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Meet your new favourite Pulled Pork recipe. Cooked in your slow cooker for tender, fall apart meat and drizzle with a sticky, speedy homemade barbecue sauce for the ultimate flavour. Perfect for a special but simple meal.
If you love Pulled Pork, you need to try this slow cooker version. It’s been tried and tested so many times to make it the best you’ll ever make at home.
I have to admit that this is possibly one of my favourite recipes, and one that I turn to time and time again because it works on many levels.
It’s such a delicious dish but is unbelievably hands-off, so when I am hosting a relaxed dinner for friends or family, it’s this one I make.
Made with pork shoulder, which is great value, I simply prep the meat and stick it in the slow cooker in the morning, then there’s nothing else to do until it’s almost ready to eat.
I usually serve it up in bread buns for everyone to help themselves, as well as homemade Coleslaw and Homemade Chips. You can bulk it up for a buffet-style meal with corn on the cob and baked beans too.
You can also cook this Pulled Pork in the oven too – instruction are below.
Why you’ll love this BBQ Pulled Pork recipe
⭐️ Pork shoulder is great value
⭐️ Mouthwatering results for little effort
⭐️ Perfect to cook for a crowd
Sarah’s Notes
The origins of BBQ Pulled Pork go back to southern USA, where pork shoulder was typically cooked slowly outdoors over a barbecue and then shredded and mixed with sauce.
I wanted to create a family friendly version of my own that was as simple as possible.
Here I show you how to make this Pulled Pork in the slow cooker AND the oven.
This version includes a simple BBQ sauce that’s made with its own juices with simple store-cupboard ingredients, but an option to make the sauce a bit more in-your-face if that’s your thing. I hope you love it!
Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Ingredients
- Pork shoulder – This cut is really good value and is best when cooked slowly and shredded. You can use a less fatty cut of pork but the meat won’t be as tender or succulent.
- To make the rub – This goes onto the meat at the start and is a mixture of sweet smoked paprika, soft dark brown sugar, garlic granules, ground cumin, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (measurements in the recipe below).
- To make the sauce – This goes in with the meat once it’s almost cooked and is made up of tomato ketchup, dark brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and mustard powder (measurements in the recipe below).
How to make Slow Cooked Pulled Pork
1. Mix the ingredients together to make the rub, as per the full recipe below.
2. Remove the outermost layer of fat from the pork, then put it into the slow cooker and coat with the rub. Cook according to the recipe timings.
3. Towards the end of the cooking time, make your BBQ sauce.
4. Shred the pork with forks and add in the sauce. Mix well and heat for a little longer.
leftovers
In the fridge You can keep leftovers in the fridge for 3 days.
In the freezer This recipe freezes well. Just wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating.
How to reheat Do this either in your microwave, on the hob or in the oven. It may need covering in the oven to stop it drying out, and always make sure it is heated all the way through. It should be hot.
More slow cooker pork recipes…
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Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Slow Cooker
Easy Campfire Stew {Slow Cooker Recipe}
Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole
Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Gammon {BEST Ever Ham!}
Recipe Tips
BBQ sauce options
If you are looking for a stronger barbecue sauce flavour in this, you could either use a store-bought version (instead of the homemade ingredients, use about 150 ml plus the cooking liquid as per the recipe).
OR if you’d rather leave this plain, leave out the sauce altogether and just return some of the cooking liquid back to the pork after you’ve shredded it (about 200ml).
How to serve Pulled Pork
My favourite way is simple – in a burger bun with coleslaw. You could also add extra sauce or apple sauce.
You could also make these into Pulled Pork Tacos using tortilla wraps, add the meat into a pasta for a pork ragu-style dish, or you could simply add to salad.
See my side dish suggestions below ⬇️
What to serve with pulled pork…
FAQs
You could use a pork loin for this recipe but it just doesn’t really have enough fat.
I think it’s much better to use a more economical cut like boneless pork shoulder and then drain the excess fat. It’s cheaper than pork loin and the fatty stripes through the meat mean it lends itself very well to this kind of cooking.
I do cut off the pork skin and any excess visible fat (plus the string!) before popping in the slow cooker.
The Morphy Richards Sear & Stew is my all-time favourite slow cooker because you can use it for initial browning on the hob and it’s really light.
I wrote up a whole slow cooker review though, where you might find another one to suit your needs. Have a read here.
When it comes to pans, I also put some to the test a while ago. Read my pan review here. I hope it helps!
It takes about 5 – 6 hours at 150C/300F, in a heavy casserole with the lid firmly on, then a further 30 minutes after it’s been shredded and the sauce has been added in. (I like to leave the lid off for this 30 minutes at the end to get some little crunchy bits.)
Make sure you turn the meat over in the dish at the halfway mark.
The pulled pork seasoning/BBQ sauce rub we’ve used in this recipe, plus the fat from the meat, is enough.
Yes, I would definitely recommend taking off the fat before you cook it. I have tried both ways and leaving the fat on makes the meat quite fatty and greasy.
