Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Last updated December 17th, 2024

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Don’t have a smoker but want to make your own pulled pork at home? This slow cooker pulled pork recipe makes juicy, tender, flavorful pulled pork in just 10 hours.

Slow cooker pulled pork in a serving dish

Cooking a pork roast can be a daunting thing, or perhaps you just don’t know that you can make a juicy, tender, pulled pork at home without a smoker. Either way, we are here to help show you just how easy it is to make pulled pork at home: all you need is a slow cooker! Our slow cooker pulled pork recipe is a quick and easy way to make pulled pork at home and provide you with easy lunches or dinners for the week! 

This basic pulled pork recipe can then be used in any number of dishes, or eaten plain. Later in the post we’ll share our favorite uses for this pulled pork to help inspire you. But first, let’s break down what you’ll need to make our slow cooker pulled pork recipe, and how to do it!

What This Recipe Entails

Making pulled pork in the slow cooker can be as easy as putting in the roast with a little water and waiting 8 to 10 hours. However this recipe adds a little bit of extra flavor and smoke so you can get the most out of every roast! 

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 8 to 10 hours

Once you give this recipe a go, you should try some other flavor combinations. For instance using your favorite beer instead of water, or adding additional spices or dry rubs while it cooks. For a more complicated (but still really easy) recipe, check out our slow cooker carnitas for inspiration!

A dish of pulled pork.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Ingredients

Slow cooker pulled pork can be made with as little as 2 basic ingredients, pork and water. But to add some extra flavor, here is what you’ll need to make our slow cooker pulled pork:

  • Pork shoulder or Boston butt roast
  • Water or another liquid for cooking (beer, wine, broth, etc.)
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Liquid smoke

The naming convention for different cuts of pork can sometimes be confusing, but just know that pork shoulder and Boston butt roasts are the same thing. You can get this cut in either bone-in or boneless options. Either will work as long as it fits in your slow cooker.

For this recipe, you will also need a liquid for the pulled pork to cook in. You don’t need much – just enough to cover the bottom of the slow cooker to ensure that the bottom of the pork roast doesn’t burn. This liquid can be as easy as tap water, or you can opt for a more flavorful liquid like beer or wine. We often use beer if we’re already in the mood to sip on one!

We then recommend adding a couple of spices, and most importantly, liquid smoke. The liquid smoke helps to add the smokey flavor that you would get from a true wood smoked pulled pork. Of course this recipe is meant to be easier, but you still want to make sure the pulled pork has that classic smokey flavor.

How To Make Pulled Pork In The Slow Cooker

In just 5 easy steps, you can have pulled pork ready to eat in less than 10 hours. While it takes a while to cook, letting the pork cook low and slow yields super tender meat that falls apart easily when shredding (and eating).

Here is everything you need to know for making our slow cooker pulled pork:

  1. First, place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker and sprinkle evenly with garlic and onion powder and add a dash of liquid smoke.
  2. Then, add just enough water (or other liquid) to cover the bottom, about ¼ cup for a 4-quart crockpot.
  3. Next, cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or until the pork reaches at least 165 degrees F.
  4. Once fully cooked, transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until it’s cool enough to pull by hand.
  5. Finally, pull the pork by hand, picking out and discarding the excess fat. 

While pork needs to be heated up to 165 degrees F to be fully cooked, we typically aim for 195 to 205 degrees F so that the pork easily falls apart while shredding. 

You can pull the pork using forks or other utensils, but we always recommend hand-pulling. Using your hands will make it easier to find and keep all the juicy pork while separating and cleaning it from excess fat.

Slow cooker pulled pork in a serving dish.

Serving Suggestions

We made this pulled pork recipe fairly basic flavor-wise for a reason: there are so many delicious ways to season and enjoy pulled pork!

Here are some of our favorite ways we recommend you use this pulled pork:

It’s also delicious as a barbecue style main dish, slathered in BBQ sauce and served with sides of cornbread and mac n cheese or potato salad! For more ideas on how to use pulled pork, check out all our pork recipes here.

Storing and Reheating

Once you have made and pulled your pork, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. We like to weigh out smaller portions of our pulled pork (usually in half pound or two-thirds pound portions) to package in freezer-safe zip top bags for easy defrosting later on.

From the fridge, you can easily reheat the pulled pork in the microwave, crisp it up in a frying pan on the stove, or enjoy it cold. We love to heat it on the stove over medium-low for about 5 minutes until it’s lightly crisped, then add some BBQ sauce and melt cheddar cheese into it for a delicious sandwich filling.

