Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow cooker pulled pork coated in a homemade barbecue sauce. Hunks of juicy pork shoulder simmered in a spiced sauce until fork tender. You can serve this shredded pork recipe with your favorite sides or in a pulled pork sandwich.

Hands down it’s the most effortless way to make a slow cooker pulled pork recipe. The Crock-Pot is the amazing kitchen device that transforms a tough cut of meat into melt-in-your-mouth pieces. The long cooking time and gentle moist heat favor cuts like pork shoulder that are loaded with chewy connective tissue.

For more effective cooking, the pork is cut into smaller chunks instead of left whole. Its simmered in a sweet, tangy, and savory pineapple braising liquid. Once the meat flakes easily with a fork, all of the delicious juices and flavors in the pot are reduced until a thickened smokey sauce is created.

This is a great recipe to feed a crowd either as an entree or stuffed into toasted hamburger buns for a sandwich.

How to make slow cooker pulled pork

• Combine tomato paste, pineapple juice, maple syrup, molasses, mustard, and seasonings.
• Cut pork into 4 pieces and add to the slow cooker.
• Pour barbecue sauce over the pork.
• Cover and cook on High for 5 to 7 hours, or 8 to 10 hours on Low setting.
• Transfer pork to a plate and shred into smaller pieces.
• Defat the sauce in the slow cooker.
• Reduce the sauce in a large saucepan until thickened.
• Combine the pork with 1 cup of sauce, serve the rest on the side.

Choosing the best cut of meat

Use a boneless pork shoulder also sold as pork butt or “Boston butt” which is a large roast from half of the shoulder. If bone-in pork shoulder is the only cut available, make sure to find a 7 to 8-pound piece to account for the weight of the bone.

Cut and trim the fat

To make the meat fit in a 6-quart Crock-Pot cook faster and more evenly, cut it into four pieces. Pork shoulder has a good amount of fat layer on the surface. Make sure to cut away most of the excess fat, leaving just a small amount for flavor. This will make it easier to remove the fat later when making the barbecue sauce.

Make a barbecue sauce

Even before the pork begins to cook, it’s coated in a mixture of tomato paste, pineapple juice, molasses, maple syrup, mustard, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. As it cooks, the flavorful juices and drippings infuse into the sauce, making it even more rich and tasty.

Make sure to remove most of the fat that’s sitting on top so it doesn’t make the sauce too greasy. All of the liquid left in the vessel is then reduced until it becomes a thickened tomato-based barbecue sauce. It should yield about 1 3/4 to 2 cups of sauce. I also like to make some extra homemade barbecue sauce to serve on the side.

Can you overcook the pork?

It’s hard to overcook the well-marbled and fatty shoulder cut. However, it can become mushy due to the acids in the sauce if the cooking continues too long beyond the recommended cook times. Make sure to keep an eye on the pork and take a bite for the best gauge of doneness.

What to serve this with

• Coleslaw & Toasted Buns
• Cornbread Muffins
• Baked Beans

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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow cooker pulled pork coated in a homemade barbecue sauce. Hunks of juicy pork shoulder simmered in a spiced sauce until fork tender.

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4.08 from 13 votes

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time6 hrs

Total Time6 hrs 20 mins

Servings 8 servings

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Ingredients

• ¾ cup tomato paste¾ cup tomato paste
• ¾ cup pineapple juice¾ cup pineapple juice
• ⅓ cup maple syrup⅓ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons molasses2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon kosher salt
• black pepper, for seasoningblack pepper, for seasoning
• 4 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed and cut into 4 pieces4 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed and cut into 4 pieces

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions 

• In a medium bowl whisk together tomato paste, pineapple juice, maple syrup, molasses, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, and salt.
• Trim the excess fat from the pork shoulder. Cut into four pieces.
• Transfer the pork to the slow cooker.
• Pour sauce over the pork, turning to coat the pieces.
• Cover and cook until pork is very tender and easy to separate with a fork, 5 to 7 hours on “High” or 8 to 10 hours on “Low” setting.
• Transfer pork to a plate and shred into smaller pieces. Cover with foil to keep warm.
• Skim and remove the excess fat from the surface of the sauce. The sauce can also be transferred to a fat separator or bowl to remove the grease.
• Add the defatted sauce to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1 ½ cups, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer pork to the slow cooker and combine with 1 cup of sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side with the pulled pork.

Equipment

• Slow Cooker
• Fat Separator
• 2-3 qt. Saucepan

Notes

• If only bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt is available, purchase a 7 to 8 pound cut to account for the weight of the bone.

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