Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
This slow cooker pulled pork recipe is straight outta my Slow Cooker Recipes book! It’s been tested and retested and eaten and re-eaten … err, that doesn’t sound right. The point is, this is a damn near impossible to screw up pulled pork recipe.
I know — I know — the best pulled pork is really that which has been slow smoked, but what is a regular ol’ person like me supposed to do if they want some pulled pork but they really don’t want to mess around with a smoker? Slow cooker to the rescue! Slow cooker, plus some tasty spices of course.
This is a marvelous preparation of pork butt. I tested it using regular old yellow American mustard as well as brown deli mustard; either one works well. If you have the time, cook the pork on low heat for 8-10 hours until it’s super tender and shreddable. If you don’t have the time, you can make do with 5 hours on high but I find that all meats benefit from the lower, slower cooking. The smoked paprika lends a touch of barbecue-ness.
Serve this slightly sweet and spicy pulled pork on big fat sandwiches, or on a plate alongside coleslaw and black eyed peas. Add barbecue sauce if you want. I usually prefer just dousing the bread with some of the pork juice and piling pickles and onions on top of the meat. That’s just me. I love pork juice ‘n’ onion breath.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Video
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
PrintPulled Pork in a Slow Cooker
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 10-12 1x
Ingredients
- 3–4 pound pork shoulder or pork butt (boneless or bone-in)
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup chicken stock or beer
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Instructions
- Combine the mustard, sugar, and spices in a small bowl.
- Remove any twine from the pork roast. Smear the roast with the mustard mix. This much can be done the night before, and the roast refrigerated until you are ready to cook. Marinating it like this allows the smoked paprika and salt to penetrate the meat. If you don’t have time to do so, please don’t worry about it. No biggie.
- Put it in the crockpot with stock, vinegar.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5 hours.
- Once tender, pull out the bone if there is one, and use two forks to shred the meat. Stir it all around in the sauce to keep it moist.
Notes
Leftovers can be frozen with the liquid in airtight containers for a month. Or they can be used to top a pizza along with onions, bell peppers, and provolone cheese. Or they can be tucked inside a grilled cheese sandwich. Trust me.
Nutrition
- Calories: 450
For over 40 more slow cooker recipes, check out my newest cookbook! It’s available now in ebook, Kindle and print formats.
Here’s what’s inside:
- How to choose and care for your slow cooker
- How a slow cooker works and how to adapt your favorite recipes to cook in the slow cooker
- Over 40 original recipes, many have suggestions on how to repurpose leftovers for another fast meal later in the week.
- Meaty main dishes like Pulled Pork, Spicy Mexican Beef and Spring Chicken Soup
- Vegetarian main dishes like Mushroom Stroganoff, Butternut Soup, and Stewed Eggplant
- Breakfast recipes like Strata, Granola and Boston Brown Bread
- Side dishes like Cheesy Potatoes or Maple-Bacon Black Eyed Peas
- Color pictures of most recipes
- Several recipes in this book require cook times of 8-12 hours for those of you with long work days. Dinner will be ready when you are!
Hilah! Your personality and whit when it comes to cooking is unmatched. I’ve been watching your videos everyday while making or having my own lunch. Also your apartment seared steak video saved me on a dinner date recently! You are a truly awesome and inspiring cook! #informative #funnyashell
Hi Kenton!
It makes me happy to hear I’m part of your lunch break 🙂 Even happier that the steak technique was helpful. Hope you try this pulled pork, too!
Awesome pulled pork and I like that it is simple and not drowned in BBQ sauce. I love doing pork in a slow cooker as it always turns out moist and tender. Are you going to share the spicy pickle recipe with us at some point?
Unfortunately, the pickles were not homemade by me, but by a friend. I’ll see if she can tell me what she did.
Any joy on the pickle recipe? 🙂
It was this recipe, minus the dill and add sliced jalapeños! http://www.cooks.com/recipe/hv8fp0qt/sweet-dill-refrigerator-pickles.html
I love your site! You are fun. Got hooked after your comment that gravy aint friggin’ rocket science!
I want to try this recipe but am curious about coriander. I have a strong distaste for cilantro and it being the leaves from coriander is the taste the same?
Hi Beobee!
Coriander doesn’t taste like fresh cilantro at all. It’s sort of orangey/citrusy/woodsy. If you’re not convinced, do you have a grocery store that carries bulk spices nearby? If so, stop by and take a sniff. I think you will like it!
Good question and thank you for writing!
I prefer pork tenderloin for my crock pot pulled pork. Do I substitute the same amount of tenderloin? I stink as a cook and am tired of being embarrassed. My New Year’s resolution is to learn to cook. I am looking forward to receiving your book.
Hi Carol,
Yes, you can use the same weight of tenderloin. Best wishes for a kitchen-happy 2015!
I want to know, what is the prepared mustard?
Hi Vanessa,
It just means regular mustard like French’s or deli mustard, as opposed to dry mustard powder
I have made this like 7 times. It’s so easy yet so good. I like to take the pulled pork and throw it into a corn tortilla and top with a vinegary cole slaw for a taco. Not authentic but still the best!
Great to hear that, Dan! Sounds delicious!