From the freezer, you can easily defrost pulled pork in the microwave (instantly) or in the fridge (overnight) and then heat it up as noted above. Frozen pulled pork is an awesome easy freezer dinner on nights when you just don’t have the time to cook something from scratch!

A serving dish of pulled pork.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cut of meat is best for pulled pork?

It is best to use either a pork shoulder, Boston butt, or pork butt for making pulled pork. These are all actually the same cut of meat, but you may see it labeled differently depending on where you buy it. This is the best cut of pork for pulled pork due to its fat content, which allows for a tender meat that pulls easily.

What is the best liquid to cook pulled pork in?

This really just comes down to preference. Water always works well, but if you want to get more flavor or use the pork for a specific reason, beer, wine, broth, or even a juice or soda will work. Try making pork a couple different ways and you’ll learn what you like best. We tend to cook our pork in beer or water.

How long do you have to wait to pull pork?

As with any meat, you want to let the pork rest before you shred it. Aim for at least 1 hour of rest time before pulling the pork..This allows for the fibers in the meat to relax and the moisture to be absorbed properly. You also need to let it rest so that it is cool enough to shred if you plan to do so by hand.

At what temperature does pulled pork easily shred?

To have a tender and juicy pork shoulder that shreds easily, you want to allow the meat to cook slowly to 195 to 205 degrees F. Allowing the pork time to cook above its “done” temperature of 165 degrees F yields meat that will fall apart more easily. 

Try our recipe for easy slow cooker pulled pork and see for yourself how easy it is to make at home! Let us know your favorite uses for pulled pork in the comments below. And please don’t forget to rate and share if you enjoyed this recipe.


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Slow cooker pulled pork in a serving dish

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Alex
Don’t have a smoker but want to make your own pulled pork at home? This slow cooker pulled pork recipe makes juicy, tender, flavorful pulled pork in just 10 hours.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 hours
Total Time 10 hours 5 minutes
Course Dinner, Ingredient, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 3.5 pounds
Calories 670 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • ¼ cup water or beer or other cooking liquid
  • 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 dash liquid smoke

Instructions
 

  • Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker and sprinkle the top evenly with garlic and onion powder. Add just a dash of liquid smoke. Then, rub the seasonings into the pork for an even coating.
  • Fill a 4-quart slow cooker with just enough water or beer to cover the bottom.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches at least 165 degrees.
  • Once fully cooked, transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for 1 hour.
  • Pull the pork by hand, picking out and discarding the excess fat.
  • Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce or on a sandwich, or store away to use later.

Notes

Pork shoulder: We tend to use boneless, but a bone-in pork shoulder works great too! For an equivalent amount of meat, use a 6-lb bone-in pork shoulder. Just make sure whatever pork shoulder you buy will fit in your slow cooker.
Cooking the pork: Pork cooks best low and slow, so we like to do this overnight. All it takes is a few minutes before bed to throw everything in the slow cooker and turn it on. When you wake up, the whole house will smell of delicious pork and it’ll nearly be done!
You want the pork to reach at least 165 degrees F internally so you know it’s cooked – but if it’s actually between about 195 and 205 degrees F, it’ll fall apart and pull very easily.
Pulling the pork: Hand-pulling pork can get messy, so we recommend wearing disposable gloves for this step. It’s helpful to pull the pork by hand so you can easily pick out the fat, but you can also always use utensils or other tools if you want.
Storing pulled pork: Portion out your pork and store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating pulled pork: You can reheat pulled pork in the microwave or in a frying pan on the stove for a few minutes over medium heat until it’s lightly crisped. Toss it with your favorite sauce or spices and enjoy! (From the freezer, you can defrost in the microwave or in the fridge overnight, then follow the reheating instructions here).
Serving suggestions: You can use this pulled pork for so many dishes, like BBQ pulled pork mac n cheese, burritos, stir fries, pizza, tacos, and so much more! Check out our blog post above for more suggestions.
FAQs and troubleshooting: Not sure what cut of pork to use? Or how to prep ahead for a party? Read the FAQs section of our blog post above for more helpful tips.

Nutrition

Serving: 1poundCalories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 117gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 311mgSodium: 282mgPotassium: 1980mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 5mg
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Keyword crockpot, pork shoulder, slow cooker

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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