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha or hot sauce of choice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional for the pork
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke optional but super good
- 1 (3- to 4-pound) boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
- Ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch plus 3 tablespoons cold water to create a slurry
FOR SERVING:
- Buns
- Healthy Coleslaw
- Pickles
- Pickled Onions
Instructions
- In the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, whisk together the onion, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, sriracha, 1 teaspoon salt, and liquid smoke (if using), until smoothly combined.
- Cut the fat from the bottom of the pork. Season the pork all over with a generous amount of kosher salt and ground pepper.
- Add the pork to the slow cooker and spoon the sauce all over the top to cover it.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours or LOW for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender. Transfer the pork to a large bowl, leaving the cooking liquid in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water to create a slurry. Pour into the slow cooker, then whisk to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH, whisking every so often, until the sauce is thickened to your liking, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- While the sauce thickens, shred the pork with two forks or, if it is cool enough to handle, with your fingers.
- Stir the shredded pork back into the thickened sauce in the slow cooker. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired (you may need an extra pinch of salt or some additional hot sauce if you enjoy a kick). Spoon pork on top of buns with coleslaw and pickles to create a sandwich, or serve it any way you like.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE. Store slow cooker pulled pork for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT. To reheat slow cooker pulled pork, warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, with a splash of water or chicken broth to keep the pork from becoming too thick or dry.
- TO FREEZE. Portion the pulled pork into freezer-safe containers of your desired size. Freeze for up to 3 months (I’ve gone even longer). Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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So good! Easy and flavorful, and would have been even better but I had to sub ketchup for some of the tomato paste and use Dijon mustard in place of mustard powder. I doubled the sauce for a large pork shoulder (7+ pounds), and did 4-5 hours high and 4-5 hours on low. Highly recommend.
HOORAY! I am so happy to hear it, thanks for sharing!
Accidentally bought bone in…any cooking time recommendations? Or same? Getting ready to make this tomorrow for a test run for a potluck.
Hi Sandy! That’s OK, I’m sure it will be great. I’ve never done bone in, but I’d plan on it maybe needing longer. Give yourself a buffer.
First time making pulled pork and won’t be the last! Can’t wait to share this at the next potluck. A few substitutions based on what I had in my house…I had a bone in pork butt. 4.25 pounds cooked for 6 hours on high. Perfect! I also didn’t have mustard powder so I used 2 tbsp of mustard. I also took out 2 cups of the sauce after it thickened up because there was a lot so I wanted to add back as needed. I think I will sear the meat next time and add more salt I think I under salted it but it’s comparable to that of a restaurant…I’m happy!
Hi Sandy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi
If I make this overnight how can I keep this warm till noon ? Will this dry out too much staying warm for 4 hrs or so?
Hi Jim, warming it in the slow cooker shouldn’t dry it out because it will be sitting in the sauce. Hope this helps!
I’m not sure when you’re planning on starting it, but if your slow cooker has a keep warm function, you could switch it to keep warm. Though for me personally, I would be hesitant to have it in the slow cooker for more than 12 hours total. You can always make it entirely in advance, and then reheat it in the slow cooker. If it looks dry, add a little broth or bbq sauce.
The best pulled pork recipe ever. The homemade bbq sauce is wonderful. Thinking of trying it on wings.
Thank you Penny!
I’m trying this soon. How many servings do you think you got out of the 3-4 pounds?
Hi Ruth, this recipe is roughly 8 servings. Enjoy!
I have never been so disappointed in a recipe. I was so excited after reading all the great reviews and how wonderful it smelled cooking- but the taste was a huge let down. It had close to no flavor accept a hint of tang from the tomato paste. I cannot believe there are so many 5 star ratings.
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe, Nadine. The amounts, flavorings and timing have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would have been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
I made this today and I didn’t know what to do with the big slice of fat on the bottom of the roast, so I just put the whole thing in. The instructions and printed recipe didn’t say anything about it. After it had been in the crock pot for 2 hours, for some reason I watched the video where you say to cut that off. It wasn’t in any of the other instructions! So I hauled it out and cut it off as best I could, but by then a lot of the fat had already melted into the sauce. It would be helpful if that detail was added to the printed instructions. I’m looking forward to tasting it!
Hi Sharon! Thanks for letting us know! We will fix that! Hope you enjoyed it!
The recipe looks great, but I am unable to see the size of the pork butt so I can determine whether to double or triple.
Hi Don, it’s located in the recipe card. It’s two ingredients above the highlight section FOR SERVING. You’ll use (3- to 4-pound) boneless pork shoulder or pork butt. Hope this helps!
Easy to assemble, had all ingredients on hand, left on high for 8 hours (oops). No leftovers. I’ll be making again. Thanks Erin. Steve
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Steve!
I mistakenly bought a 10 lb pork loin. Planned on cutting some off for a pork roast
Making it abot 8 lbs.
Will it work to cook it & shred for pulled pork sandwiches to serve 14?
Hi Carolyne, other readers have used pork loin with great success. 8 pounds would mean double the recipe, so you should get 16 servings out of it. Enjoy!
This looks amazing and so easy. My husband is a diabetic, if I cut back on the honey and brown sugar will it affect the taste too much? If you think it will, I’ll just make it for myself, haha!
Hi Sue, some sweetness is essential for BBQ flavor. Another reader used keto brown sugar and skipped the honey and she said it tasted amazing! Let us know how it goes if you experiment with it!
Did a double recipe and had it in for 10 hours on low! Used beef stock instead of water, and added minced garlic and onion powder. Turned out wonderful and very juicy!!
Mmmmm, I can smell it from here! Thanks Claire!
This is my favorite pulled pork recipe.
The liquid smoke gives it an amazing depth of flavor. I used apple juice instead of water in the crockpot I also used Dijon mustard because I didn’t have powdered. I also
read some reviews and decided to braise the
pork first. It came out amazing. Everyone loved it.
So pleased to hear this Robin, thank you!!!
We absolutely loved it!
So glad Linda!