I would also recommend checking the liquid after you’ve drained it from the meat (after cooking). Make sure you pour away any fat from the top before you pour it back in to make the sauce.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Slow Cooked Pulled Pork {ULTIMATE recipe!}
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (3.5 lb) Pork shoulder joint
To make the rub:
- 2 tbsp Sweet smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp Soft dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Garlic granules
- 1 tbsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
To make the sauce:
- 6 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 3 tbsp Dark brown sugar
- 4 tsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Mustard powder
- 8 tbsp Reserved liquid from cooking
Instructions
- Mix together the ingredients for the rub.
- Remove the outermost layer of fat from the pork using sharp knife. Coat the pork in the rub using clean hands.
To cook in the slow cooker:
- Slow cook for on HIGH for 6-8 hours until the meat is very tender and falls apart easily.
- Meanwhile mix up your sauce in a small bowl.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place into a clean bowl. Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a jug and set aside. Add 8 tbsp to the sauce ingredients.
- Using two forks, shred the pork, and remove and discard any fatty pieces.
- Add the shredded pork back into the slow cooker, pour over the sauce, mix well and cook on HIGH for a further 30-45 minutes.
To cook in the oven:
- Pre-heat oven to 150°C fan/170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
- Place the pork in a large lidded oven proof dish. (If you don’t have a lidded dish you could cover with foil.)
- Cook for 2.5 hours, turn the meat over, return to the oven and cook for a further 2.5 hours.
- Make the sauce as per the recipe.
- Remove the pork from the oven, it should be tender and falling apart. Drain the cooking the liquid and reserve. Shred the pork gently using two forks.
- Pour the sauce over the pork, making sure it is well coated.
- Put the pork back into the oven and roast for a further 30 minutes.
OPTIONAL: BBQ sauce
- If you'd like a stronger flavour, you can use a store bought version (about 150ml plus the cooking liquid as above).
- OR for a plainer dish, leave out the sauce altogether and just return some of the cooking liquid back to the pork after you’ve shredded it (about 200ml).
Did you make this recipe? Click here to let us know how it went and give it a ⭐️ rating! Your feedback helps us to make more recipes you really want.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
We improved and updated this recipe in May 2024, but I know some of you may have enjoyed the first recipe so much that you’d like to stick to it. If that’s the case, here it is below ⬇️
Previous Pulled Pork Recipe
(published in 2021)
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5kg Pork shoulder
- 90g Chipotle paste
- 4 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Ketchup
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
METHOD
- If there is a layer of skin on the pork, remove this, then rub the other ingredients onto the pork. Place in the slow cooker on LOW for 12 hours.
- Once cooked, remove the juices from the pan, remove the fat and set aside. Shred up the pork using two forks.
- Add the juices back into the meat and mix.
This post was originally published on January 21, 2021 and updated later to make improvements.
This recipe is brilliant! There are only 2 of us at home much of the time nowadays and this made 10 portions or 5 meals for 2 in all: pulled pork burgers; one-pot pulled pork pasta ‘bake’ inspired by the meatball pasta one-pot from Taming Twins; Cubanos from Crook to Cook by Snoop Dogg; pulled pork burrito bowls. The remaining cooking liquid was also used as the ‘stock’ for the gravy in sausages in onion gravy. Even better, the boneless pork shoulder cost £8.03 and all the other ingredients for the recipe were from the store cupboard!⭐️
Hi Annette, thank you so much for the five star review, and what an incredible bit of batch cooking! We’re so impressed you stretched one pork shoulder into five different meals, from pulled pork burgers to burritos and even Cubanos!
Amazing
Hi Vanda, thank you, that’s wonderful to hear! We’re so happy the pulled pork was amazing for you. Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review!
This is the nicest pulled pork recipe I have ever made. It’s so simple with ingredients that you would normally have in your kitchen cupboards. I was amazed at how much liquid quickly appeared during the cooking, even after removing the rind and a layer of fat! I turned the joint half way through cooking to make sure the top didn’t dry out. As I had a 2kg joint, I made double the BBQ sauce and used wholegrain mustard as I didn’t have mustard powder. It cooked in 8 hours and was moist and delicious 😋 I will definitely make it again! Thanks!!
Hi Clare, thank you so much for such a lovely review! We are so pleased it turned out moist and delicious, and your tweaks with the wholegrain mustard and double sauce sound perfect. Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
Hi , I still follow the original recipe as it’s never failed me –
I’m cooking for quite a lot of people and so have a 3kg joint , the recipe has changed the quantities but not the cooking time – how long would you recommend on low please ? Thanks
Hi Helen, lovely to hear the original recipe has never let you down. For a 3kg joint we would allow a little longer than the standard time, around 9 to 10 hours on low, but the best test is whether it pulls apart easily with two forks so please check after the recommended time first. If it is not quite there, just give it another hour. Enjoy feeding your crowd.
This was a great hit in bread rolls! 😊
Hi Emma, thank you so much for this lovely comment! We’re delighted it went down so well in bread rolls, that’s such a great way to serve it.