Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork is easy to make with the help of your crock pot! It’s full of flavor, tender and perfect for all your summer BBQs.
This is the slow cooker BBQ pulled pork recipe I have been raving about — it is absolutely a keeper! Summer seems to be on hold again here in Colorado. It’s raining like crazy right now and is supposed to turn to snow. But I can still pretend it’s summer with this pulled pork thanks to my handy dandy Crockpot!
Don’t forget the dry rub:
To be clear, slow cooker BBQ pulled pork is not going to be quite the same as a smoked pulled pork — but it’s still darn good! I use my homemade pork rub, which not super bold. I wanted to keep my rub mild so that it can also be used for smoking meat. So, if you like a lot of smokiness, then just add a little more paprika to your rub.
Key Ingredients for Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork:
- Dry Rub: Here’s my Homemade Pork Dry Spice Rub that I love to use! It has has smoked paprika in it to create a slightly smokey flavor.
- Pork: I generally use about 3½-4 pounds of pork shoulder. Depending on how many people you’re serving (or how many leftovers you want) you can always change the amount of pork you’re cooking. Remember though, you don’t want to overload your Crockpot.
- BBQ Sauce: I used my Texas Style BBQ Sauce to toss the meat in after I shredded it, but you can use any of your favorite store-bought BBQ sauces. One of my personal favorite store-bought brands is Stubb’s BBQ Sauce.
How to Make Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork:
SEASON THE PORK: First, liberally sprinkle the pork shoulder with the dry rub, then gently pat to help the rub adhere. After that, tightly wrap the shoulder in plastic wrap and then place it in the refrigerator overnight.
PLACE PORK IN SLOW COOKER: In the morning, unwrap the pork and then place it in the slow cooker. Next, add in the chicken broth, then cover and cook on low for 8 hours. I don’t recommend cooking on high.
SHRED THE PORK: When cooking time is done, remove the pork and shred. Save some of the cooking liquid and stir it back into the shredded meat. I usually use anywhere from ½ to 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
ADD BBQ SAUCE: Finally, stir in as much or as little BBQ sauce to suit your tastes, then serve.
DON’T FORGET THE SIDES: And of course, you can’t have a good BBQ without some traditional sides! So here are a few of my favorites: Old Fashioned Potato Salad, Broccoli Bacon and Grape Salad, Bacon Baked Beans, and for dessert this Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake.
FAQs
Cooked meat can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Leftover slow cooker BBQ pulled pork goes great on salads, nachos, and sandwiches.
Definitely. My recipe calls for 1 cup of chicken broth, but you can use a different broth or water, as well. This amount is specifically for a 3½-4 pound pork shoulder, however. If you are cooking more or less meat, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid you’re adding to the slow cooker.
Yes, but it would be really hard to do so! It’s actually pretty hard to overcook pork shoulder in the slow cooker. You’ll know your meat is ready when it easily separates and falls away with a fork. Overcooked pork will become mushy and much less appetizing.
Yes – you can add the pork shoulder to the slow cooker completely raw. It will still soak up all of the flavors, and as long as you cook for the right amount of time, will be perfectly juicy and tender!
I cook my pork shoulder on low for 8 hours. You can speed up the process by adjusting the temperature on your slow cooker.
You may also like to try these other BBQ recipes:
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- BBQ Marinated Chicken Kabobs
- Sweet BBQ Rub for Chicken
- BBQ Pulled Pork Gyros
- One Pot BBQ Chicken and Rice
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Perfect for your next backyard BBQ, this tender slow cooker BBQ pulled pork is full of flavor and perfect for sandwiches, nachos and more!
- Homemade Pork Dry Spice Rub or something similar
- 3½-4 pound (1.5-1.8kg) pork shoulder
- 1 cup (235ml) chicken broth
- Texas Style BBQ Sauce or your favorite store bought kind
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Liberally sprinkle the pork shoulder with the dry rub and gently pat to help the rub adhere.
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Tightly wrap the shoulder in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
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In the morning, unwrap the pork and place in the slow cooker. Add in the chicken broth, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. I don't recommend cooking on high.
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When cooking time is done, remove pork and shred.
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Save some of the cooking liquid and stir it back into the shredded meat. I usually use anywhere from ½ to 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
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Stir in as much or as little BBQ sauce to suit your tastes, and serve immediately.
- STORAGE: Cooked meat can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
- FREEZER FRIENDLY: Place cooled meat in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
