Perfect Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- PREP 30min
- COOK 8hrs
- TOTAL 8hrs 30min
This slow cooker pulled pork recipe guarantees juicy and tender pork. Serve the pork as is or feel free to stir in your favorite barbecue or other sauces at the end of cooking. I especially love this homemade BBQ sauce.
You Will Need
1 (4 ½ to 5 pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (pork butt), twine or netting removed
2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped small
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ancho or mild chili powder, try homemade chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup water
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce or 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Rub the pork with salt and pepper, then place it into your slow cooker.
Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, then cook, occasionally stirring, until they are sweet and browned around the edges.
Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring, until the tomato paste turns from bright red to orange, about 3 minutes.
Add the water, apple cider vinegar, and fish sauce and cook for about 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Pour the onion and spice mixture over the pork, then move the pork around the bottom of the slow cooker so that some of the onion and spice mixture slides underneath.
Seal the slow cooker with its lid and cook until very tender, LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.
Turn off the slow cooker and transfer the pork to a cutting board. If the pork has a bone in it, remove and discard it. Use two forks to shred the meat, discarding any connective tissue and large clumps of fat.
Remove the cooking liquid and skim most of the fat from its surface. Discard the fat, and then set aside the cooking liquid.
If using barbecue sauce, add it to the slow cooker and stir in the shredded pork. For even more flavor, add back some of the reserved cooking liquid. If you’re not using barbecue sauce, add the shredded pork and the cooking liquid to the slow cooker. Then, taste and season with salt, vinegar, or hot sauce.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Instant Pot pulled pork: Using the saute function of your Instant Pot, cook the onions, garlic, spices, tomato paste, water, vinegar, and fish sauce as shared in the recipe above. Add the seasoned pork and onion mixture to the Instant Pot, seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 1 hour. Quick release based on the manufacturer’s instructions: shred the pork, and then skim and discard the excess fat from the cooking liquid. To serve, combine the skimmed cooking liquid and shredded pork.
- Searing the pork: We skip searing the pork for this recipe. If you prefer, you can sear the outside of the pork in the same skillet you plan to make the onion-garlic mixture. Searing will leave some browned stuck bits at the bottom of the skillet that you can scrape up when you add the water later.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.